If you’re working with Linux systems, you’ll frequently encounter .tar.gz files. These are compressed archive files commonly used for packaging software, backups, and configuration bundles. In this guide, we’ll explain what a .tar.gz file is, how to extract it, and how to create one safely on Linux systems like Debian or Ubuntu.

What is a .tar.gz File?

A .tar.gz file is a combination of two formats:

• .tar: Stands for Tape Archive. It combines multiple files and directories into one file, but does not compress them.
• .gz: Stands for Gzip. It compresses the .tar file to save space.

This results in a compressed archive: filename.tar.gz. You may also see .tgz, which is a shorthand alias for .tar.gz.

How to Extract a .tar.gz File

You can extract a .tar.gz file using the tar command, which is pre-installed on most Linux distributions.

# Basic extraction
$ tar -xzvf archive.tar.gz

Explanation:

• -x: Extract
• -z: Use gzip to decompress
• -v: Verbose, shows files being extracted (optional)
• -f: Filename of the archive

Extract to a Specific Directory

If you want to extract files into a particular folder:

$ tar -xzvf archive.tar.gz -C /path/to/destination/

Extract and Change Top-Level Folder Name

Sometimes, you may want to extract the contents but rename the top-level directory in the archive. One way to do this is:

# Step 1: Create a target directory
$ mkdir new-folder

# Step 2: Extract into it
$ tar -xzvf archive.tar.gz -C new-folder/

Alternatively, to restructure or rename after extraction:

$ tar -xzvf archive.tar.gz
$ mv old-folder-name new-folder-name

Use --transform to Rename Folder During Extraction

If you want to rename the top-level folder directly during extraction (e.g., from example.com.v2 to example.com):

$ tar --transform='s/^example\.com\.v2/example.com/' -xzvf archive.tar.gz

Make sure to match the actual top-level folder name inside the archive. Use tar -tzf archive.tar.gz to preview the folder structure before extracting.

Permission Denied or Directory Errors?

If you see errors like Cannot mkdir: Permission denied or Cannot open: No such file or directory, it usually means:

• You don’t have write permission to the destination directory
• You’re trying to extract into a system-owned path like /var/www without sudo

Solution:

sudo tar -xzvf archive.tar.gz -C /desired/path/

Or extract it in your home directory:

tar -xzvf archive.tar.gz -C ~/myfolder/

How to Create a .tar.gz File

To create a .tar.gz file (compress a folder or multiple files):

$ tar -czvf archive.tar.gz folder_or_files

Explanation:

• -c: Create archive
• -z: Compress with gzip
• -v: Verbose (optional)
• -f: Output filename

Example: Compress a folder

$ tar -czvf backup.tar.gz myproject/

Example: Compress multiple files

$ tar -czvf images.tar.gz photo1.jpg photo2.jpg photo3.jpg

Note: Compressing already-compressed files like .jpg, .mp4, or .zip often yields minimal size reduction. Expect 0–5% savings at best.

Rename Parent Directory When Compressing

If you want the archive to extract into a renamed top-level folder:

$ cp -r original-folder temp-folder-name
$ tar -czvf renamed-folder.tar.gz temp-folder-name
$ rm -rf temp-folder-name

This way, you control the name users will see when they extract the archive.

Alternative Methods

Step-by-Step: gunzip + tar

You can also extract the archive in two steps:

$ gunzip archive.tar.gz     # Results in archive.tar
$ tar -xvf archive.tar       # Extract the tar archive

Using 7-Zip

If you’re working in a GUI environment or using 7-Zip from the terminal:

$ 7z x archive.tar.gz   # Step 1: Extracts .tar
$ 7z x archive.tar      # Step 2: Extracts contents

Note: Install 7-Zip on Debian/Ubuntu via: sudo apt install p7zip-full

Conclusion

The .tar.gz format is widely used in Linux environments because it bundles and compresses files efficiently. Extracting and creating these files is straightforward using the built-in tar tool, or you can use 7z for more flexibility.

If you run into permission issues, always check your destination path and consider using sudo or extracting to a user-owned directory. You can also change the folder structure or top-level folder name during or after extraction and even while compressing.