How to Unzip Files in Linux
This wikiHow teaches you how to unzip a compressed folder in Linux by using the Terminal command line. Locate your zipped folder. If it's in the Documents directory, for example, you'll open your Documents folder.
Part 1 of 2:
Unzipping One Folder
- Locate your zipped folder. If it's in the Documents directory, for example, you'll open your Documents folder.
- Note the name of the zipped folder. You'll need to enter the zipped folder's name exactly as it appears on the folder here.
- Remember to take into account pacing and capitalization.
- Click Menu. It's in the bottom-left corner of the screen.
- Click the Terminal icon. This icon is a black box with a white ">_" on it. You should see Terminal either in the bar on the left side of the Menu window, or in the group of programs listed in the Menu window.
- You can also search for Terminal by clicking the search bar at the top of the Menu window and then typing in terminal.
- Type
unzip filename.zip
into Terminal. You'll replace the "filename" part of the command with your zipped folder's name.- For example, if your folder is named "BaNaNa", you'd type
unzip BaNaNa.zip
into Terminal.
- For example, if your folder is named "BaNaNa", you'd type
- Press ↵ Enter. Doing so will run your command and unzip your selected folder.
Part 2 of 2:
Unzipping All Zipped Folders in a Folder
- Navigate to the zipped folders' directory. To do this, you'll simply open the folder in which your zipped folders are stored.
- Attempting to run the "unzip" command on all folders from you current directory could result in accidentally unzipping folders you didn't mean to unzip.
- Type pwd into Terminal and press ↵ Enter. This will run the "pwd" command, which will display your current directory's name.[1]
- This step is simply to ensure that you're in the right place before unzipping.
- Type
unzip "*.zip"
into Terminal. This command searches for any folders in your current directory with the ".zip" file extension.- Placing quotation marks around the *.zip part of this command contains the command to the current directory.
- Press ↵ Enter. Doing so will run the command and unzip your folders. You'll be able to view their contents in the directory in which they are located.
- If this command doesn't work, try instead typing
unzip /*zip
into Terminal.
- If this command doesn't work, try instead typing
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