Install and use 7zip on Linux

Linux is a popular open-source operating system that offers many advantages, such as being free, customizable, and secure. One of the challenges that Linux users face is finding the right tools for certain tasks, such as compressing and decompressing files. Fortunately, 7zip is a powerful and versatile compression tool that can help us with this task.

In this tutorial, we will walk through the process of installing and using 7zip in Linux. We will cover different ways to install 7zip, including via the command line and package manager, and provide step-by-step instructions. We will also explain the basic usage of 7zip, such as how to compress and extract files and explore some of the advanced features and options available.

What is 7zip?

7zip is a program that lets you compress and decompress files with ease. It supports a wide variety of file formats like 7z, ZIP, RAR, TAR, and more. Some of the unique features of 7zip include

• High compression ratio with the native 7z format

• Making files smaller so they take up less space on your computer

• Splitting up large files into smaller ones

• Adding a password to protect your files

• Making self-extracting archives that can be opened without any special software

Installing 7zip on Linux

There are different ways to install 7zip on Linux. The most common method is using the command line package managers specific to your Linux distribution.

Debian/Ubuntu Systems

For Debian-based Linux distributions, such as Ubuntu or Debian, you can install 7zip using the apt package manager

sudo apt update
sudo apt install p7zip-full

Red Hat/Fedora/CentOS Systems

For Fedora, CentOS, and other RPM-based distributions, use the following command

sudo dnf install p7zip

For older CentOS/RHEL systems with yum

sudo yum install p7zip

Arch Linux Systems

For Arch Linux and other Arch-based distributions, use the following command

sudo pacman -S p7zip

Using Graphical Package Manager

If you prefer to use a graphical interface, you can open your distribution's software center or package manager from the applications menu. Search for "p7zip" or "7zip", then click the install button to begin the installation process.

Basic Usage of 7zip

Compressing Files

To compress a file or directory using 7zip, use the a (add) option with the 7zip command followed by the name of the compressed file and the file to be compressed

7z a compressed_file.7z file_to_compress

For example, to compress a directory named "Documents" into a file named "documents.7z"

7z a documents.7z Documents/

When you execute this command, a new file named "documents.7z" will be generated containing a compressed version of the "Documents" directory.

Compressing Multiple Files or Directories

To compress multiple files or directories with a single command, separate them with spaces

7z a compressed_files.7z file1.txt file2.txt directory1/ directory2/

Extracting Files

To extract a compressed file using 7zip, use the x (extract) option followed by the name of the file to be extracted

7z x compressed_file.7z

For example, to extract the "documents.7z" file created earlier

7z x documents.7z

Extracting Files to a Specific Directory

To extract the contents of a compressed file to a specific directory, use the -o option followed by the path to the directory

7z x compressed_file.7z -o/home/user/Downloads/

Note: There should be no space between -o and the directory path.

Advanced Features

Password Protection

You can secure your compressed files by using encryption. Use the -p option followed by a password when compressing files

7z a -pmypassword Documents.7z Documents/

When extracting an encrypted archive, 7zip will prompt you for the password.

Splitting Archives

For large files, you can split archives into smaller parts using the -v option followed by the desired size

7z a -v10m Documents.7z Documents/

This creates multiple files (Documents.7z.001, Documents.7z.002, etc.) of 10MB each.

Custom Compression Levels

Use the -mx option followed by a number from 0 to 9 to set compression levels

Example for maximum compression

7z a -mx9 Documents.7z Documents/

Common 7zip Commands

Conclusion

7zip is a powerful and versatile compression tool that offers excellent compression ratios and supports multiple formats. With its command-line interface, you can easily compress, extract, and manage archives on Linux systems. The advanced features like password protection, archive splitting, and custom compression levels make it suitable for both basic and professional use cases.