Though both .zip and .tar.gz archive and compress files, they do so in different ways. In other words, .zip is a collection of compressed files, while .tar.gz is a compressed collection of files. As we’ll see later, different compression utilities may require different methods for extracting and unzipping files.

Like the tar utility, gzip also allows you to zip and unzip multiple files or entire directories at a time. As a result, one isn’t necessarily better than the other — it’s all a matter of application. For sending and storing, https://www.coinbreakingnews.info/ both .zip and .tar.gz files will allow you to send relatively large packages as a single file. However, there are some pretty major differences when it comes to accessing data within the files and the compression efficiency.

To access the files inside, you’ll need to extract them similar to how you’d unzip a ZIP file. This wikiHow article will teach you how to extract files from compressed GZ archives on Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, and iPad. Knowing how to extract .gz and tar.gz files might be the most important task you need. However, it’s also important to know how to create these archives and/or compressed files in the first place. Where .zip files consist of many individually compressed files, .tar files are compressed as a single package, leaving its files uncompressed. In other words, .zip files are a collection of compressed files, while .tar files are a compressed collection of files.

If you’re using a Linux PC, you’ll need to open a file or folder that’s been compressed to take less disk space from time to time. This is done to save room https://www.cryptominer.services/ or to let you upload or download a file faster. The command extracts files to a new directory called example1, which is located in the current directory.

With the command prompt open, use the appropriate commands to change the current working directory (cd) to the location of the .tar.gz file you want to unzip. Alternatively, you can also specify a source and destination file path when using the tar utility. Most Linux distributions and macOS include built-in tools for zipping and unzipping .tar and .tar.gz files. While the tar utility is enough for most purposes, you’ll need the gzip utility to create .tar.gz files. Consider a scenario where you want to send a compressed file to your friend and keep the decompressed file for yourself or vice versa. In either case, the objective is to retain both versions of the file in your system.

If you would rather not work in the terminal, graphical desktop environments have what you need. In Gnome’s Files application, just right-click the file you want to zip and click Compress. This will display comprehensive https://www.cryptonews.wiki/ information about the “ubuntuMintFile” file. Once you choose the directory, click the Select button in the top right corner. This is simpler than you think, so without further ado, let’s get started.

Use a dedicated third-party decompression tool

For this purpose, the “gunzip” command offers the „-k“ option. The Option/Flag is used to change the conduct of the command whereas File is the representation of the input files that need to be decompressed. The flag or option comes with a hyphen after the “gunzip” command. This error usually occurs when a .tar has been saved as a .gz despite having never been compressed using the gzip utility. This command will extract (-x) the file (-f) specified (in this case, filename.tar.gz) to the current directory.

1. Executing this command will effectively decompress the specified files, creating new decompressed versions while retaining the original compressed files intact.
2. To confirm the change, display all the files in the current directory.
3. This will decompress the file “file.gz” in the “~/to/Ubuntu/Mint/directory” directory.
4. It’s often useful to list the contents of a .tar.gz file without having to unzip the entire archive.
5. There are other important tasks you’ll need to learn if you want to become a Linux pro, however.
6. Some third-party tools also offer extended flexibility for converting between file types‌, saving more time if you want to change between compression formats.

Note that this command also works with other common compression formats such as .tar.bz2. Though gzip is the most common compression utility, it’s not the only one. As you might imagine, using a different compression utility on a .tar file will result in a different double extension. Some common examples include .tar.bz2 (bzip2), .tar.br (Brotli), and .tar.zst (zstd), among many others. Executing this command will effectively decompress the specified files, creating new decompressed versions while retaining the original compressed files intact. To confirm the change, display all the files in the current directory.

Only Extract Specific Files or Directories From .tar.gz in Linux

This will decompress the file “file.gz” in the “~/to/Ubuntu/Mint/directory” directory. This command will effectively decompress the file “forceFile.gz” to “forceFile“, even if an existing “forceFile” file is present on your system. There are other important tasks you’ll need to learn if you want to become a Linux pro, however. Be sure to check out our guide on searching for files in Linux, as well as how to change your password.

It’s easy to get confused when navigating between .tar, .tar.gz, and .gz – not to mention zipping and unzipping them. Here are a few frequently asked questions we commonly hear from users working with .tar.gz files. If the command line isn’t your thing, there are plenty of user-friendly tools available to unzip tar.gz files.

How to Unzip Gzip File While Keeping Original File

Knowing how to unzip a .tar.gz file allows users to extract and access the archives‘ contents efficiently. If you choose .zip, the compressed file will be easy to open on any operating system. You can also choose .tar.xz or .7z, but these will require the right software on Windows or Mac computers. Gzip is the compression algorithm, reducing the file size while still keeping the original file mode, ownership, and time stamps. A file compressed using the gzip algorithm will usually end in the file extension .gz or sometimes just .z.

If there’s a compressed file you need to open, once again right-click that archive in Files. You’ll see a number of options, including Open With Archive Manager, Extract Here, and Extract to. If you need to compress a file, once again use the command gzip, but without any options other than the file you want to compress. Likewise, you can even prefer speed over quality while uncompressing a file or directory.

By following these steps, you should now be able to extract GZ files in whatever manner you find useful. If you’re working with similar file types, our how to open TGZ file guide should come in handy. It is very easy to unzip a GZ file on Windows 10 using Command Prompt, also known as cmd. It is a built-in app which allows you to communicate with the OS through commands.