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Extract RAR and 7z archives on Linux

Open .rar and .7z files from the terminal with 7-Zip.

LinuxZip & ArchivesarchiveLow risk
Run 7z x archive.rar -o./output-dir to extract the archive into a folder.

01Command

Command
$ 7z x photos.rar -o./photos && 7z x backup.7z

02What it does

7z from p7zip-full reads dozens of archive formats, including RAR (except newest RAR5 variants) and its own 7z. The x switch extracts with the archive's internal folder structure, and -o points extraction at a directory you choose. If a RAR5 file is rejected, install the unrar package and run unrar x file.rar instead.

03Risk

RiskLow risk
Requirementsp7zip-full (7z); for RAR5 archives also install the non-free `unrar` package and run `unrar x photos.rar`
!Warning: Extraction overwrites existing files in the target folder without asking. Extract into a fresh directory (-o./somewhere) rather than straight into ~/Downloads.

04Undo

✓No undo needed — this command does not change persistent state.

05Sources

  • 7z(1) — 7-Zip file archiver
    manpages.ubuntu.com · community · 2026-09-17
    Evidence: 7z x extracts archives with full paths; -o sets the output directory and supports 7z, rar, zip and many other formats.

Last verified: 2026-09-18 · Category: Files & Folders

06Related solutions

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Split Large Files and Rejoin Them with split and cat
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split cuts a file into size-bounded chunks; cat concatenated in order rebuilds the original byte-for-byte.

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