Working with compressed files on Microsoft Windows

Working with Compressed Files on Microsoft Windows

Learn how to use compressed files, such as .tar.gz and .tar.bz2, especially when your Windows computer cannot open or extract them.

Linux-Based Compressed Files

Ruachost.com servers run on the Linux operating system, which supports several compressed file formats. While Microsoft Windows commonly uses .zip and .rar files, Linux typically uses .gz and .bz2 extensions.

These compressed files often contain multiple files bundled into a single archive, known as a tarball, which uses the .tar extension. For example, a file ending in .tar.gz is a tarball compressed using the gzip format.

If you’re using Linux or macOS, your system already supports these formats. For instance, on macOS, you can simply double-click a .gz file to decompress it. Likewise, most Linux environments include built-in support for extracting these files either through the desktop interface or the command line.

However, if you’re using Microsoft Windows, you’ll need to install an application that can handle these Linux-style compressed files. While commercial programs like WinZip and WinRAR can work, this article focuses on 7-Zip, a free and open-source utility for Windows that supports many compression formats.

Using 7-Zip

To get started:

1. Visit https://www.7-zip.org.

2. Download and install the appropriate version for your computer.

After installing 7-Zip, you can decompress and extract files easily:

1. Locate the compressed file you want to extract.

2. Right-click the file, select 7-Zip, and choose Extract Here.

   • The contents will appear in the same folder.

   • To extract to a different folder, right-click the file, select 7-Zip → Extract files, and specify the destination.

Tip:
If you just want to preview the contents without extracting them, right-click the file, choose 7-Zip → Open archive.

Extracting Tarball Files (.tar.gz or .tar.bz2)

If your file is a tarball (for example, example.tar.gz or example.tar.bz2), note that this format involves two steps:

1. Decompress the file: Right-click the .tar.gz file, select 7-Zip → Extract Here. This will create a .tar file.

2. Extract the tarball: Right-click the newly created .tar file, select 7-Zip → Extract Here again. The files will then appear in the folder.

This process ensures that all files within the tarball are fully extracted and ready to use on your Windows system.