7-Zip for Linux is the best solution for file compression and decompression. And if you are the type of person who regularly deals with compressed files such as Zip and RAR formats, well then, the 7Zip should be on our list of installed apps. Before we show you how to install and use the software on Linux, make sure to check out our other guides on 7Zip.

For compressed files, 7Zip is the only one that can compare head to head with the ever-popular WinRAR. But in reality, 7Zip is the much better one. As a matter of fact, 7Zip is a tool for many professionals who really know their stuff.
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What is 7-Zip?
7Zip is a powerful tool in the right hands. It is a secure open-source file archiver that can compress multiple files into one simplified cabinet-like folder and vice versa.

The 7Zip was created by Igor Pavlov back in 1999. It supports the most known compression type of formats on both packing and unpacking methods. This includes ZIP, Gzip, bzip2, xz, tar, and WIM for Windows installer.
Basically, the 7Zip archiving tool is pretty much near-universal in terms of its focused purpose. It has a powerful compression algorithm and supports password protection. This app is a tool for benchmarking processing power by some experts. According to some reviewers, the 7Zip is a tool far better than what the popular counterpart can do. Nevertheless, it is not perfect and has its own downsides.
There are two main accesses to use 7Zip. One is through a 7Zip command line. The other one is through your typical graphical interface which is more user-friendly for most users. The 7Zip for Linux will work more on the command-line support.
Download 7-Zip for Linux
Name | 7Zip 22.00 |
Size | 1.48 MB |
Version | Linux Console Version |
Author | 7-Zip |
How to Install 7-Zip for Linux
For those of you that are not familiar with how apps are installed on Linux or any Linux-based distribution, this is the 7Zip tutorial written just for you. This will be the simplest coding you will ever do so you should be able to follow this if you manage to do this in repetition. Still, it’s not as easy as installing 7Zip for Windows or Mac. Yes, it’s just like they said, practice makes perfect.

On Ubuntu and some other Linux-based platform, 7Zip is packaged as p7Zip. To install p7Zip, you will need to do this procedure. Here’s how it goes.
- The first thing you need to do is to launch the Terminal to execute some commands. If you cannot find the Terminal, you can use Ubuntu’s search service and type in Terminal.
- On the Terminal, type in this command: sudo apt-get update
- You will be asked to enter your password. Please do so as this first command will update your system.
- Once the system update finishes, you will need to type in this command: sudo apt-get install p7Zip-full
- Again, you will need to enter your system password to confirm the command request.
- The command will now start to download the necessary files from the repository
- As soon as all the files are downloaded, you will be asked if you want to continue or not with the installation. Type “Y” for yes and “N” for no. In this case, just type “Y” and press the Enter key.
- This will now initiate the unpacking of the downloaded files and start setting them up for installation.
- When the command line appears again, it means the installation is through.
- To make sure that the 7Zip really installed on your Linux computer you will need to type in this command: sudo apt-qq list p7Zip-full
- Type in your system password again to confirm the request.
- Read the following line and find the word “Installed.”
- Now type this command: sudo dpkg -s p7Zip-full | grep Status
- The next line should say “Installed” again.
- That’s it. You now have 7Zip installed on your Ubuntu system.
How Do I Use 7Zip on Linux
To use 7Zip on Linux you will need to install p7zip package because 7Zip is not supported by default in most of the Linux distributions.
7Zip is an open-source file archiver and compression tool for Linux operating systems. It is used to compress, extract and archive files and is considered to be one of the most popular and reliable compression tools available. 7Zip can be used to compress and decompress files in a wide variety of formats, including 7z, XZ, BZIP2, GZIP, TAR, ZIP, and WIM. In this article, we will discuss how to use 7Zip on Linux.
The first step is to install 7Zip on your Linux system. You can do this using the package manager of your preferred Linux distribution. For example, if you are using Ubuntu, you can type the following command in the terminal to install 7Zip:
sudo apt-get install p7zip-full
Once installed, you can use the 7Zip command-line interface (CLI) to compress and decompress files. To compress a file, you can use the following command:
7z a [archive name] [file name]
This command will create an archive with the specified name and will include the specified file. For example, the following command will create an archive named “myarchive.7z” that includes the file “myfile.txt”:
7z a myarchive.7z myfile.txt
To decompress a file, you can use the following command:
7z x [archive name]
This command will extract the contents of the specified archive and will create a new directory with the same name as the archive. For example, the following command will extract the contents of the “myarchive.7z” archive and will create a new directory named “myarchive”:
7z x myarchive.7z
7Zip also allows you to password-protect archives. To password-protect an archive, you can use the following command:
7z a [archive name] -p[password] [file name]
This command will create an archive with the specified name and will include the specified file. The archive will be encrypted using the specified password. For example, the following command will create an archive named “myarchive.7z” that includes the file “myfile.txt” and will be encrypted using the password “mypassword”:
7z a myarchive.7z -pmypassword myfile.txt
You can also use 7Zip to create self-extracting archives. A self-extracting archive is an archive that can be extracted automatically without the need for additional tools or software. To create a self-extracting archive, you can use the following command:
7z a [archive name] -sfx[executable] [file name]
This command will create an archive with the specified name and will include the specified file. The archive will be self-extracting and will include the specified executable. For example, the following command will create an archive named “myarchive.7z” that includes the file “myfile.txt” and will be self-extracting and include the executable “myprogram.exe”:
7z a myarchive.7z -sfxmyprogram.exe myfile.txt
These are just a few of the many features that 7Zip offers. To learn more about 7Zip and how to use it on Linux, you can consult the 7Zip manual or visit the official 7Zip website.
7-Zip Commands
Now, if you want to know all the corresponding commands to execute some tasks, you will only need to launch the Terminal again. From the Terminal, just type in 7Z. It should show you the different types of commands that you can use. To execute any command, it should follow this pattern:
- 7z [command option] [archive file name & format] [files]
Command Options
- a —means to add files in archive
- l —means to list the contents of archive
- u — means to update the files in the archive
- e — means to extract files from archive without their full path
- x — means to extract files from archive with their full path
- d — means to delete files from archive
For the “archive file name & format” you will type in the name of the compressed file that you want as output with the file format that you want like ZIP, RAR, or 7Z. For the “files” that the name of the file that you want to compress. To do this, here is an example and how to do it:
- Create a folder on your desktop.
- Paste the file inside that folder. Let’s assume that the file’s name is “Sample.”
- Now, still in the same folder, launch the Terminal.
- Now, type in this command: 7z a Sample.zip Sample
- Wait for a few seconds or minutes depending on the size of the file. The bigger the file, the longer the compression takes place.
- That’s it. A new file will now appear inside the folder with the name Sample.zip next to the original file named Sample.
Conclusion
For the old-timers and advanced users, these commands will be easy. But if this is your first time, you will need some getting used to it. Ubuntu and other Linux-based distributions are a bit complicated especially if you came from a point-and-click operating system like Windows 7 to 10.
Now, as a question for today’s topic, do you think the 7Zip for Linux is a good tool? If not, do you have an alternative in mind? If you do, do tell us in the comment section. We would love to know your recommendations.
If you have any questions about today’s topic, please feel free to leave your message in the comment section below as well. We will try to get back to you as soon as we can.
All commands in the “How to install” should use “p7zip-full” with a lowercase z
Nice article.
“sudo apt-qq list p7Zip-full” should be:
“sudo apt list p7zip-full”
(at least I did not have “apt-qq” and have never seen it).
Thanks!
yes. on my raspberry pi, it only worked with lower case p7zip-full and without the -qq as posted above.
Where is the desktop version.
CLI only = FAIL!
Linux is smarter than Windowz. Stop crippling it by making apps ONLY for stem administrators.