Linux unzip Command: List and Extract ZIP Archives

unzip checks the list of files in a ZIP archive and extracts files. By checking the member names and destination before extracting, you can reduce overwriting existing files or creating unexpected paths.

What is the unzip command?

By default, it extracts to the current directory. You can specify the target directory with -d, check the list with -l, and test for archive data errors with -t. -n skips existing files, and -o overwrites without asking, so you need to be especially careful.

Basic syntax

unzip [Options] Archive.zip [-d target directory]

The installed implementation and options may vary depending on the distribution. Check the description for your system with man unzip.

Examples

Check archive file list

Check the paths and number of files before extracting.

unzip -l project.zip

Extract to an empty target directory

Extract separately to avoid mixing with other files.

mkdir -p restore
unzip project.zip -d restore/

Skip existing files

Use -n when you want to keep files with the same name.

unzip -n project.zip -d restore/

Check the paths and list before extracting

unzip -Z -1 shows only the file names inside the ZIP line by line without extracting. For unfamiliar ZIPs, check the list and paths first.

unzip -Z -1 bundle.zip

Example output:

docs/readme.txt
images/logo.png

For actual extraction, it is safer to specify a separate directory like unzip bundle.zip -d target-directory. Make sure that the names inside the archive do not conflict with unexpected paths or existing files, and do not execute files immediately after extracting files from unfamiliar sources. unzip -t helps to check the archive structure.

Main Options and Format

Precautions when using

Do not extract ZIP files from untrusted sources with administrator privileges; first, check the contents in an isolated directory. Verify the paths inside the archive, symbolic links, and disk space, and avoid automatic overwriting with -o. The archive check -t does not guarantee the safety of the file contents.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to extract a ZIP without touching existing files?

The clearest way is to specify a separate empty directory. If you need to extract to an existing directory, skip files with the same name using -n.

Official Documentation

You can check the exact behavior of options and implementation differences in the official unzip documentation.