The Complete Guide to 7-Zip on Linux (Installation & Usage)

If you’re looking to use 7-Zip on Linux, you’ve probably noticed something immediately: there’s no official graphical interface like the Windows version. The official 7-Zip for Linux is entirely command-line based, and that’s by design. While this might seem limiting at first, the CLI version actually offers more power and flexibility once you understand how to use it.

This article walks you through everything from installation to advanced usage, including password protection, custom compression methods, and even CPU benchmarking. I’ll be demonstrating on Linux Mint, but these steps work identically on Ubuntu and other Debian-based distributions.

Understanding 7-Zip on Linux

7-Zip has been one of the most popular compression tools on Windows for over two decades, known for its exceptional compression ratio and support for numerous archive formats. For years, Linux users relied on p7zip, an unofficial port of 7-Zip maintained by independent developers. However, p7zip stagnated at version 16.02 (released in 2016) and is now officially obsolete.

Since version 21.01 (released in 2021), 7-Zip has included official support for Linux and macOS, bringing native builds directly from the original developer, Igor Pavlov. The current Linux version is 25.01, released in August 2025. While Windows recently received version 26.00 in February 2026, the Linux build lags slightly behind but receives all the essential updates and improvements.

The key difference from Windows is simple: no GUI. The official Linux build is command-line only, accessed through the 7zz command. If you absolutely need a graphical interface, you can run the Windows version through Wine, but honestly, once you get comfortable with the command line, you’ll find it’s often faster and more powerful than clicking through menus.

Why Use Official 7-Zip Instead of p7zip?

Many Linux distributions still include p7zip in their repositories, and you might wonder why bother with the official build. Here’s why:

p7zip is outdated. The last version, 16.02, was released in 2016. That’s nearly a decade old at this point. Meanwhile, official 7-Zip has continued development with performance improvements, bug fixes, security patches, and support for newer compression algorithms.

Official 7-Zip is actively maintained. You’re getting code directly from the source, with regular updates and improvements. The official Linux build includes all the latest features from the Windows version, minus the GUI.

Better performance and compatibility. The official build includes optimizations and algorithmic improvements that p7zip never received. For modern multicore processors, these differences can be substantial.

That said, p7zip isn’t completely useless. Some Linux-specific features might be implemented better in p7zip than in the official Linux port. However, for most users, the official build is the better choice in 2026.

Distribution Compatibility and System Requirements

This guide is demonstrated on Linux Mint, but the steps apply equally to Ubuntu and other Debian-based distros. The official 7-Zip binary (downloaded directly from the official website) works across many popular distro families, including Debian-based systems (Ubuntu, Mint, Debian, Pop!_OS), RPM-based distributions in the Red Hat family (RHEL, CentOS Stream, AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, Fedora), Arch Linux and its derivatives (pacman-based), and even Gentoo (source-based).

Important note: The official binary is typically compiled for specific architectures and C standard libraries. For example, the standard x64 build targets x86_64 architecture with glibc (GNU C Library). If you’re running a system that uses musl libc (common in Alpine Linux and some minimal containers) or ARM architecture, you need to verify three things before installation:

1. Architecture compatibility – Ensure the binary matches your CPU architecture (x86_64, aarch64, armv7l, etc.)
2. C library compatibility – Check whether your system uses glibc or musl (run ldd --version to find out)
3. Binary integrity – Always verify the SHA256 checksum against the official website before extracting

For musl-based systems, you may need to use the static binary (7zzs) which doesn’t depend on system libraries, or compile 7-Zip from source. For ARM systems, download the appropriate ARM64 build from the official site rather than the x64 version.

Step 1: Download the Official 7-Zip Binary

Before installing anything, update your system packages. Open a terminal with Ctrl + Alt + T and run:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Next, verify your system architecture. Most modern systems use x86_64 (also called AMD64), but it’s worth checking:

uname -m

If the output shows x86_64, you’re good to proceed. For ARM systems, you’d see something like aarch64 or armv7l.

Download the official 7-Zip Linux build for x86_64:

wget https://www.7-zip.org/a/7z2501-linux-x64.tar.xz

If wget isn’t installed on your system, you can use curl instead:

curl --version
curl -fsSLo 7z2501-linux-x64.tar.xz https://www.7-zip.org/a/7z2501-linux-x64.tar.xz

(Check the exact link and version on the official download page)

Automatically Download the Latest Version

Here’s a more advanced approach that always fetches the newest release automatically:

curl -fsSLO "https://www.7-zip.org/$(curl -fsSL https://www.7-zip.org/download.html | grep -Eo 'a/7z[0-9]{4}-linux-x64\.tar\.xz' | head -n 1)"

This command scrapes the official download page, extracts the latest filename, and downloads it. For ARM systems, change x64 to arm64 in the regular expression. Re-run this command whenever you want to upgrade to the latest release.

Verify the Download Integrity

Before extracting anything, verify the file’s integrity with a checksum:

sha256sum 7z2501-linux-x64.tar.xz

Example output (your hash will match the official release):

4ca3b7c6f2f67866b92622818b58233dc70367be2f36b498eb0bdeaaa44b53f4  7z2501-linux-x64.tar.xz

Compare this against the official checksum from 7-zip.org. If they don’t match, be careful or just don’t use the file.

Step 2: Extract the Archive

Now that you’ve downloaded and verified the archive, let’s go extract it. First, verify where your terminal is currently located:

pwd

Create a dedicated directory for 7-Zip:

mkdir 7zip

Or use the -p flag to avoid errors if the directory already exists:

mkdir -p 7zip

Extract the archive into this directory:

tar xf 7z2501-linux-x64.tar.xz -C 7zip

Alternatively, if you want to extract to a specific location like your Downloads folder:

tar -xf 7z2501-linux-x64.tar.xz -C ~/Downloads/7zip

Understanding the tar Command (Optional)

Both xf and -xf are valid with GNU tar; they are functionally equivalent. GNU-style short options like x, f, v can be written with or without the leading dash when grouped together (e.g., tar xf archive.tar).

However, -C must include the dash because it is a short option that takes an argument. It stands for “change directory” and instructs tar to switch to the specified directory before performing the extraction.

In other words:

• tar changes into the 7zip directory first
• Then it extracts the contents of tar.xz inside that directory

If the target directory does not already exist, tar will return an error — it does not create the directory automatically.

Without -C, the archive would be extracted into the Terminal’s current working directory.

To extract into a different location, simply replace 7zip with any valid directory path:

tar -xf archive.tar.xz -C /desired/path

In short, this command unpacks the downloaded 7-Zip Linux archive and places all extracted files neatly into the directory you specify.

Other Useful Variants (Optional)

tar -tf archive.tar.xz

→ Lists the contents of the archive without extracting anything.
(-t = list)

tar -xvf archive.tar.xz

→ Extracts the archive and displays each file as it is processed.
(-v = verbose, prints file names during extraction)

These variants are helpful for quickly inspecting an archive before extracting, or for monitoring extraction progress when working with larger files.

Step 3: Testing Before System-Wide Installation

Before installing 7-Zip system-wide, let’s verify it works. Navigate to the directory where you extracted 7-Zip:

cd 7zip
# or
cd ~/Downloads/7zip

Now run 7-Zip with the ./ prefix (which means “execute this file in the current directory”):

./7zz --help

Or simply:

./7zz

You should see version information and a list of available commands. This confirms the binary works on your system. The ./ prefix is necessary because we haven’t installed 7-Zip to the system PATH yet.

Step 4: Install 7-Zip System-Wide

To use 7zz from anywhere without the ./ prefix, install it to /usr/local/bin, which is the standard location for manually installed executables:

sudo mv 7zz /usr/local/bin

If you also want the static binary:

sudo mv 7zzs /usr/local/bin

Understanding 7zz vs 7zzs

The extracted archive contains two executables: 7zz and 7zzs. Both are official 7-Zip binaries with full format support, but they differ in how they’re compiled:

7zz (dynamically linked): This version links against system libraries at runtime. It’s smaller in file size and uses shared libraries that multiple programs can access. This is the version you’ll use most of the time.

7zzs (statically linked): This version includes all necessary libraries embedded in the binary itself. It’s larger but completely self-contained, requiring no external dependencies. This is incredibly useful for minimal systems, embedded environments, or servers with missing libraries.

You can install both without conflicts. Use 7zz as your default, and fall back to 7zzs if you encounter library-related errors.

Using install Instead of mv

There’s a safer alternative to mv that also sets proper permissions:

sudo install -m 755 7zz /usr/local/bin/
sudo install -m 755 7zzs /usr/local/bin/

The install command copies the file (rather than moving it), sets the specified permissions (755 means readable and executable by everyone, writable only by owner), and ensures consistent ownership. This is considered best practice for installing executables manually.

About /usr/local/bin

Why /usr/local/bin specifically? This directory is reserved for executables that you install manually, separate from package managers. It takes precedence over /usr/bin in the default PATH, which means your manually installed 7-Zip will be found before any potential package-managed version. This prevents conflicts while keeping your manual installations organized.

Verify the Installation

After installation, confirm 7-Zip is accessible system-wide:

which 7zz

Expected output:

/usr/local/bin/7zz

Test that it runs correctly:

7zz --help

You should see the full help output without needing ./ anymore. Success! You can now use 7-Zip from any directory.

Step 5: Basic 7-Zip Operations

Now that 7-Zip is installed, let’s cover the fundamental operations you’ll use daily.

Creating Archives

The basic syntax for creating archives uses the a (add) command:

7zz a <archive_name> <file_or_directory>

Create a 7z archive named example.7z containing a single file:

7zz a example.7z file.txt

Create a zip archive from all text files in the current directory:

7zz a archive.zip "*.txt"

Notice the quotes around *.txt. This is important. Without quotes, your shell expands the wildcard before passing it to 7-Zip, which can cause unexpected behavior. Quoting the pattern forces your shell to pass it literally to 7-Zip, which has its own pattern matching logic that works more reliably.

To compress an entire directory:

7zz a backup.7z ~/Documents/

7-Zip recursively includes everything in the Documents directory and preserves the directory structure in the archive.

Extracting Archives

Extract an archive with the x (extract with full paths) command:

7zz x backup.7z

This extracts files into the current directory, maintaining their original directory structure. To extract to a specific location:

7zz x backup.7z -o/home/kevin/Documents

Note: there’s no space between -o and the path. This is how 7-Zip’s syntax works.

Listing Archive Contents

View what’s inside an archive without extracting:

7zz l archive.7z

For detailed technical information about each file:

7zz l archive.7z -slt

→ This shows compression method, CRC values, timestamps, and more.

Testing Archive Integrity

Verify an archive hasn’t been corrupted:

7zz t archive.7z

For more verbose output showing the test process:

7zz t archive.7z -bb

The -bb switch controls logging verbosity. It ranges from -bb0 (minimal output) to -bb3 (maximum detail). Using -bb alone defaults to -bb1, which shows filenames as they’re processed. For detailed internal operation logs, use -bb3:

7zz a backup.7z "*.txt" -bb3

This is particularly useful when troubleshooting compression issues or monitoring long-running operations.

Step 6: Choosing Compression Levels

7-Zip offers compression levels from 0 (no compression, just storage) to 9 (maximum compression). The -mx switch controls this:

7zz a archive.7z files -mx=<level>

Available levels:

• mx=0: Store (no compression, just archiving)
• mx=1: Fastest (minimal compression, very fast)
• mx=3: Fast (light compression, quick)
• mx=5: Normal (default, balanced)
• mx=7: Maximum (high compression, slower)
• mx=9: Ultra (highest compression, slowest)

For example, here’s to compress a game directory with ultra settings:

7zz a Warcraft.7z "Warcraft III" -mx=9

Specifying Compression Methods

Beyond compression levels, you can specify the exact compression algorithm. For 7z archives, the default is LZMA2, but you can change this:

7zz a "Warcraft III.7z" "Warcraft III" -m0=lzma2 -mx=9

The -m0= syntax means “use this method for the primary compression stream.” For even more control, you can chain multiple compression methods and filters:

7zz a "Green Hell.7z" "Green Hell" -m0=BCJ2 -m1=LZMA2:d25 -m2=LZMA2:d19 -m3=LZMA2:d19 -mb0:1 -mb0s1:2 -mb0s2:3 -mx=9

→ This complex command uses BCJ2 preprocessing (optimized for executable files) followed by multiple LZMA2 streams with different dictionary sizes, maximizing compression for specific data types.

Understanding Compression Methods

LZMA2 is the modern standard for 7z archives. It splits data into chunks and compresses them independently, enabling multithreading. With more than two CPU threads, 7-Zip processes multiple chunks in parallel, dramatically speeding up compression on modern multicore processors. However, this comes with a tradeoff: compression ratio may be slightly worse (around 1% less efficient) compared to single-threaded LZMA.

LZMA is the original 7-Zip algorithm, offering slightly better compression ratios but no multithreading support. It compresses the entire file as a single stream, which can be slower on multicore systems. Use LZMA only when squeezing out that last 1% of compression is more important than speed, typically for archival storage where you compress once and never touch it again.

PPMd excels at compressing text and data with repetitive patterns. It’s particularly effective for log files, source code, and documents. However, it’s slower than LZMA2 and not commonly used for general-purpose compression.

BZip2 is stable for text compression but slower than LZMA2. It’s rarely used in 7z archives today, mostly existing for compatibility with older systems.

For best results with 7z archives, stick with LZMA2. It leverages modern multicore CPUs efficiently while maintaining excellent compression ratios.

Using Filters for Specific Data Types

7-Zip includes preprocessing filters optimized for different architectures and data types. Filters transform data before compression to make it more compressible:

• BCJ / BCJ2: Optimized for x86 executable files
• ARM / ARMT: For ARM executable code
• IA64 / PPC / SPARC: Architecture-specific filters
• Delta: For binary data with consistent incremental changes (like uncompressed images)

Filters must be combined with a compression method, like BCJ + LZMA. For example, compressing software builds:

7zz a game.7z GameFolder -m0=BCJ2 -m1=LZMA2 -mx=9

This preprocesses x86 executables with BCJ2, then compresses with LZMA2, achieving significantly better compression than LZMA2 alone.

🔐 Step 7: Password Protection and Encryption

7-Zip uses AES-256 encryption for securing archives (and optionally the header/filenames), which is considered cryptographically strong when combined with a robust password. Without the correct password, the archive cannot be extracted. (And if you encrypted headers with -mhe, you won’t even see file names.)

Basic Password Protection

Create a password-protected 7z archive:

7zz a -pYourPassword archive.7z files_or_folder

Example:

7zz a -pabc123 "Rockstar Games.7z" "Rockstar Games"

The -p switch sets the password. Note there’s no space between -p and your password. In this example, the password is abc123.

Interactive Password Input

Hardcoding passwords in commands exposes them in your shell history. For better security, use -p without specifying a password:

7zz a -p archive.7z files_or_folder

7-Zip will then prompt you to enter the password interactively. Here, because your input won’t be displayed on screen (you type it and it won’t show), this helps avoid leaving the password in your command history.

Encrypting Headers (File Names)

By default, password-protected 7z archives encrypt file contents but still show file names when listing contents. Anyone can run 7zz l archive.7z and see what’s inside, they just can’t extract it.

To also encrypt headers (hiding file names until the password is provided), add -mhe=on:

7zz a -pabc123 -mhe=on "Rockstar Games (encrypted).7z" "Rockstar Games" -m0=lzma2 -mx=9 -bb3

Now even listing the archive’s contents does require the password. This is essential for sensitive data where even file names might reveal information.

📂 Extracting Password-Protected Archives

When extracting an encrypted archive, 7-Zip prompts for the password:

7zz x "Rockstar Games (encrypted).7z"

Example output:

7-Zip (z) 25.01 (x64) : Copyright (c) 1999-2025 Igor Pavlov : 2025-08-03
 64-bit locale=en_US.UTF-8 Threads:8 OPEN_MAX:1024, ASM

Scanning the drive for archives:
1 file, 21005234 bytes (21 MiB)

Extracting archive: Rockstar Games (encrypted).7z

Enter password:

Type the password and press Enter. If correct, extraction proceeds. If wrong:

ERROR: Rockstar Games (encrypted).7z
Cannot open encrypted archive. Wrong password?

You can also provide the password directly when extracting:

7zz x -pabc123 "Rockstar Games (encrypted).7z"

Or extract to a specific location:

7zz x -pabc123 "Rockstar Games (encrypted).7z" -o/home/kevin/Documents -bb3

Again, beware: passing passwords on the command line exposes them in shell history and process listings (visible via ps). For sensitive data, always use interactive password entry.

📦 Step 8: Combining tar and 7-Zip for Complete Backups

While 7-Zip handles file compression excellently, it doesn’t preserve all Linux file metadata like permissions, ownership, and timestamps as thoroughly as tar. For complete system backups, combining tar and 7-Zip provides the best of both worlds.

Creating tar.7z Archives

Use tar to create an archive with full metadata preservation, then pipe it directly to 7-Zip for compression:

tar cf - directory | 7zz a -si backup.tar.7z

Expand to see how it works!

Let’s break down exactly what this command does, step by step:

Left side — tar cf - directory:

• c → Create a new tar archive
• f → Specifies the filename for the tar archive. However, instead of an actual filename, we’re using - (a dash), which means “write to stdout” (standard output stream)
• directory → The name of the directory you want to package

What this does: Creates a tar archive containing your directory structure, but instead of saving it to a file on disk, it streams the tar data to standard output. No intermediate file is created — the entire tar archive exists purely as a data stream.

Middle — | (the pipe operator):

• This transfers the output data from tar cf - directly into the input of the next command
• Instead of writing the tar data to disk and then reading it back, the pipe creates a direct data stream from tar to 7-Zip
• This eliminates the need for temporary files, saving both disk space and I/O operations

Right side — 7zz a -si backup.tar.7z:

• 7zz → Calls the 7-Zip program
• a → Add command, creates a new compressed archive
• -si → “Read data from stdin” (standard input) instead of from a file. This tells 7-Zip to accept the incoming tar stream from the pipe rather than looking for a file on disk
• backup.tar.7z → The final compressed archive filename

What this does: Receives the tar stream from the pipe and compresses it into a .tar.7z file. The entire tar archive gets compressed without ever being written to disk as an intermediate file.

Why combine tar and 7-Zip?

The advantage of this combination is that the resulting file contains the complete directory structure with full metadata preservation, without needing to create a temporary .tar file. On Linux, tar excels at preserving metadata — file permissions, ownership, group data, modification times, extended attributes, and symbolic links. 7-Zip, while excellent at compression, cannot fully preserve these Unix-specific metadata attributes on its own. When you use 7-Zip alone, you lose important information like:

• File ownership (user and group)
• Precise permission bits (beyond basic read/write/execute)
• Extended attributes and ACLs
• Symbolic link targets
• Device files and special files

By creating a tar archive first, you capture all this metadata in a format Linux natively understands. Then 7-Zip’s job is simply to compress that tar archive, preserving the metadata container intact. When you extract later, tar restores everything exactly as it was.

Extracting tar.7z Archives

Now, to extract, simply reverse the process:

7zz x -so backup.tar.7z | tar xf -

Breaking it down:

• 7zz x -so extracts to stdout (standard output) instead of a file
• | pipes the data to tar
• tar xf - reads from stdin (the dash) and extracts normally

This restores your directory exactly as it was, including all metadata (permissions, ownership, modification times, etc.).

🔓 With Password Protection

Sure, add password protection to tar.7z backups:

tar cf - directory | 7zz a -si backup.tar.7z -pabc123

Plus with header encryption:

tar cf - directory | 7zz a -si backup.tar.7z -pabc123 -mhe=on

Full example with maximum compression and encryption:

tar cf - "Rockstar Games" | 7zz a -si "Rockstar Games (encrypted).tar.7z" -m0=lzma2 -mx=9 -pabc123 -mhe=on

For even more aggressive compression:

tar cf - "Rockstar Games" | 7zz a -si "Rockstar Games (encrypted).tar.7z" -m0=BCJ2 -m1=LZMA2:d25 -m2=LZMA2:d19 -m3=LZMA2:d19 -mb0:1 -mb0s1:2 -mb0s2:3 -mx=9 -pabc123 -mhe=on

Extracting Password-Protected tar.7z Archives

Provide the password during extraction:

7zz x -so backup.tar.7z -pabc123 | tar xf -

To extract to a specific directory:

7zz x -so "Rockstar Games.tar.7z" -pabc123 | tar xvf - -C ~/Documents

The -v flag in tar xvf shows verbose output (lists files as they’re extracted), and -C changes to the specified directory before extracting.

Step 9: Benchmarking CPU Performance

7-Zip includes a built-in benchmark that tests your CPU’s compression and decompression performance using the LZMA algorithm. This isn’t for compressing real files; it’s a standardized test that measures raw processing power.

Basic Benchmark

Run a simple performance test:

7zz b

This runs compression and decompression tests, reporting:

• Rating (MIPS): Million instructions per second, normalized against an Intel Core 2 processor as a baseline
• CPU Usage: Percentage of time the CPU actively processed data (vs waiting for memory)
• Avr / Tot / R/U: Average, total, and ratio values for different test phases

The results help estimate CPU performance for compression workloads, though they’re synthetic benchmarks rather than real-world file compression.

Advanced Multi-Method Benchmark

For a comprehensive stress test:

7zz b "-mm=*" "-mmt=*"

This command tests:

-mm=* (multiple methods): Tests different compression algorithms, encryption methods, and hash functions. This shows how your CPU handles various computational tasks beyond just LZMA compression.

-mmt=* (multiple threads): Tests scaling from single-threaded to maximum available threads. This reveals how well your CPU utilizes multiple cores and identifies bottlenecks in thread scaling.

Warning: This benchmark can run for a very long time depending on your CPU and thread count. On a modern 16-core processor, expect it to take 30 minutes to several hours. It generates significant heat and maxes out CPU usage, so ensure adequate cooling.

The results are valuable for understanding:

• How different compression methods perform on your hardware
• Whether your CPU scales efficiently with more threads
• Bottlenecks in memory bandwidth or cache performance
• Optimal thread counts for compression workloads

This is particularly useful when choosing compression settings for regular backups or deciding whether investing in a faster CPU would significantly improve compression times.

About p7zip and GUI Options

Since this guide focuses on official 7-Zip, it’s worth addressing p7zip and graphical alternatives briefly.

The p7zip Situation

Many Linux distributions still package p7zip (version 16.02 from 2016) in their repositories. You can install it with:

sudo apt install p7zip-full

This provides the 7z command (note: single z, not double zz) with similar functionality to the official 7zz. However, p7zip is nearly a decade outdated and no longer receives updates. It lacks performance improvements, bug fixes, and support for newer compression features introduced since 2016.

The only reason to consider p7zip is if you need specific Linux-specific features that haven’t been implemented in the official port. For 99% of users, the official 7-Zip is the better choice.

GUI Alternatives

If you absolutely need a graphical interface, you have several options:

p7zip-desktop: A Snap package providing a GUI frontend for p7zip. It’s based on the outdated 16.02 codebase but works reliably for basic compression tasks. Install from Ubuntu Software/App Center or:

snap install p7zip-desktop

File Roller, PeaZip, Ark: These popular archive managers support 7z format if p7zip or the official 7-Zip is installed. They provide native Linux integration and work well for occasional use.

7-Zip via Wine: Run the actual Windows version of 7-Zip through Wine for the full GUI experience. This works surprisingly well and gives you the exact interface Windows users have.

Honestly though, once you’re comfortable with the command line, you’ll find it’s often faster than navigating GUI menus, especially for batch operations or scripting automated backups.

Key Takeaways

Now, let’s recap the essential information from this guide:

About installation:

• Official 7-Zip for Linux is command-line only, accessed via the 7zz command
• Current Linux version is 25.01 (August 2025), actively maintained
• p7zip is obsolete (version 16.02 from 2016) and no longer recommended
• Install the official binary to /usr/local/bin for system-wide access

About compression:

• LZMA2 is the modern standard, supporting multithreading for faster compression
• LZMA offers slightly better compression but is single-threaded
• Use -mx=5 (Normal) for everyday tasks, -mx=9 (Ultra) for archival storage
• Combine filters (BCJ2, ARM, Delta) with compression methods for optimal results

About security:

• Password protection uses AES-256 encryption (secure with strong passwords)
• Use -p alone for interactive password entry (safer than hardcoding)
• Add -mhe=on to encrypt headers and hide file names
• Never pass passwords on command line for sensitive data

About backups:

• Combine tar and 7zz to preserve all Linux file metadata
• tar cf - directory | 7zz a -si backup.tar.7z creates compressed backups with full metadata
• Extract with 7zz x -so backup.tar.7z | tar xf - to restore everything
• This method is ideal for system backups, preserving permissions and ownership

About performance:

• Use 7zz b for quick CPU benchmarks
• Use 7zz b "-mm=*" "-mmt=*" for comprehensive testing (takes time)
• Benchmarks help determine optimal compression settings for your hardware

Final Thoughts

7-Zip on Linux might lack the GUI familiarity of its Windows counterpart, but the command-line interface offers power and flexibility that GUI tools can’t match. Once you’re comfortable with the basic commands, you’ll find yourself compressing, extracting, and managing archives faster than ever.

The official Linux build brings all the compression efficiency and format support that made 7-Zip popular on Windows. Whether you’re archiving personal files, creating encrypted backups, or handling large datasets, 7-Zip’s combination of high compression ratios, strong encryption, and extensive format support makes it an essential tool for any Linux user.

For most everyday tasks, stick with LZMA2 compression at Normal or Maximum levels (-mx=5 or -mx=7). Save Ultra compression (-mx=9) for truly important archives where you need maximum space savings and don’t mind waiting. And if you’re creating backups of Linux systems, always use the tar+7z combination to preserve all file metadata properly.

Now that you understand how 7-Zip works on Linux, you’re equipped to handle any compression task the command line throws at you.

Did this guide save you time or solve a problem? I spend hours researching, testing, and writing these tutorials to make sure everything actually works and genuinely helps the Linux community. If you found it helpful, consider buying me a coffee by clicking the button below — it keeps me caffeinated and motivated to keep creating detailed guides like this. Every contribution, big or small, truly makes a difference. Thank you!