diff --git a/BizHawk.Client.Common/BizHawk.Client.Common.csproj b/BizHawk.Client.Common/BizHawk.Client.Common.csproj
index c866a9a85c..ea09e5b1f0 100644
--- a/BizHawk.Client.Common/BizHawk.Client.Common.csproj
+++ b/BizHawk.Client.Common/BizHawk.Client.Common.csproj
@@ -56,6 +56,10 @@
       <HintPath>..\output\dll\nlua\NLua.dll</HintPath>
       <Private>False</Private>
     </Reference>
+    <Reference Include="SharpCompress, Version=0.24.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=afb0a02973931d96">
+      <HintPath>..\packages\SharpCompress.0.24.0\lib\net45\SharpCompress.dll</HintPath>
+      <Private>True</Private>
+    </Reference>
     <Reference Include="System" />
     <Reference Include="System.Core" />
     <Reference Include="System.Data.SQLite, Version=1.0.105.2, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=db937bc2d44ff139, processorArchitecture=AMD64">
@@ -260,6 +264,7 @@
     <Compile Include="SavestateManager.cs" />
     <Compile Include="SevenZipSharpArchiveHandler.cs" />
     <Compile Include="SevenZipWriter.cs" />
+    <Compile Include="SharpCompressArchiveHandler.cs" />
     <Compile Include="SharpZipWriter.cs" />
     <Compile Include="SystemInfo.cs" />
     <Compile Include="tools\Cheat.cs" />
@@ -321,6 +326,9 @@
       <Name>BizHawk.Bizware.BizwareGL</Name>
     </ProjectReference>
   </ItemGroup>
+  <ItemGroup>
+    <None Include="packages.config" />
+  </ItemGroup>
   <Import Project="$(MSBuildToolsPath)\Microsoft.CSharp.targets" />
   <PropertyGroup>
     <PreBuildEvent>
diff --git a/BizHawk.Client.Common/SharpCompressArchiveHandler.cs b/BizHawk.Client.Common/SharpCompressArchiveHandler.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e79cbc55e1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/BizHawk.Client.Common/SharpCompressArchiveHandler.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,77 @@
+using System;
+using System.Collections.Generic;
+using System.IO;
+using System.Linq;
+
+using BizHawk.Common;
+
+using SharpCompress.Archives;
+using SharpCompress.Common;
+
+namespace BizHawk.Client.Common
+{
+	/// <summary>
+	/// An <see cref="IHawkFileArchiveHandler">ArchiveHandler</see> implemented using SharpCompress from NuGet
+	/// </summary>
+	/// <remarks>
+	/// Intended for Unix, which can't use SevenZipSharp, but later we might sacrifice whatever speed advantage that library has for the lower workload of one cross-platform library.
+	/// </remarks>
+	/// <seealso cref="SevenZipSharpArchiveHandler"/>
+	public class SharpCompressArchiveHandler : IHawkFileArchiveHandler
+	{
+		private IArchive _archive;
+
+		public void Dispose()
+		{
+			_archive?.Dispose();
+			_archive = null;
+		}
+
+		public bool CheckSignature(string fileName, out int offset, out bool isExecutable)
+		{
+			offset = 0;
+			isExecutable = false;
+			try
+			{
+				using (var arcTest = ArchiveFactory.Open(fileName))
+					switch (arcTest.Type)
+					{
+						case ArchiveType.Zip:
+						case ArchiveType.SevenZip:
+							return true;
+					}
+			}
+			catch (Exception _)
+			{
+				// ignored
+			}
+			return false;
+		}
+
+		public IHawkFileArchiveHandler Construct(string path)
+		{
+			var ret = new SharpCompressArchiveHandler();
+			ret.Open(path);
+			return ret;
+		}
+
+		private void Open(string path) => _archive = ArchiveFactory.Open(path);
+
+		public List<HawkFileArchiveItem> Scan() =>
+			_archive.Entries.Where(e => !e.IsDirectory)
+				.Select((e, i) => new HawkFileArchiveItem
+				{
+					Name = HawkFile.Util_FixArchiveFilename(e.Key),
+					Size = e.Size,
+					Index = i,
+					ArchiveIndex = i
+				})
+				.ToList();
+
+		public void ExtractFile(int index, Stream stream)
+		{
+			using (var entryStream = _archive.Entries.Where(e => !e.IsDirectory).ElementAt(index).OpenEntryStream())
+				entryStream.CopyTo(stream);
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/BizHawk.Client.Common/packages.config b/BizHawk.Client.Common/packages.config
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..dcaa847713
--- /dev/null
+++ b/BizHawk.Client.Common/packages.config
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
+<packages>
+  <package id="SharpCompress" version="0.24.0" targetFramework="net461" />
+</packages>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/Program.cs b/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/Program.cs
index eff505836a..39a33781a0 100644
--- a/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/Program.cs
+++ b/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/Program.cs
@@ -117,7 +117,20 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 
 			BizHawk.Common.TempFileManager.Start();
 
-			HawkFile.ArchiveHandlerFactory = new SevenZipSharpArchiveHandler();
+#if true // switch to if false for system-agnostic glory!
+			switch (EXE_PROJECT.OSTailoredCode.CurrentOS)
+			{
+				case EXE_PROJECT.OSTailoredCode.DistinctOS.Linux:
+				case EXE_PROJECT.OSTailoredCode.DistinctOS.macOS:
+					HawkFile.ArchiveHandlerFactory = new SharpCompressArchiveHandler();
+					break;
+				case EXE_PROJECT.OSTailoredCode.DistinctOS.Windows:
+					HawkFile.ArchiveHandlerFactory = new SevenZipSharpArchiveHandler();
+					break;
+			}
+#else
+			HawkFile.ArchiveHandlerFactory = new SharpCompressArchiveHandler();
+#endif
 
 			string cmdConfigFile = ArgParser.GetCmdConfigFile(args);
 			if (cmdConfigFile != null) PathManager.SetDefaultIniPath(cmdConfigFile);