How to Use 7-Zip on Linux: Add to Archive and Extract from the Command Line (7z Examples)

Updated: 10 October 2026 · Applies to: 7-Zip 23.01 to 26.04 on Ubuntu 24.04 and 26.04, Debian 13, AlmaLinux 10, Rocky Linux 9 and Fedora 44

To use 7-Zip on Linux, install the 7zip package and run the 7z command. 7z a adds files to an archive and 7z x extracts an archive with its folders:

7z a backup.7z /var/www/site       # add a folder to backup.7z (created if it does not exist)
7z x backup.7z -o/tmp/restore       # extract into /tmp/restore (no space after -o)
7z x photos.zip                     # 7z also unzips ZIP files

We ran every command below in containers on our test server, mostly with 7-Zip 25.01 on Debian 13. The output is real; only the long version header is shortened.

1. Install 7-Zip

sudo apt install 7zip                                       # Ubuntu, Debian
sudo dnf install epel-release && sudo dnf install 7zip     # AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, RHEL
sudo dnf install 7zip                                       # Fedora

Versions we got: 7-Zip 23.01 on Ubuntu 24.04, 25.01 on Debian 13, 26.00 on Ubuntu 26.04, 26.02 on Rocky Linux 9 and 26.03 on AlmaLinux 10 (both from EPEL; without EPEL, dnf finds no 7zip package) and 26.04 on Fedora 44. This is the official 7-Zip code, which replaced the old p7zip port (last version 16.02): on Debian and Ubuntu, apt install p7zip-full now just installs 7zip. The command is 7z in every case.

The newest version (26.04 at the time of writing) is also available as a ready-made build from 7-zip.org. Unpack the .tar.xz file and you get 7zz (and 7zzs, a static build for systems that lack the shared libraries). It takes the same commands, so use ./7zz wherever this article says 7z.

2. Add files to an archive (7z a)

$ 7z a backup.7z site
Scanning the drive:
2 folders, 3 files, 288918 bytes (283 KiB)

Creating archive: backup.7z

Add new data to archive: 2 folders, 3 files, 288918 bytes (283 KiB)

Files read from disk: 3
Archive size: 14525 bytes (15 KiB)
Everything is Ok

Useful variations:

• Add to an existing archive: run 7z a backup.7z newfile.txt again with the same archive name and the new file is added to it. 7z u backup.7z site updates files that changed on disk and adds new ones.
• Make a ZIP file that Windows and macOS open without extra software: 7z a -tzip site.zip site
• Compression level: -mx=1 is the fastest, -mx=9 the strongest (and slowest).
• Leave files out: 7z a backup.7z site '-xr!*.log' skips every .log file in all subfolders. Keep the quotes so the shell does not touch the !.
• Split into parts: 7z a -v100m backup.7z site writes backup.7z.001, .002 and so on. To extract, run 7z x backup.7z.001 with all parts in the same folder.
• Remove a file from an archive: 7z d backup.7z site/log.txt
• Password: 7z a -p -mhe=on secret.7z documents asks for a password and encrypts the file names as well. See how to create and open a password-protected ZIP file.

3. Extract an archive (7z x and 7z e)

1. Look inside first (optional):

   $ 7z l backup.7z
      Date      Time    Attr         Size   Compressed  Name
   ------------------- ----- ------------ ------------  ------------------------
   2026-10-09 18:58:32 D....            0            0  site
   2026-10-09 18:58:32 D....            0            0  site/css
   2026-10-09 18:58:32 ....A            7        14303  site/css/style.css
   2026-10-09 18:58:32 ....A           17               site/index.php
   2026-10-09 18:58:32 ....A       288894               site/log.txt

2. Extract with the full folder structure into a folder of your choice. 7-Zip creates the folder if it is missing:

   7z x backup.7z -o/tmp/restore

   The path goes straight after -o. With a space (-o /tmp/restore) 7-Zip stops with Command Line Error: Too short switch: -o. Without -o, files go into the current folder.

3. Extract only some files: name them, or use a wildcard with -r:

   7z x site.zip -o/tmp/out site/css/style.css
   7z x backup.7z -o/tmp/out -r '*.php'

4. Check an archive without extracting it: 7z t backup.7z ends with Everything is Ok when the archive is intact.

7z e is the other extract command: it puts all files into one folder and drops their subfolders. Use 7z x unless you really want that.

If a file already exists, 7-Zip asks (Y)es / (N)o / (A)lways / (S)kip all / A(u)to rename all / (Q)uit?. In scripts, answer in advance: -aoa overwrites everything, -aos skips existing files and -y says yes to all questions.

4. Unzip ZIP, RAR, ISO and other formats

• ZIP: 7z x file.zip -o/tmp/out works like unzip, and it also opens AES-encrypted ZIP files that unzip cannot.
• RAR: the Debian and Ubuntu 7zip package leaves out RAR support. Install 7zip-rar (Debian: non-free component, Ubuntu: multiverse) or use the official 7zz build, which unpacks RAR according to its readme.
• ISO, WIM, XZ, ZSTD, CAB and more: 7z i lists every format your build supports.
• .tar.gz: 7-Zip unpacks one layer at a time, so 7z x site.tar.gz only gives you site.tar. Use tar xzf site.tar.gz instead (see how to create and extract a tar file).

5. Errors and how to fix them

• Cannot open the file as archive / Is not archive:

  ERROR: fake.7z
  Open ERROR: Cannot open the file as [7z] archive
  
  ERRORS:
  Is not archive

  The file is not a 7z archive, whatever its name says. Check what it really is with file fake.7z (ours said ASCII text; an error page saved by a failed download looks the same). Download it again, or rename it to the real type.

• Unexpected end of archive: the archive is cut off, usually an incomplete download or upload, or a missing part of a split archive. Copy it again and compare its size with the original.
• ERROR: Wrong password or Cannot open encrypted archive. Wrong password?: the password you typed is wrong. Leave out -p and 7-Zip asks for it without showing it on screen.
• 7z: command not found: install the package from step 1. With the official download, the command is 7zz.

Good to know

• 7-Zip kept the permission bits in our test (a 750 script came back as rwxr-x---), but not the owner: after extracting as root, the file belonged to root. For server backups that must keep owners, pack with tar first: tar cf - site | 7z a -si backup.tar.7z, and restore with 7z x -so backup.tar.7z | tar xf -.
• On Windows, the Add to archive window of 7-Zip does the same job as 7z a; according to the 7-Zip FAQ its Parameters field accepts the same -m settings as the command line.
• For plain ZIP files you can also use zip and unzip: see how to zip and unzip files in Linux.

Official documentation: 7-Zip (the download for Linux includes the full command-line manual in its MANUAL folder).