How to Extract Unzip tar.gz Files: Step-by-Step Windows and Linux Guide

However, there are also many third-party tools you can install for a more user-friendly experience. This command extracts (-x) the file (-f) specified (in this case, filename.tar.gz) to the current directory. Note that this command also works with other common compression formats such as .tar.bz2. And now you can use the 7-Zip File Manager to open, view, or extract files from tar.gz and other archives. If you want a specific file, you can drill down into the folder, or you can simply click the “Extract” button and choose a location to put all the files. Since .tar.gz compresses multiple files all at once, it can take advantage of similarities between individual files to save on space.

Using the tar Utility

1. As a result, it has become a common file extension for many open-source software packages and other resources.
2. You can open most .tar.gz files using the tar command built in to Linux, macOS, and Windows 10.
3. In this guide, you will learn how to extract or unzip .tar.gz files in Linux.
4. Ubuntu versions are usually named using an alliterative adjective and an animal name, both starting with the same letter.

Where most operating systems make it easy to extract and create .zip files, the same can’t really be said for .tar files — at least not in ways that are easy to notice. 7-Zip is a free and open-source tool with high compression ratios & supports a wide range of archive formats. It offers AES-256 encryption to protect sensitive data within archives. Users can utilize the 7-zip command-line interface for automated & scripted extraction tasks. Gzip compression uses a checksum to make sure data integrity. When you extract files from a .tar.gz archive, the checksum is automatically verified to detect & handle any potential data corruption.

You can combine both steps into a single command as well. The c, v, z, and f flags used in the aforementioned command stand for Create, Verbose, gzip, and Filename. Once you’ve done this successfully, you’ll notice how much does a taxi app development cost in 2022 that the icon for tar.gz files will change to a 7-Zip icon. We can see that the Ukulele Songs directory contains directories called Random Songs, Ramones and Possibles.

While experienced users know what is a TAR file and how to extract it, Linux newbies might face some difficulties in figuring out what to do with it. The easiest way to open a tar.gz file on Windows is to install an excellent free utility called 7-Zip, which can how to buy ethereum in new york handle tar.gz and just about any other file format. We’ve been recommending this app for years, and it’s one of the first things that we install whenever reinstalling Windows. After reading this article, you know how to extract or unzip .tar.gz file in Linux using different methods and tools. You can open most .tar.gz files using the tar command built in to Linux, macOS, and Windows 10.

However, tar was unable to find FILE within .tar.gz, meaning that the user either misspelled the name or that the file simply doesn’t exist in filename.tar.gz. Another common cause of errors is case sensitivity, where Linux treats “FILE” and “file” as two separate entities. This error occurs when trying to extract specific files or directories from a .tar.gz file using tar. Some third-party tools also offer extended flexibility for converting between file types‌, saving more time if you want to change between compression formats.

Extract Files to the Current Directory

A user-friendly way to extract files from a .tar.gz archive is via a Graphical User Interface (GUI). A GUI is more suitable for beginners than a command-line tool. If the command line isn’t your thing, there are plenty of user-friendly tools available to unzip tar.gz files.

Forty years later we are still using the tar command to extract tar files on to our hard drives. WinRAR is a popular file compression & archive utility software. It allows users to create, view, and extract files in various how to mine 1 xmr a day how to mine a bitcoin a day archive formats, including its native .RAR format as well as other common formats like .ZIP, .7z, ISO, .TAR, and more.

The -C option is used to specify a different directory other than the current working directory. The name “Tar” stands for “Tape Archiver” because it was used to place data on storage tapes when tar was invented. The tar program takes one or more files and “wraps” them into a self-contained file. That means users can download and use it for free during a trial period. Also, its trial version does not have time limitations, and users can still use it even after the trial period has expired, with occasional reminders to purchase the license. Gzip compression reduces the overall file size, which makes it more efficient for distribution, backup, and storage purposes.

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Note that the path is wrapped in quotation marks because there are spaces in the path. Notice that we don’t need to use the -z option to list the files. We only need to add the -z option when we’re extracting files from a .tar.gz file. Likewise, we don’t need the -j option to list the files in a tar.bz2 file.

This ensures that your backup remains unaffected and the files don’t corrupt if anything breaks on your system. To extract a single file, provide the path and the name of the file. The output shows a newly created archive example1.tar.gz.