- 1Linux Topics Index
- 2How to Create a File in Linux
- 3How to Rename a File in Linux
- 4How to Copy a File in Linux
- 5How to Move a File in Linux
- 6How to Delete a File in Linux
- 7How to Create a Directory in Linux
- 8How to Delete a Directory in Linux
- 9How to Copy Directories Recursively in Linux
- 10Delete Directories Recursively in Linux
- 11How to View Hidden Files in Linux
- 12How to Create a Hidden File in Linux
- 13How to Create a Hidden Directory in Linux
- 14How to Find Files in Linux Using find Command
- 15Find Files in Linux Using locate Command
- 16How to View File Contents Using cat in Linux
- 17How to View File Contents Using less in Linux
- 18View File Contents Using the more Command in Linux
- 19Compare Files Using diff Command in Linux
- 20Compare Files in Linux Using cmp Command
- 21Check File Type in Linux with file Command
- 22Create Symbolic Links with ln -s in Linux
- 23How to Archive Files Using tar Command in Linux
- 24Compress Files with gzip in Linux – Beginner Tutorial
- 25How to Compress Files Using bzip2 in Linux
- 26Compress Files in Linux Using zip Command
- 27Extract Compressed Files using tar in Linux
- 28Extract ZIP Files on Linux with unzip
- 29How to Extract .gz Files using gunzip in Linux

- 1Linux Topics Index
- 2How to Create a File in Linux
- 3How to Rename a File in Linux
- 4How to Copy a File in Linux
- 5How to Move a File in Linux
- 6How to Delete a File in Linux
- 7How to Create a Directory in Linux
- 8How to Delete a Directory in Linux
- 9How to Copy Directories Recursively in Linux
- 10Delete Directories Recursively in Linux
- 11How to View Hidden Files in Linux
- 12How to Create a Hidden File in Linux
- 13How to Create a Hidden Directory in Linux
- 14How to Find Files in Linux Using find Command
- 15Find Files in Linux Using locate Command
- 16How to View File Contents Using cat in Linux
- 17How to View File Contents Using less in Linux
- 18View File Contents Using the more Command in Linux
- 19Compare Files Using diff Command in Linux
- 20Compare Files in Linux Using cmp Command
- 21Check File Type in Linux with file Command
- 22Create Symbolic Links with ln -s in Linux
- 23How to Archive Files Using tar Command in Linux
- 24Compress Files with gzip in Linux – Beginner Tutorial
- 25How to Compress Files Using bzip2 in Linux
- 26Compress Files in Linux Using zip Command
- 27Extract Compressed Files using tar in Linux
- 28Extract ZIP Files on Linux with unzip
- 29How to Extract .gz Files using gunzip in Linux

- 1How to Add a New User in Linux
- 2Modify Existing User in Linux
- 3Delete a User in Linux — Step-by-Step for Beginners
- 4Create a User Group in Linux - Step-by-Step Tutorial
- 5Linux: Add User to Group
- 6How to Remove a User from a Group in Linux
- 7Delete a User Group in Linux - Beginner Friendly Tutorial
- 8Linux su Command Tutorial – Switch Users Easily
- 9Linux sudo Command - Execute as Another User
- 10Change a User's Password in Linux Using passwd
- 11Set Password Expiry in Linux using chage
- 12Lock a User Account in Linux
- 13How to Unlock a User Account in Linux
- 14Configure User Login Shell in Linux
- 15How to Configure User Environment Variables in Linux
- 16Edit .bashrc and .profile in Linux - User Startup Files Tutorial
How to Compress Files Using gzip Command
Next Topic ⮕How to Compress Files Using bzip2 in Linux
How to Compress Files Using the gzip
Command
Hey there! Welcome back to ProgramGuru.org. In this Linux tutorial, we’re going to learn one of the simplest and most commonly used commands for file compression in Linux — the gzip
command.
Think of gzip
as a way to shrink your files to save space. It’s fast, it's simple, and it’s already available on most Linux systems.
🎯 Goal of this Lesson
By the end of this short tutorial, you'll be able to compress a file using gzip
, and also know how to decompress it.
✅ Step 1: Create a Sample File (Optional)
If you want to test gzip on a file, you can quickly create one like this:
echo "This is a sample file for testing gzip compression." > sample.txt
Let’s check the file:
cat sample.txt
This is a sample file for testing gzip compression.
✅ Step 2: Compress the File Using gzip
Now let’s compress it:
gzip sample.txt
That's it! After running this, your original file sample.txt
will be replaced with sample.txt.gz
.
ls
sample.txt.gz
✅ Step 3: Check the File Size Before and After
ls -lh sample.txt.gz
You’ll see that the file is now smaller. Perfect for saving disk space!
✅ Step 4: Decompress the File
If you want to get the original file back, you can decompress it using:
gunzip sample.txt.gz
ls
sample.txt
And yes, the file is back to its original form.
📌 A Few Extra Tips
gzip -k filename
keeps the original file intactgzip -r foldername
compresses all files in a folder recursivelygzip -l file.gz
shows compression details
🧠 Summary
Today, you learned how to:
- Create a test file
- Compress it with
gzip
- Decompress it using
gunzip
- Use a few extra flags for advanced control
Thanks for learning with us! Keep practicing, and you’ll get comfortable with Linux in no time. 💻