- 1How to Create a File in Linux
- 2How to Rename a File in Linux
- 3How to Copy a File in Linux
- 4How to Move a File in Linux
- 5How to Delete a File in Linux
- 6How to Create a Directory in Linux
- 7How to Delete a Directory in Linux
- 8How to Copy Directories Recursively in Linux
- 9Delete Directories Recursively in Linux
- 10How to View Hidden Files in Linux
- 11How to Create a Hidden File in Linux
- 12How to Create a Hidden Directory in Linux
- 13How to Find Files in Linux Using find Command
- 14Find Files in Linux Using locate Command
- 15How to View File Contents Using cat in Linux
- 16How to View File Contents Using less in Linux
- 17View File Contents Using the more Command in Linux
- 18Compare Files Using diff Command in Linux
- 19Compare Files in Linux Using cmp Command
- 20Check File Type in Linux with file Command
- 21Create Symbolic Links with ln -s in Linux
- 22How to Archive Files Using tar Command in Linux
- 23Compress Files with gzip in Linux – Beginner Tutorial
- 24How to Compress Files Using bzip2 in Linux
- 25Compress Files in Linux Using zip Command
- 26Extract Compressed Files using tar in Linux
- 27Extract ZIP Files on Linux with unzip
- 28How to Extract .gz Files using gunzip in Linux
How to Compress Files Using zip Command
How to Compress Files Using zip
Command in Linux
Hey there, welcome to this beginner-friendly tutorial on how to compress files using the zip
command in Linux.
Let’s say you have a few files or folders, and you want to package them into a single, smaller file that’s easier to share or store. That’s where the zip
command comes in!
🧰 Step 1: Install zip
(if not already installed)
Most modern Linux distros come with zip
pre-installed. But in case it's missing, here’s how to install it:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install zip
📁 Step 2: Create Some Files
Let’s first create a few sample files to zip. You can skip this step if you already have files to compress.
mkdir myfiles
cd myfiles
echo "Hello World" > file1.txt
echo "Linux is awesome" > file2.txt
echo "zip command tutorial" > file3.txt
📦 Step 3: Compress Files into a Zip Archive
Now let’s compress all those files into a single zip archive.
zip myarchive.zip file1.txt file2.txt file3.txt
This creates a new file called myarchive.zip
which contains the three files.
adding: file1.txt (deflated 10%)
adding: file2.txt (deflated 20%)
adding: file3.txt (deflated 30%)
📁 Step 4: Zip an Entire Folder
To compress a whole folder (e.g., the current folder), use the -r
(recursive) option:
zip -r myfolder.zip .
adding: file1.txt (stored 0%)
adding: file2.txt (stored 0%)
adding: file3.txt (stored 0%)
🔍 Step 5: View the Contents of a Zip File
Want to peek inside your zip file without extracting it?
unzip -l myarchive.zip
Archive: myarchive.zip
Length Date Time Name
--------- ---------- ----- ----
12 2025-07-02 10:01 file1.txt
20 2025-07-02 10:01 file2.txt
25 2025-07-02 10:01 file3.txt
--------- -------
57 3 files
🗃️ Step 6: Extract the Zip File
And finally, to unzip and get your files back:
unzip myarchive.zip
Archive: myarchive.zip
inflating: file1.txt
inflating: file2.txt
inflating: file3.txt
✅ Recap
- Use
zip myfile.zip files...
to compress files. - Add
-r
for folders:zip -r archive.zip folder/
- Use
unzip -l
to list contents. - Use
unzip archive.zip
to extract files.
That's it! You've learned how to zip and unzip files on Linux like a pro. 🐧✨
See you in the next tutorial!
Next Topic ⮕Extract Compressed Files using tar in Linux
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