$ Linux Command

Files

unarj

Extract files from ARJ archives.

arjarchiveextractcompression

Additional Notes

unarj extracts files from ARJ archives, a compression format popular in the DOS era. ARJ (Archived by Robert Jung) was widely used in the late 1980s and 1990s for file distribution on BBS systems and floppy disks.

The ARJ format supports multi-volume archives, directory trees, password protection, and compression modes. unarj only handles extraction. To create ARJ archives, the arj command is used. While largely obsolete on Linux, unarj is still useful for extracting legacy archives found in old software collections and data migrations.

Syntax

unarj [command] [options] archive[.arj]

Commands

  • e: Extract files from archive (no directory structure).
  • x: Extract files with full directory structure.
  • l: List archive contents.
  • t: Test archive integrity.
  • v: Verbose listing.
  • p: Print file to standard output.

Parameters

  • options: Flags that change how unarj behaves.
  • target: Optional file, device, interface, user, service, or command target when the command supports one.

Common Options

  • -d dir: Extract files into directory dir.
  • -y: Assume yes to all prompts.
  • -n: Only show new files (do not overwrite).
  • -g password: Decrypt with password.
  • -o: Overwrite existing files without prompting.

Examples

unarj x archive.arj

Extract all files preserving directory structure.

unarj e archive.arj

Extract all files into the current directory (no subdirectories).

unarj l archive.arj

List the contents of an ARJ archive.

unarj x -d /tmp/out archive.arj

Extract to a specific directory.

Practical Notes

  • ARJ is mostly obsolete. Use modern tools like tar, zip, or 7z for new archives.
  • Many Linux distributions provide unarj via the arj package (which includes both arj and unarj).
  • Multi-volume ARJ archives use extensions like .arj, .a01, .a02, etc.
  • For non-ARJ archives from the same era, try unzip, uncompress, lha, or 7z.