The software traditionally consists of two main utilities, as detailed in IBM's usage guide :

: Used to compress and archive multiple files into a single, smaller .ZIP package.

PKZIP is a classic data compression software developed by Phil Katz and his company, PKWARE, Inc. , which essentially created the ZIP file format that became the industry standard.

In the late 1980s, the world of digital storage was limited, and the need to "shrink" files was paramount. PKZIP emerged as a faster, more efficient alternative to earlier formats like .ARC, winning a famous "compression war" and establishing the as the universal choice for archiving. Why PKZIP Changed Everything