How to extract .tar.gz files in Linux

A .tar.gz file, also called a tgz file, is a compressed archive format commonly used in Linux systems. It combines two functions: the .tar format bundles multiple files into one, and .gz applies gzip compression to reduce the overall size of the archive. This format is widely used for distributing software packages or large collections of files due to its ability to efficiently compress and package directories.

In Linux, you can extract .tar.gz files using the tar utility. This command-line tool is pre-installed in most Linux distributions and allows you to unpack these compressed archives quickly. While tar may seem complex, it performs both the extraction and decompression in one step, making it a standard solution for handling .tar.gz files in the Linux environment.

Using tar to extract files is straightforward, but certain optional flags can help you customize the process. For instance, you can extract files to a specific directory, view the contents of the archive before extraction, or perform verbose extractions to monitor each file as it's unpacked. Understanding the basic usage of the tar command is essential for anyone managing files in Linux.

1. Open the terminal application on your Linux system.
2. Verify if the file is a valid gzip archive (optional).

   $ file archive.tar.gz
   archive.tar.gz: gzip compressed data, last modified: Wed Aug 21 08:36:18 2019, from Unix, original size 10240

3. Create a folder where you want to unpack the file (optional).

   $ mkdir target

4. Navigate to the desired directory where you want to unpack the file (optional).

   $ cd target

5. Extract the file using the tar command.

   $ tar --extract --gzip --verbose --file=/home/user/archive.tar.gz #Simplified version: tar -xzvf /home/user/archive.tar.gz
   folder/
   folder/sub-02/
   folder/sub-02/file-02
   folder/sub-02/file-01
   folder/sub-01/
   folder/sub-01/file-02
   folder/sub-01/file-01

   Options for tar.

   $ tar --help
   Usage: tar [OPTION...] [FILE]...
   GNU 'tar' saves many files together into a single tape or disk archive, and can
   restore individual files from the archive.
   
   Examples:
     tar -cf archive.tar foo bar  # Create archive.tar from files foo and bar.
     tar -tvf archive.tar         # List all files in archive.tar verbosely.
     tar -xf archive.tar          # Extract all files from archive.tar.
   
    Local file name selection:
   
         --add-file=FILE        add given FILE to the archive (useful if its name
                                starts with a dash)
     -C, --directory=DIR        change to directory DIR
         --exclude=PATTERN      exclude files, given as a PATTERN
         --exclude-backups      exclude backup and lock files
         --exclude-caches       exclude contents of directories containing
                                CACHEDIR.TAG, except for the tag file itself
         --exclude-caches-all   exclude directories containing CACHEDIR.TAG
         --exclude-caches-under exclude everything under directories containing
                                CACHEDIR.TAG
         --exclude-ignore=FILE  read exclude patterns for each directory from
                                FILE, if it exists
         --exclude-ignore-recursive=FILE
                                read exclude patterns for each directory and its
                                subdirectories from FILE, if it exists
         --exclude-tag=FILE     exclude contents of directories containing FILE,
                                except for FILE itself
         --exclude-tag-all=FILE exclude directories containing FILE
         --exclude-tag-under=FILE   exclude everything under directories
                                containing FILE
         --exclude-vcs          exclude version control system directories
         --exclude-vcs-ignores  read exclude patterns from the VCS ignore files
         --no-null              disable the effect of the previous --null option
         --no-recursion         avoid descending automatically in directories
         --no-unquote           do not unquote input file or member names
         --no-verbatim-files-from   -T treats file names starting with dash as
                                options (default)
         --null                 -T reads null-terminated names; implies
                                --verbatim-files-from
         --recursion            recurse into directories (default)
     -T, --files-from=FILE      get names to extract or create from FILE
         --unquote              unquote input file or member names (default)
         --verbatim-files-from  -T reads file names verbatim (no escape or option
                                handling)
     -X, --exclude-from=FILE    exclude patterns listed in FILE
   
    File name matching options (affect both exclude and include patterns):
   
         --anchored             patterns match file name start
         --ignore-case          ignore case
         --no-anchored          patterns match after any '/' (default for
                                exclusion)
         --no-ignore-case       case sensitive matching (default)
         --no-wildcards         verbatim string matching
         --no-wildcards-match-slash   wildcards do not match '/'
         --wildcards            use wildcards (default for exclusion)
         --wildcards-match-slash   wildcards match '/' (default for exclusion)
   
    Main operation mode:
   
     -A, --catenate, --concatenate   append tar files to an archive
     -c, --create               create a new archive
     -d, --diff, --compare      find differences between archive and file system
         --delete               delete from the archive (not on mag tapes!)
     -r, --append               append files to the end of an archive
     -t, --list                 list the contents of an archive
         --test-label           test the archive volume label and exit
     -u, --update               only append files newer than copy in archive
     -x, --extract, --get       extract files from an archive
   
    Operation modifiers:
   
         --check-device         check device numbers when creating incremental
                                archives (default)
     -g, --listed-incremental=FILE   handle new GNU-format incremental backup
     -G, --incremental          handle old GNU-format incremental backup
         --hole-detection=TYPE  technique to detect holes
         --ignore-failed-read   do not exit with nonzero on unreadable files
         --level=NUMBER         dump level for created listed-incremental archive
     -n, --seek                 archive is seekable
         --no-check-device      do not check device numbers when creating
                                incremental archives
         --no-seek              archive is not seekable
         --occurrence[=NUMBER]  process only the NUMBERth occurrence of each file
                                in the archive; this option is valid only in
                                conjunction with one of the subcommands --delete,
                                --diff, --extract or --list and when a list of
                                files is given either on the command line or via
                                the -T option; NUMBER defaults to 1
         --sparse-version=MAJOR[.MINOR]
                                set version of the sparse format to use (implies
                                --sparse)
     -S, --sparse               handle sparse files efficiently
   
    Overwrite control:
   
     -k, --keep-old-files       don't replace existing files when extracting,
                                treat them as errors
         --keep-directory-symlink   preserve existing symlinks to directories when
                                extracting
         --keep-newer-files     don't replace existing files that are newer than
                                their archive copies
         --no-overwrite-dir     preserve metadata of existing directories
         --one-top-level[=DIR]  create a subdirectory to avoid having loose files
                                extracted
         --overwrite            overwrite existing files when extracting
         --overwrite-dir        overwrite metadata of existing directories when
                                extracting (default)
         --recursive-unlink     empty hierarchies prior to extracting directory
         --remove-files         remove files after adding them to the archive
         --skip-old-files       don't replace existing files when extracting,
                                silently skip over them
     -U, --unlink-first         remove each file prior to extracting over it
     -W, --verify               attempt to verify the archive after writing it
   
    Select output stream:
   
         --ignore-command-error ignore exit codes of children
         --no-ignore-command-error   treat non-zero exit codes of children as
                                error
     -O, --to-stdout            extract files to standard output
         --to-command=COMMAND   pipe extracted files to another program
   
    Handling of file attributes:
   
         --atime-preserve[=METHOD]   preserve access times on dumped files, either
                                by restoring the times after reading
                                (METHOD='replace'; default) or by not setting the
                                times in the first place (METHOD='system')
         --clamp-mtime          only set time when the file is more recent than
                                what was given with --mtime
         --delay-directory-restore   delay setting modification times and
                                permissions of extracted directories until the end
                                of extraction
         --group=NAME           force NAME as group for added files
         --group-map=FILE       use FILE to map file owner GIDs and names
         --mode=CHANGES         force (symbolic) mode CHANGES for added files
         --mtime=DATE-OR-FILE   set mtime for added files from DATE-OR-FILE
     -m, --touch                don't extract file modified time
         --no-delay-directory-restore
                                cancel the effect of --delay-directory-restore
                                option
         --no-same-owner        extract files as yourself (default for ordinary
                                users)
         --no-same-permissions  apply the user's umask when extracting permissions
                                from the archive (default for ordinary users)
         --numeric-owner        always use numbers for user/group names
         --owner=NAME           force NAME as owner for added files
         --owner-map=FILE       use FILE to map file owner UIDs and names
     -p, --preserve-permissions, --same-permissions
                                extract information about file permissions
                                (default for superuser)
         --same-owner           try extracting files with the same ownership as
                                exists in the archive (default for superuser)
     -s, --preserve-order, --same-order
                                member arguments are listed in the same order as
                                the files in the archive
         --sort=ORDER           directory sorting order: none (default), name or
                                inode
   
    Handling of extended file attributes:
   
         --acls                 Enable the POSIX ACLs support
         --no-acls              Disable the POSIX ACLs support
         --no-selinux           Disable the SELinux context support
         --no-xattrs            Disable extended attributes support
         --selinux              Enable the SELinux context support
         --xattrs               Enable extended attributes support
         --xattrs-exclude=MASK  specify the exclude pattern for xattr keys
         --xattrs-include=MASK  specify the include pattern for xattr keys
   
    Device selection and switching:
   
     -f, --file=ARCHIVE         use archive file or device ARCHIVE
         --force-local          archive file is local even if it has a colon
     -F, --info-script=NAME, --new-volume-script=NAME
                                run script at end of each tape (implies -M)
     -L, --tape-length=NUMBER   change tape after writing NUMBER x 1024 bytes
     -M, --multi-volume         create/list/extract multi-volume archive
         --rmt-command=COMMAND  use given rmt COMMAND instead of rmt
         --rsh-command=COMMAND  use remote COMMAND instead of rsh
         --volno-file=FILE      use/update the volume number in FILE
   
    Device blocking:
   
     -b, --blocking-factor=BLOCKS   BLOCKS x 512 bytes per record
     -B, --read-full-records    reblock as we read (for 4.2BSD pipes)
     -i, --ignore-zeros         ignore zeroed blocks in archive (means EOF)
         --record-size=NUMBER   NUMBER of bytes per record, multiple of 512
   
    Archive format selection:
   
     -H, --format=FORMAT        create archive of the given format
   
    FORMAT is one of the following:
   
       gnu                      GNU tar 1.13.x format
       oldgnu                   GNU format as per tar <= 1.12
       pax                      POSIX 1003.1-2001 (pax) format
       posix                    same as pax
       ustar                    POSIX 1003.1-1988 (ustar) format
       v7                       old V7 tar format
   
         --old-archive, --portability
                                same as --format=v7
         --pax-option=keyword[[:]=value][,keyword[[:]=value]]...
                                control pax keywords
         --posix                same as --format=posix
     -V, --label=TEXT           create archive with volume name TEXT; at
                                list/extract time, use TEXT as a globbing pattern
                                for volume name
   
    Compression options:
   
     -a, --auto-compress        use archive suffix to determine the compression
                                program
     -I, --use-compress-program=PROG
                                filter through PROG (must accept -d)
     -j, --bzip2                filter the archive through bzip2
     -J, --xz                   filter the archive through xz
         --lzip                 filter the archive through lzip
         --lzma                 filter the archive through xz
         --lzop                 filter the archive through lzop
         --no-auto-compress     do not use archive suffix to determine the
                                compression program
     -z, --gzip, --gunzip, --ungzip   filter the archive through gzip
         --zstd                 filter the archive through zstd
     -Z, --compress, --uncompress   filter the archive through compress
   
    Local file selection:
   
         --backup[=CONTROL]     backup before removal, choose version CONTROL
     -h, --dereference          follow symlinks; archive and dump the files they
                                point to
         --hard-dereference     follow hard links; archive and dump the files they
                                refer to
     -K, --starting-file=MEMBER-NAME
                                begin at member MEMBER-NAME when reading the
                                archive
         --newer-mtime=DATE     compare date and time when data changed only
     -N, --newer=DATE-OR-FILE, --after-date=DATE-OR-FILE
                                only store files newer than DATE-OR-FILE
         --one-file-system      stay in local file system when creating archive
     -P, --absolute-names       don't strip leading '/'s from file names
         --suffix=STRING        backup before removal, override usual suffix ('~'
                                unless overridden by environment variable
                                SIMPLE_BACKUP_SUFFIX)
   
    File name transformations:
   
         --strip-components=NUMBER   strip NUMBER leading components from file
                                names on extraction
         --transform=EXPRESSION, --xform=EXPRESSION
                                use sed replace EXPRESSION to transform file
                                names
   
    Informative output:
   
         --checkpoint[=NUMBER]  display progress messages every NUMBERth record
                                (default 10)
         --checkpoint-action=ACTION   execute ACTION on each checkpoint
         --full-time            print file time to its full resolution
         --index-file=FILE      send verbose output to FILE
     -l, --check-links          print a message if not all links are dumped
         --no-quote-chars=STRING   disable quoting for characters from STRING
         --quote-chars=STRING   additionally quote characters from STRING
         --quoting-style=STYLE  set name quoting style; see below for valid STYLE
                                values
     -R, --block-number         show block number within archive with each message
   
         --show-defaults        show tar defaults
         --show-omitted-dirs    when listing or extracting, list each directory
                                that does not match search criteria
         --show-snapshot-field-ranges
                                show valid ranges for snapshot-file fields
         --show-transformed-names, --show-stored-names
                                show file or archive names after transformation
         --totals[=SIGNAL]      print total bytes after processing the archive;
                                with an argument - print total bytes when this
                                SIGNAL is delivered; Allowed signals are: SIGHUP,
                                SIGQUIT, SIGINT, SIGUSR1 and SIGUSR2; the names
                                without SIG prefix are also accepted
         --utc                  print file modification times in UTC
     -v, --verbose              verbosely list files processed
         --warning=KEYWORD      warning control
     -w, --interactive, --confirmation
                                ask for confirmation for every action
   
    Compatibility options:
   
     -o                         when creating, same as --old-archive; when
                                extracting, same as --no-same-owner
   
    Other options:
   
     -?, --help                 give this help list
         --restrict             disable use of some potentially harmful options
         --usage                give a short usage message
         --version              print program version
   
   Mandatory or optional arguments to long options are also mandatory or optional
   for any corresponding short options.
   
   The backup suffix is '~', unless set with --suffix or SIMPLE_BACKUP_SUFFIX.
   The version control may be set with --backup or VERSION_CONTROL, values are:
   
     none, off       never make backups
     t, numbered     make numbered backups
     nil, existing   numbered if numbered backups exist, simple otherwise
     never, simple   always make simple backups
   
   Valid arguments for the --quoting-style option are:
   
     literal
     shell
     shell-always
     shell-escape
     shell-escape-always
     c
     c-maybe
     escape
     locale
     clocale
   
   *This* tar defaults to:
   --format=gnu -f- -b20 --quoting-style=escape --rmt-command=/usr/sbin/rmt
   --rsh-command=/usr/bin/rsh

6. View the contents of the unpacked file.

   $ ls -R
   .:
   folder
   
   ./folder:
   sub-01  sub-02
   
   ./folder/sub-01:
   file-01  file-02
   
   ./folder/sub-02:
   file-01  file-02