Commander One is a good option since it has built-in support for .gz and Gzip files (it's a file manager). Here's the guide: https://ftp-mac.com/how-to-unzip-tgz-files-on-mac/ Answer from JohnnyGrey on reddit.com
Setapp
setapp.com › how-to › open-tar-gz-file
How to unzip GZ files on Mac: My most used methods
April 2, 2026 - ... gzip -d file.gz (where file.gz is the path to your file). For simpler syntax, you can also use gunzip to replace gzip -d, so type: ... These commands will also remove the original file.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/techsupport › opening a .gz and gzip archive on mac
r/techsupport on Reddit: Opening a .gz and Gzip archive on mac
August 25, 2022 -
Hi there. Any help would be much appreciated.
I have some files that are .gz and Gzip archive and can't open them.
I've downloaded The Unarchiver and configured but that doesn't work. Error message: this file cannot be opened with
Have also tried Archive Utility.
Can anyone help or does it mean the files aren't useable? Thank you so much xo
Top answer 1 of 3
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Commander One is a good option since it has built-in support for .gz and Gzip files (it's a file manager). Here's the guide: https://ftp-mac.com/how-to-unzip-tgz-files-on-mac/
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The file command suggestion above is the right first move — .gz files should open fine with Archive Utility on a modern Mac without any extra tools. If it's erroring out, the file itself is worth checking first. Either the extension is misleading and it's actually a .tar.gz, or the download got corrupted somewhere along the way. Thread is a few years old, and Archive Utility has gotten a bit more reliable in recent macOS versions for these formats. If the file checks out and it still won't open, Commander One, as already mentioned, handles .gz natively as part of the file manager — no separate extraction app needed.
Quick syntax, need to unzip a .gz file and pipe it out to a DD OF=(Gzip extraction)? Dec 31, 2019
r/linuxquestions 6y ago
how to extract a gz file - Apple Community
This file is a gz data file. Have downloaded the file onto my iMac (download folder) This file needs to be extracted or unzipped before being uploaded to my site, what ever the correct terminology is? Can I do this within my Mac environment or do I have to download a third party application, ... More on discussions.apple.com
How to Unzip a tar.gz file in Mac? - Apple Community
Currently, I am trying to unzip the tar.gz file on Mac and have failed several times, but I am not sure of the correct procedure. And I need guidance to successfully extract the contents of the file. Any help or instructions on unzipping tar.gz files specifically for Mac would be greatly ... More on discussions.apple.com
finder - Archive Utility can't open some gzipped text files based on their contents - Ask Different
I've got this problem in macOS 13.1. Breaks on Wikipedia dump list of page titles in main namespace ... For anyone still having this issue and cannot update to a more recent OS, I was able to unzip my .gz files through in Terminal with: More on apple.stackexchange.com
Opening a .gz and Gzip archive on mac
Commander One is a good option since it has built-in support for .gz and Gzip files (it's a file manager). Here's the guide: https://ftp-mac.com/how-to-unzip-tgz-files-on-mac/ More on reddit.com
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August 25, 2022What software do I need to unzip .gz files?
You can use the built-in Archive Utility on macOS for basic extraction of .gz files. For more advanced features or support for additional formats, consider third-party apps like Archiver and BetterZip. These applications provide a more user-friendly interface and extra functionality.
setapp.com
setapp.com › how-to › open-tar-gz-file
How to unzip GZ files on Mac: My most used methods
What is a .gz file on Mac?
A .gz file, or GZIP file, is a compressed file format primarily used on UNIX systems to reduce file size. It typically compresses a single file, unlike ZIP archives, which can contain multiple files. On macOS, .gz files are often used for data compression and software distribution.
setapp.com
setapp.com › how-to › open-tar-gz-file
How to unzip GZ files on Mac: My most used methods
Does tar.gz work on Mac?
Yes, this format uses TAR to bundle multiple files into a single archive and then applies GZIP compression. You can extract .tar.gz files using Terminal commands like tar -xf file.tar.gz or through third-party tools such as Archiver and BetterZip.
setapp.com
setapp.com › how-to › open-tar-gz-file
How to unzip GZ files on Mac: My most used methods
How To CREATE / Untar / Unzip a tar.gz file on a Mac | New - YouTube
02:17
How to open or extract tar.gz files in mac terminal | compress ...
00:46
How to Extract a Gz File on MacOS - YouTube
02:57
How to Unzip Files on Mac - YouTube
07:59
Extracting .gz and .tar Files Using the Command Line - YouTube
01:36
UNIX/Linux/MacOS: How to extract data from a tar.gz file. - YouTube
TunesBro
tunesbro.com › extract-gz-file-on-mac.html
How to Extract or Unzip GZ File on macOS | TunesBro CleanGeeker
November 23, 2018 - Step 3. Now run the following command in the command line of Terminal: gunzip filename.gz · You must be in the same directory as the .gz file, or this command will not work. The above command will decompress the file and extract the contents into a folder with the same name as the .gz file.
Magma
magma.maths.usyd.edu.au › magma › faq › extract
Unpacking .tar.gz, .tar, or .zip files
gunzip -c foo.tar.gz | tar xopf - The newly extracted files will be created in the current directory. If you also wish to see a list of the files as they are extracted, instead use the command ... First, ensure that you have a shell running and cd to the same directory as the downloaded file.
GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › linux-unix › open-gz-file-windows-mac-linux
How to Open Gz File - GeeksforGeeks
July 23, 2025 - Go to Applications > Utilities > Terminal. ... This will extract the file and will leave the original GZ file in place. For mac users, the simplest method to extract .gz files can be through Archive Utility.
Wikihow
wikihow.com › computers and electronics › software › file manipulation › how to unzip a gz file on any platform: 7 easy methods
How to Extract a GZ File on Windows, Linux, Mac, & Mobile
February 19, 2026 - On Windows, the easiest way to open a GZ file is to download 7-Zip, then use it to decompress the file. On a Mac, just double-click a GZ file to extract it, or use the command gunzip filename.gz in a Terminal ...
iLogr
ilogr.com › home › how to unzip / extract a .gz file in windows / macos / linux: a step-by-step guide
Guide: How to Unzip / Extract a .gz File in Windows, macOS, Linux
August 1, 2023 - Open a Terminal: Access the Terminal by using the shortcut Ctrl + Alt + T or by searching for “Terminal” in your applications. Navigate to the Directory: Use the `cd` command to navigate to the directory where the Gz file is located. For example: ... Replace `filename.gz` with the actual name of your Gz file. Press Enter, and the file will be uncompressed. If there are multiple files within the Gz file, they will all be extracted. Unzipping Gz files is a straightforward process, whether you’re using Windows, macOS, or Linux.
Coderwall
coderwall.com › p › l8byfq › using-gzip-in-os-x
using gzip in OS X (Example)
September 14, 2020 - Another quick way of reading the content of a gzip to standard output is zcat, it's basically the same as calling gzip -cd but you can call multiple files and have them concatenated the same way as the cat command concats text files.
Apple Support
support.apple.com › guide › terminal › compress-and-uncompress-file-archives-apdc52250ee-4659-4751-9a3a-8b7988150530 › mac
Compress and uncompress file archives in Terminal on Mac - Apple Support
The usual file extension for a compressed tar archive is .tgz, although you might also see files ending with the .tar.gz extension. If the archive isn’t compressed, it usually just ends in .tar. Tip: It’s easier to compress or uncompress files directly in the Finder (it’s recommended that you use the tar command in Terminal only if you specifically need to create a tar archive). See Zip and unzip files and folders. ... Go to the Terminal app on your Mac.
SS64
ss64.com › mac › gzip.html
GZIP Command: Compress or decompress files in macOS
Find out what type of data is in a gzip, bzip2, or xz format file, pipe its decompressed output into 'file': ... Local man page: gzip - Command line help page on your local machine. compress(1), compact(1), gzexe(1), pack(1), znew(1), zcmp(1), zmore(1), zforce(1) unzip - List, test and extract compressed files in a ZIP archive.
UUByte
uubyte.com › home › how to unzip files on mac terminal?
How to Unzip Files on Mac Terminal?
April 2, 2024 - Step 1: Download FossZip app on your Mac and drag the app icon into the Application folder. Step 2: Right click the .zip and choose Open with -> TunesBro Fosszip. Step 3: Select a location to save the unzipped files.
MakeUseOf
makeuseof.com › home › technology explained › what is a gz file and how do you unzip it?
What Is a GZ File and How Do You Unzip It?
May 23, 2023 - Another way to open a GZ archive in macOS is to use free apps. There are popular options, like The Unarchiver or Keka (paid on the macOS App Store but free on the developer's site). Both apps support several other formats as well, including ZIP and RAR. Using the Terminal, you can extract all the files inside your GZ archive using a single command.
MasteringCode
tuxbalaji.wordpress.com › 2024 › 02 › 22 › how-to-extract-a-gzip-file-or-ungzip-in-mac-os-via-terminal
How to extract a gzip file or ungzip in Mac OS via terminal – MasteringCode
February 22, 2024 - The | (pipe) symbol is used to pass on the result from one command to another command, then gzip is used to compress, and > (greater than) symbol denotes writing into your-dir-name.tar.gz, the target/output file name with .gz extension. That’s it. Thanks for reading! Feedback is always welcome. Happy times !!! ... command, commandline, cyber-security, extract, gzip, Linux, Mac OS, programming, technology, terminal, Ubuntu, ungzip
Apple Community
discussions.apple.com › thread › 7338410
how to extract a gz file - Apple Community
November 15, 2015 - If your comfortable using Terminal you could use the gunzip command. For more info read the man page for it. Otherwise you could download "The Unarchiver" from the Mac App Store. It's free, but it can only decompress files. Once installed you'll only have to double-click the *.gz file.
Apple Community
discussions.apple.com › thread › 255161810
How to Unzip a tar.gz file in Mac? - Apple Community
September 27, 2023 - It might be the file itself that is corrupt. So create a new user, or try a different Mac. ... My problem is still, unzipping the tar.gz file on Mac failed.
MiniTool
minitool.com › home › knowledge base › what is the gz file and how to open it on different platforms?
What Is the GZ file and How to Open It on Different Platforms? - MiniTool
July 12, 2024 - Step 1: Open Terminal on your Mac. Step 2: Enter the following command, replace source.gz with the path to your GZ file, and press Enter. ... Step 3: The Terminal will start extracting files from your specified GZ archive.
Top answer 1 of 3
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For anyone still having this issue and cannot update to a more recent OS, I was able to unzip my .gz files through in Terminal with:
gunzip '/path/to/file.gz'
I'm running macOS 10.15.7.
Source
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Someone in another forum sleuthed this out. If you run Archive Utility in the terminal, it shows a more complete error message:
Error unarchiving Error Domain=NSPOSIXErrorDomain Code=79 "Inappropriate file type or format" (Missing type keyword in mtree specification)
Turns out Archive Utility on Catalina is misdetecting text files as mtree files, which is a documented way to misconfigure libarchive (bug 1; bug 2).
This means, in addition to Archive Utility on 10.15.4 failing to decompress some simple text files like "hello", it will also do surprising things with text files that match the mtree format. For example, decompressing "hello type=dir" will create a directory that can only be deleted with sudo:
% echo "hello type=dir" | gzip > hello.txt.gz; open hello.txt.gz
% ls -l
total 8
d--------- 2 jcushman staff 64 Apr 20 09:36 hello
-rw-r--r--@ 1 jcushman staff 35 Apr 20 09:36 hello.txt.gz
GitHub
gist.github.com › 9329215
Unzip tar.gz on mac from terminal · GitHub
Unzip tar.gz on mac from terminal. GitHub Gist: instantly share code, notes, and snippets.