Extract a .deb package without installing it
Inspect a .deb's contents or pull a single binary out of it.
Run dpkg-deb -x package.deb ./extracted to unpack the files into a folder, or dpkg-deb -I package.deb to read its metadata.
01Command
Command
$ dpkg-deb -x google-chrome.deb ./extracted && dpkg-deb -I google-chrome.deb | head -2002What it does
dpkg-deb -x unpacks the package's file tree into the directory you name — nothing is installed, no scripts run, and the package database is untouched. Use -I (info) or -c (contents listing) to see what the package holds before extracting. Handy for grabbing a binary from a package on a machine where you can't install software.
03Risk
!Warning: Extracted files keep package paths like ./extracted/usr/bin/tool, so executables may not run in place due to relative library paths. This is for inspection, not a substitute for installing properly.
04Undo
✓No undo needed — this command does not change persistent state.
05Sources
- dpkg-deb(1) — Debian package archive toolEvidence: dpkg-deb -x extracts the package filesystem tree into a directory without installing; -I shows package metadata such as version and dependencies.
Last verified: 2026-09-18 · Category: Files & Folders
06Related solutions
Find File Owners and Package Contents with dpkg -S / -L
dpkg -S tells you which installed package a file came from; dpkg -L lists everything a package put on disk.
Split Large Files and Rejoin Them with split and cat
split cuts a file into size-bounded chunks; cat concatenated in order rebuilds the original byte-for-byte.