How to Extract tar gz File in Linux by Using the Command Line

Although extracting a .tar.gz file is not as easy as unzipping a .zip, it is still quite simple. As software becomes more powerful and media becomes more data-rich, file sizes continue to grow exponentially. Therefore, it is increasingly common to store and send files in compressed formats such as .tar.gz.

  1. Although there are many tools to choose from, the most popular are 7-Zip and WinZip.
  2. DEB is the native and most common package format Ubuntu and other Debian-based Linux distributions use.
  3. Also, you can get a detailed guide to executing the overall process.
  4. Many of the downloadable Linux/Unix files found on the internet are compressed using a tar.gz format.

Being a techie, it is highly evident that you are already familiar with the .tar.gz files. They are used by Linux, #1 simple bitcoin price history chart bitcoin macOS, or even Windows users for backups or data archival. Now, there are various methods to compress tar files.

Rather, they both accomplish the same task (file compression) in the same way. The .tar section of the file extension stands for “tape archive”. Even though most of us have hard drives instead of magnetic tape, we still call them tar files. As you have seen, this article assists you list of exchanges that have most altcoins in extracting the tar.gz file [unzip tar.gz file, untar tar.gz file], whether you are a user of  Linux or Windows. We hope that the information provided in this article helps you in the best possible way. But to be able to know the filename, we must check the content of the archive.

The tar command extracts only specific files or directories from a .tar.gz file. Just add a list, separated by spaces, of the files you want to extract. The tar command helps you to generate several tar archives as it converts as many files as you want into archives. When we talk about the tar command, it can be used in ample ways. You can use it to add files to the archive, delete files, or extract tar archives. Where commands have little (if any) room for typos or omissions, many common errors are the result of small mistakes, misspellings, or incorrect formats.

But with .zip being the easier of the two to use, why use .tar in the first place? As we’ll see in the next section, .tar comes with a few extra features that make it the better compression format for certain files and applications. After reading this article, you know how to extract or unzip .tar.gz file in Linux using different methods and tools. 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. Many of the downloadable Linux/Unix files found on the internet are compressed using a tar.gz format.

How to untar tar.gz archives in their entirety:

Like many archive and compression formats, .tar.gz is an effective way to save storage space and make it easier to send large amounts of data. 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. Since .tar.gz compresses multiple files all at once, it can take advantage of similarities between individual files to save on space. Like the tar utility, gzip also allows you to zip and unzip multiple files or entire directories at a time.

The .gz extension represents the gzip compression format, which can be applied to almost any file format to compress data and save space. Since .tar.gz compresses multiple files at the same time, it can take advantage of similarities between individual files to save space. Generally, a collection of files archived and compressed as .tar.gz will be more space efficient (i.e., smaller) than the same collection compressed as .zip. Note that the tar utility on Windows has almost the same syntax as on Linux and macOS.

To extract a tar.gz or gz archive we need to use following set of arguments. However, while tools like 7-Zip are free, many more “robust” solutions are only available for a price after a trial period. As a result, we recommend sticking to free (but trustworthy) tools or simply using the command line. Ubuntu versions are usually named using an alliterative adjective and an animal name, both starting with the same letter.

How to Install Node.js and npm on Windows, macOS, and Linux

These are popular for organizations and users who require a reliable and well-supported Ubuntu operating system. This command will extract the contents of the .tar.gz file into the current directory. 7-Zip will begin extracting the files, and a progress window will appear. Once extraction is complete, you’ll have access to the extracted files and folders in the same directory. If you want to keep the original file after compression, there are two options. One is the -k option, and the other uses the -c option to output the compressed file to a different file, preserving the original.

But we can also specify another directory to untar a tar archive. The path can be specified with the -C option like below. Unlike Windows’ convenient graphical user interface (GUI) for unzipping .zip files, you’ll need to use the tar utility through the command line. However, there are also many third-party tools you can install for a more user-friendly experience.

They were officially introduced in Ubuntu 16.04 LTS, released in April 2016. Ubuntu Core is a minimalistic and immutable version explicitly designed for the Internet of Things (IoT) and embedded systems. The -C option is used to specify a different directory other than the current working directory.

The tar command also provides support for extracting only specific files or directories from a .tar.gz file. Simply add a space-separated list of the files you want to extract. While all tar.gz files are .tar history saved files, not all .gz are .tar files. The .gz extension represents the gzip compact format that can use to almost any file format to compress data and save space.

How to Extract or Untar tar.gz Files

If you don’t have WinRAR installed, you can download it from the official website here. Download the appropriate version for your Windows system (32-bit or 64-bit) and follow the installation instructions. If you don’t already have 7-Zip installed, you can download it from the official website here. Choose the version that matches your Windows system (32-bit or 64-bit) and follow the installation instructions. Enter your query below, and we’ll provide instant results tailored to your needs.

The contents of the tar file can be listed with the following command. 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 dom vs shadow vs virtual dom all about dom by anil kumar medium converting between file types‌, saving more time if you want to change between compression formats. You can also add the verbose output option (-v) to provide detailed listings, including dates, securities/permissions, and more.

Once you choose the directory, click the Select button in the top right corner.

Unlike Windows’ convenient graphical user interface (GUI) for unzipping .zip files, you must use the tar utility via the command line. However, you can install plenty of third-party tools for a more user-friendly experience. This command extracts (-x) the specified (-f) file (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. This error usually occurs when a .tar has been saved as a .gz despite having never been compressed using the gzip utility. It’s often useful to list the contents of a .tar.gz file without having to unzip the entire archive.