User Guide

High-ratio desktop archiving — compress, extract, and manage archives, with optional encryption, self-extracting archives, and split volumes.

Applies to: Slim Archiver (Free / Evaluation, Pro, and Enterprise editions) — Desktop v1.0.0 · Audience: end users. Enterprise administration (SSO, vaults, cloud, governance) is covered in the separate Administrator guides.

About this guide

This guide covers everyday use of the Slim Archiver desktop app: creating archives, extracting them, and the options on each screen. Features marked PRO require a Pro license and ENT require an Enterprise license; everything else is available in all editions, including Free / Evaluation.

1. Getting started

Slim Archiver is organized into workspaces, selected from the sidebar on the left:

• Compress — select files and folders and create an archive.
• Manager — open an existing archive, view its contents, and extract it.
• Cloud Connect ENT and Control Center ENT — enterprise features (see the Administrator guides).
• Settings — application preferences and default options.
• License & Info — your license status, machine ID, and application details.

The System Output Console runs along the bottom of the window and logs each operation. You can collapse it with the arrow in its header, or drag its top edge to resize it.

2. Creating an archive (Compress)

Open the Compress workspace. Creating an archive has two parts: choosing what to include (Source Items, left) and choosing how to build it (Archive Settings, right).

2.1 Add your files

• Drag files or folders onto the Drag & Drop area, or click it to browse.
• Or use Add Files, Add Directory, and Clear All below the list.

2.2 Choose your settings

Slim Archiver creates archives in its own high-ratio .slim format. The main settings are:

2.3 Advanced Parameters

Expand Advanced Parameters for additional options, grouped by purpose:

Archive

• Solid Archive (on by default) — packs all files as one continuous stream for a better compression ratio. Best for many small files.
• Reproducible Build — produces deterministic output (e.g. normalized timestamps), so compressing the same input yields a byte-identical archive. Useful for verification and build pipelines.
• SFX Archive PRO — creates a self-extracting .exe that unpacks without Slim Archiver installed. Enabling this changes the output extension to .exe.

Security

• Encrypt File Names — also hides the names of files inside the archive. Enter a password first; this option stays disabled until a password is set.
• CAC / Smart Card Encryption ENT — encrypts using a Smart Card / CAC credential instead of a typed password (see the Administrator guides).

Format

• Split Volume Size PRO — splits the archive into parts of a chosen size: 10 / 25 / 100 MB, 700 MB (CD), 4 GB (DVD), or a custom size. Useful for transfer limits or removable media.

2.4 Create it

Click Create Archive. Progress appears in the console and a progress overlay. Enterprise users may see Create & Upload to Cloud to write directly to a configured cloud destination (see the Cloud Connectors guide).

3. Opening and extracting archives (Manager)

Open the Manager workspace to work with an existing archive.

• Click Open Archive (or drag an archive onto the drop area) to load it and list its contents.
• Set an Extraction destination — leave it blank to extract to the same folder as the archive.
• Click Extract All Files.

Slim Archiver can extract these formats: .slim .zip .rar .tar .gz .tgz

3.1 If the archive is encrypted

• Enter the password in the Password field before extracting.
• Enterprise users can instead supply a Vault Secret ID ENT to fetch the password from a corporate vault (see the Vault Integration guide).
• For your protection, extraction stops after 5 incorrect password attempts; re-open the archive to try again.

4. Passwords & encryption

To encrypt an archive, enter a password in the Password (Optional) field on the Compress screen before creating it. The archive is encrypted with that password; anyone opening it must supply the same password.

• Use Encrypt File Names (Advanced → Security) to also hide the list of file names inside the archive.
• There is no password recovery — if you lose the password, the contents cannot be recovered. Store it safely.
• A password-protected archive can be opened by anyone who has the password; keep it confidential.

5. Settings & defaults

The Settings workspace lets you set defaults that pre-fill new operations — for example a default compression method and a default extraction behavior (prompt for a folder each time, or always use a set path). These are conveniences; you can still change any option per archive.

6. License & edition

Open License & Info to see your machine Hardware ID (HWID), your license status, and to activate or deactivate a license. The header shows your active edition — PRO ACTIVE or ENTERPRISE ACTIVE — or evaluation mode if no license is active.

• Free / Evaluation — core compression and extraction, including password and file-name encryption.
• Pro — unlocks SFX archives and split volumes.
• Enterprise — unlocks Smart Card / CAC encryption, vault integration, cloud connectors, and governance.

If you select a Pro or Enterprise feature without the matching license, the app tells you which license is required and does not create the archive.

7. Troubleshooting

The System Output Console at the bottom of the window logs each step and usually names the specific cause of any error; use Report Issue in its header to send feedback.