7z

Additional Notes

7z is the command-line interface for 7-Zip archives. It can create, list, test, and extract archives in 7z and several other formats depending on the installed build.

Use it when you need strong compression, password-protected archives, or compatibility with files created by 7-Zip on Windows.

Syntax

7z command [options] archive [files...]

Parameters

• command: Operation such as a, x, e, l, t, or d.
• archive: Archive file to create, inspect, or extract.
• files: Files or directories to add or process.
• options: Compression, recursion, password, and output flags.

Common Commands

• a: Add files to an archive.
• x: Extract with full paths.
• e: Extract files into the current directory without full paths.
• l: List archive contents.
• t: Test archive integrity.
• d: Delete files from an archive.

Common Options

• -r: Recurse into subdirectories.
• -pPASSWORD: Use a password. Avoid placing passwords in shell history when possible.
• -mhe=on: Encrypt archive headers for 7z archives.
• -oDIR: Extract output into DIR. No space after -o.
• -mx=9: Use high compression.
• -y: Assume yes for prompts.

Examples

7z a backup.7z ./project

Create a 7z archive from a directory.

7z l backup.7z

List archive contents.

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

Extract with paths into ./restore.

7z t backup.7z

Test archive integrity.

Practical Notes

• Use x instead of e when directory structure matters.
• Quote filenames that contain spaces.
• Some distributions provide this as p7zip, p7zip-full, or 7zip packages.