How to Extract or Unzip tar.gz Files in Linux

You can use the -C option to extract to a different directory (in this case, /home/user/files). Of course, that’s not to say .tar files are some kind of “lesser” format than .zip. Rather, they both accomplish the same task (file compression) in the same way. You may want to extract the contents of the archive to a specific directory. You can do so by appending the -C switch to the end of the command. For example, the following command will extract the contents of the archive.tar.gz file to the /tmp directory.

Exclude Directories and Files

You’ll want to replace “tarfile” with the path to the tar.gz file that you’re trying to extract. For a more detailed explanation on how the tar command works, be sure to read our guide to compressing and extracting files in the Linux Terminal. The tar command is extremely powerful, and you can do things like list or search for files in a tar archive, or extract a single file. As we see later, different compression utilities may require different methods for extracting and unzipping files. Though we mostly focus on .tar.gz files, check out the end of the article for some quick tips on extracting .tar files in other formats. From videos to entire software packages, many files are compressed and stored using the .tar.gz format.

It’s often useful to list the contents of a .tar.gz file without having to unzip the entire archive. A “.tar” file is a collection of files compressed into a single file or 12 best bitcoin wallets in the uk 2021 archive. Short for “Tape ARchive,” the name “TAR” is a throwback to when files were stored on magnetic tape drives. The extraction method is precisely the same for tar files that have compression, such as.tar.gz,.tar.bz2, and others.

What is a Tar.gz File?

While extracting a .tar.gz file isn’t quite as easy as unzipping a .zip, it’s still pretty straightforward. And now you can use the 7-Zip File Manager to open, view, or extract files from tar.gz and the continuous delivery maturity model 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.

.tar vs .tar.gz Files

1. If you plan to distribute and store .tar.gz files on your website, Kinsta’s managed hosting services can help make the most of your space.
2. However, there are some pretty major differences when it comes to accessing data within the files and the compression efficiency.
3. This command extracts (-x) the file (-f) specified (in this case, filename.tar.gz) to the current directory.
4. Gzip is one of the most popular and available options, especially since it comes built in to most Linux distributions and macOS.
5. In other words, .zip is a collection of compressed files, while .tar.gz is a compressed collection of files.

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. Where commands have little (if any) room for typos or omissions, many common errors are the result of small mistakes, misspellings, or incorrect formats. Thankfully, unless you’re somehow missing your tar or gzip utility, most common errors are very easy to fix. The tar command also provides support for extracting only specific files or directories from a play arkadium spider solitaire .tar.gz file.

Extracting .tar.gz Files for Windows

Alternatively, you can also specify a source and destination file path when using the tar utility. You can create your own compressed .tar files using compression utilities such as gzip. Gzip is one of the most popular and available options, especially since it comes built in to most Linux distributions and macOS. As a result, one isn’t necessarily better than the other — it’s all a matter of application.

We’ve been recommending this app for years, and it’s one of the first things that we install whenever reinstalling Windows. The command extracts files to a new directory called example1, which is located in the current directory. Gzip is faster, but it generally compresses a bit less, so you get a somewhat larger file.

Bzip2 is slower, but it compresses a bit more, so you get a somewhat smaller file. Gzip is also more common, with some stripped-down Linux systems including gzip support by default, but not bzip2 support. In general, though, gzip and bzip2 are practically the same thing, and both will work similarly. In the option box that shows up, choose how and where you want to unzip your tar.gz file. It also integrates with the Windows Explorer context menu, which enables users to create and extract archives directly from the right-click menu.

The next section shows how .tar comes with a few extra features that make it the better compression format for certain files and applications. Compressing and extracting these files, however, isn’t always intuitive. This article provides detailed guides to unzip .tar.gz files in Linux and Windows, as well as a few helpful tips and tricks. If the command line isn’t your thing, there are plenty of user-friendly tools available to unzip tar.gz files. Note that this command will throw an error unless you specify the exact filename listed in the .tar file.