How to Unzip From a Command Line

A zip file is a compressed file used to store multiple files and folders together. If you use the Linux operating system, you can use the command line utility in Linux to perform an unzip operation. Other operating systems, such as Windows and Mac OSX, offer a graphical utility to perform this operation, while in Linux the primary zip and unzip method is through the command line. While it helps to have some computer expertise to carry out this operation, you don't have to be extremely experienced with Linux to carry it out.

• 1

  Open a Terminal window on the Linux computer.

• 2

  Confirm that the zip utility is already installed by typing "apt-get install zip" and pressing "Enter," then typing "apt-get install unzip" and pressing "Enter."

• 3

  Type "unzip filename.zip" and press "Enter" to unzip a zip file, where "filename.zip" is the full name of the zip file.