How to Open a Zip File in Unix

Opening Zip files in Unix is a multi-step process. Commands entered at the command line in Unix are used to extract zipped files into a directory. You can then access these files later for use with the appropriate application.

Things You'll Need

• A computer running Unix or Linux.

Instructions

1. Open the Terminal.

2. Type "unzip filename.zip -d /tmp" at the command prompt.

   This command will extract all the files contained within the zip file into the "/tmp" directory.

3. Type "cd/tmp" at the command prompt.

   Use this command to change into the temporary directory to view the extracted zip files.

4. Open the appropriate application and navigate within the program to the "temp folder" to work with the extracted files.

Tips & Warnings

• The easiest method is to extract zip files to the "/tmp" directory and move them to another location after extraction.

• If you do not use the /tmp directory as your destination directory, make a destination directory for your extracted files.

• Substitute " filename.zip" for the actual name of your zip file.

References

• www.cyberciti.biz : Zipping and Unzipping Files under Linux
• www.lowfatlinux.com : Can I Zip and Unzip Files With Linux?
• www.kb.iu.edu : Indiana University - Information Technology Services - Knowledge Base: In Unix, how do I create or decompress zip files?
• www.unixguide.net : File (de)compression
• www.ece.uic.edu : Unix Commands: A Quick Guide -v 1.4