7-Zip Command Line Examples — All Syntaxes Shared Here

7-ZIP command line tool version, 7z.exe, allows you to execute commands using the system terminal. 7-Zip is a powerful, open-source, and user-friendly program that offers support for most file archives like 7z, ZIP, RAR, TAR, and GZIp, among others. These characteristics make 7-Zip easy to download and be used for personal or commercial purposes.

By using the command-line version, you can access all features from the terminal even without a Graphical User Interface (GUI). Before we discuss any further about the different commands for 7-Zip, check out 7-Zip for more of our helpful guides.

Which is the best tool, 7-Zip vs WinRAR? Is 7Zip safe? These are some of the questions that you should also clarify before learning how to use 7Zip. You also need to understand the issues with 7-Zip cannot open file as archive that the tool sometimes experiences.

7-Zip can be used to compress, extract, test run-list, add, and update archive files. The 7z.exe version works with Windows, while 7-Zip is the command-line version for Linux, Mac OS X, and UNIX. The 7z format has several main features that include open architecture, high ratio, and secure AES – 256 encryption options. This software lets you use any compression or encryption method. The format supports file sizes of up to 16000000GB and Unicode file names. In the next section, we’ll be showing you some of the common commands that are used with this software.

Command Examples for Windows

The 7-Zip command-line executable file is the 7za.exe. You can use the EXE file to run commands on archives. In our examples, we’ll be using “C:UsersName” as our user directory. Below is a step-by-step guide to getting you started on the command line:

• Before proceeding to other commands, one helpful tip is to place 7za.exe in your directory. This will give you convenience since you won’t have to change the environment paths.
• Launch the Windows console and test the 7za.exe program out using a few commands
• Type in the exe name, 7za, to display the file details

On the command line, the default command and output looks like this:

7za <command> [<switches>…] <archive_name>
[<file_names>…]
[<@listfiles…>]

Before we proceed with our examples, check out other guides, and reviews on our website. You might be interested in our 7-Zip vs WinRAR review and our 7-Zip password protect guide.

Function Letter Command

In this section, we’re going walk you through function letter commands. Because they are only single letters, they are quite easy to memorize.

Aside from looking for the details about 7-Zip download for PC or for Linux, it is important to have idea about archive error. Because the command line is useless if you don’t know how to fix 7-Zip cannot open file.

Archive and Add to ZIP

The function letter a command is used to put data in the archives. This “a” command stands for “archive” or “add.” To do this successfully, you must specify the archive location and the source files. Using the command will look like this on the terminal line:

C:UsersName>7za a -t7z files.7z *.txt
7-Zip (A) 4.60 beta Copyright (c) 1999-2008 Igor Pavlov 2008-08-19
Scanning
Creating archive files.7z
Compressing fileA.txt
Compressing fileB.txt
Everything is Ok
C:UsersName>

Delete

The function letter d command is used for removing a particular file or files from an archive. This “d” command stands for delete. Using the command will look like this on the terminal line:

7z d example.zip *.bak -r

Let’s break down the command so you won’t get confused. The command stands for the following:

7z: use the executable file
d: delete files
example.zip: delete from this archive
*.bak: only match bak files
-r: traverse all subdirectories 

Extract and Enlarge

The function letter e command is useful when there is no substantial archive. The “e” command stands for extract to unzip or enlarge and archive. Using the command will look like this on the terminal line:

7z e example.zip

Again, let’s break it down to help you understand. In this command, we see the following words/commands:

7z: use the executable file
e: use the extract command
example.zip: the source archive you are expanding

Meanwhile, the function letter x command works the same way with e. The difference is it preserves the full paths. This is useful if you have an elaborate or important directory structure. Also, this is useful for backups. Using the command on the terminal looks like this:

7z x example.zip

In this command, we see the following words/commands:

7z: use the executable file
x: use the extract command
example.zip: the archive where you want to extract all the files from

List

This function letter lowercase L command is used to list the archive contents. The “l” command stands for list. However, you may not need to use this command it often. Using the command on the terminal looks like this:

C:UsersName>7za l files.7z

Test

This function letter t command is used to test the integrity of archives. The “t” command stands for test. However, this is much less useful than the “-t” switch. Using the command on the terminal looks like this:

7z t example.zip *doc -r

In this command, we see the following words/commands:

7z: use the executable file
t: test the specific archive 
example.zip: the archive to be tested
*.doc: test all the doc files in the archive
-r: recurse all the child directories

Update

This function letter u command is used to replace old files in your archive with newer files. The “u” command stands for update. This command prevents needing to decompress and recompress the entire archive. This command will not work with solid archives. Using the command on the terminal looks like this:

7z u example.zip *.doc

We see the following words/commands:

7z: use the executable file
u: update command 
example.zip: the archive you want to update files in
*.doc: only update the doc files

How Do I Unzip a File in Command Prompt

There are several ways to use command prompt to unzip a file. The easiest one is by using command prompt, unzip.exe command.

Unzipping a file in Command Prompt (also known as a Command Line Interface or CLI) is a relatively simple process, but can be daunting to those unfamiliar with the process. The first thing to know is that the unzip command is not included in the standard Windows command line tools. To unzip a file, you’ll need to download and install a third-party program like 7-Zip or WinRAR. Once you’ve done that, you can use the command line tools to unzip the file.

In Windows, the command prompt is accessible through the Start menu, or by typing “cmd” into the search box. Once you’ve opened the command prompt, you can use it to unzip a file by typing “unzip filename”, where “filename” is the name of the file you want to unzip.

When you type the command, you’ll get a prompt asking whether you want to extract all the files or just one. If you want to extract all the files, simply press Enter. If you want to extract only a single file, type its name after the command.

Once you’ve entered the command, the files will begin to be extracted. Depending on the size of the ZIP file, this could take a few seconds or several minutes. When the extraction is complete, you’ll get a confirmation message saying that the extraction was successful.

In some cases, you may need to specify the location where you want the extracted files to be saved. To do this, type “unzip filename -d directory” where directory is the name of the folder where you want the extracted files to be saved.

Another option is to use the -l option which will list all the files that are inside the ZIP file. This can be useful if you want to confirm that the file you are extracting contains the files you expect. To use this option, type “unzip -l filename”.

Finally, you can use the -v option to view the contents of the ZIP file without actually extracting it. This can be useful if you want to see what is inside the file without having to extract it. To use this option, type “unzip -v filename”.

Unzipping a file in Command Prompt is a relatively straightforward process and is useful if you need to quickly extract a file without having to open a separate program. Depending on the size of the file and the number of files it contains, it may take some time to extract the files, so be patient. Once the extraction is complete, you’ll be able to access the extracted files in the location you specified.

Switches

Another command that we see on the command line is the switch. The switch is composed of a switch specifier and the name of the switch. The specifier is either a dash (-) or a forward slash (/). Switches often look like this:

Below is a list of common switches:

Switch	Description
—	Stops switches parsing
-ad	Shows dialog box in GUI version (7zg)
-ai	Include the archive filenames
-an	Disable the parsing of the archive name
-ao	Overwrite mode
-ax	Exclude the archive filenames
-bb[0-3]	Set output log level
-bd	Disable the progress indicator
-bs{o|e|p} {0|1|2}	Set the output stream for output/error/progress
-bt	Show the execution time statistics
-i	Include the filenames
-m	Set the compression method
-o	Set the output directory
-p	Set the password
-r	Recurse the subdirectories
-sa	Set the archive name mode
-scc	Set the charset for the console input/output
-scrc	Set the has function
-scs	Set the charset for the list files
-sdel	Delete the files after including it to the archive
-sfx	Create the SFX archive
-si	Read the data from StdIn
-slp	Set the large pages mode
-slt	Show the technical information
-sni	Store the NT security information
-sns	Store the NTFS alternate streams
-snc	Extract the file as an alternate stream if there is : character in the name
-snr	Replace : character to _ character in paths of the alternate streams
-snh	Store the hard links as links (WIM and TAR formats only)
-snl	Store the symbolic links as links (WIM and TAR formats only)
-so	Write the data to StdOut
-spd	Disable the wildcard matching for file names
-spe	Eliminate the duplication of the root folder for extract archive command
-spf	Use the fully qualified file paths
-ssc	Set the sensitive case mode
-ssw	Compress the files open for writing
-stl	Set the archive timestamp from the most recently modified file
-stm {HexMask}	Set the CPU thread affinity (hexadecimal number)
-stx	Exclude the archive type
-t	Type of archive
-u	Update the options
-v	Create the volumes
-w	Set the working directory
-x	Exclude the filenames
-y	Assume Yes on all the queries

Frequently Asked Questions

7-Zip Command Line: Conclusion

Even without a GUI, you can use all the features of 7Zip on the command line. Just as long as you familiarize yourself with some of the commands, you’ll get better with practice. Did we miss any commands on our list? Let us know by leaving us a message in the comment section below.

7zip command line