How to Open or Unzip GZ Files on Windows & Linux

Archive files are one sort of compressed file that allows users to keep files with smaller file sizes. Archives are much smaller in size than the actual file size it would be. This helps users to easily download, move, share content in a quick time and with lesser storage space. So, if you have a limited storage capacity or lacking enough storage space, archive files will be helpful. Apart from the popular archive files like ZIP and RAR, there are some other well-known archive files that can be found on several aspects such as GZ. So, if you also want to Open or Unzip GZ Files on Windows & Linux computer then follow this guide completely.

GZ files are one of the compressed files that can be created using the gzip compression utility (GNU zip). These files are commonly used on UNIX-based operating systems like Linux Distros and macOS. It means Windows users can’t also open or unzip the gzip compressed file by default. GZ (gzip) files basically contain all the useful information like the original file name, timestamp, etc that come in handy whenever a compressed filename made short or the timestamp has been lost during the file transfer. Usually, Gzip compression quite often used to compress some elements of web pages that help to load the page faster. Now, you may ask how to unzip or open such kind of archive file format.

How to Open or Unzip GZ Files on Windows

If you’ve seen the tar.gz or .tgz file formats before that indicates TAR files (tarballs) are compressed with the gzip extension. It’s easy enough for the Windows and Linux operating system users to open or you can say unzip the gzip-compressed files using a third-party and reliable archive tool called ‘7-Zip’. Additionally, you can use the command prompt method to do so. We’ve shared all the possible ways below.

1. Using 7-Zip:

7-Zip is a popular archive tool for Windows and Linux that helps users easily extract multiple archived files along with GZ. To do that:

1. Download the 7-Zip archive tool from its official website here.
2. Double-click on the installer file and install it properly.
3. Once installed, open the 7-Zip archive tool.
4. Click on Add > Navigate to your Gzip file and select it.
5. Now, either you can double-click on the file from the 7-Zip interface or select Extract to open all the compressed files.
6. Enjoy!

2. Using Command Prompt

• Make sure that the 7-Zip archive tool is already installed on your PC/Laptop.
• Now, click on the Start Menu > Type cmd.

• Right-click on Command Prompt from the search result > Select Run as administrator.
• If prompted by UAC, click on Yes to allow the admin access.
• Next, you’ll need to register 7-Zip as a system PATH environment variable by executing the command below. So, just copy and paste the following command into the command prompt and hit Enter: [You should change the path if you’ve installed 7-Zip in a different location]

setx path "%path%;C:\Program Files\7-Zip"

• Then extract files from the tar.gz using the following command and hit Enter: [Replace the filename with your actual filename for sure]

7z e filename.tar.gz

• 7-Zip will now extract the tar.gz files to the same location.
• Next, you can use the same command line to extract the .tar files: 7z e filename.tar.gz
• You’re done.

Alternatively, you can also use the most popular WinRAR archive tool to open Gzip files.

How to Open or Unzip GZ Files on Linux

• Open the Ubuntu Software in your app menu.
• Click on the search icon from the top-left corner.
• Now, type 7zip desktop and hit Enter.
• Click on 7zip desktop from the search result > Click on Install from the app page.
• If prompted, enter your Ubuntu password to give access.
• Once the app downloaded, click on the Launch button to open the P7Zip Desktop app on your Ubuntu running machine.
• Similarly, you’ll need to search and install the Synaptic Package Manager app from the Ubuntu Software.
• Launch the Synaptic Package Manager app > Click on the search icon.
• Now, type pz7ip in the search bar and hit Enter to search it.
• You’ll see p7zip-full in the search result. Right-click on it.
• Choose and select Mark for installation to install the program on your computer.
• Click on the Apply button from the top-left corner.
• Once the installation is done, close Synaptic.
• P7Zip is ready to use as a command-line utility.
• Finally, you can use the same Windows 7-Zip command on your Linux easily. [Replace the filename with your actual gzip file name]

7z e filename.gz

• You’re good to go.

However, if you’re a macOS user and want to open the gzip compressed file on your computer then you’ll need to download Keka and use it.

That’s it, guys. We assume this guide was helpful to you. For further queries, you can comment below.