How to Use gzip Command in Linux: Syntax and Examples

Use the gzip command in Linux to compress files by running gzip filename. To decompress, use gunzip filename.gz or gzip -d filename.gz.

Syntax

The basic syntax of the gzip command is:

• gzip [options] filename - Compress the specified file.
• gunzip [options] filename.gz or gzip -d [options] filename.gz - Decompress the specified gzip file.

Common options include:

• -d: Decompress the file.
• -k: Keep the original file after compression or decompression.
• -v: Verbose mode, shows details of the operation.

bash

gzip [options] filename

gunzip [options] filename.gz

gzip -d [options] filename.gz

Example

This example compresses a file named example.txt and then decompresses it back.

bash

echo "This is a test file." > example.txt
gzip example.txt
ls example.txt.gz

gzip -d example.txt.gz
ls example.txt
cat example.txt

Output

example.txt.gz
example.txt
This is a test file.

Common Pitfalls

Common mistakes when using gzip include:

• Expecting gzip to compress directories directly (it only compresses files).
• Not realizing gzip deletes the original file by default after compression.
• Trying to decompress files without the .gz extension.

To avoid losing original files, use the -k option.

bash

gzip example.txt  # Compresses and deletes original file

# Better to keep original:
gzip -k example.txt  # Compresses and keeps original file

Quick Reference

Option	Description
-d	Decompress the file
-k	Keep original file after compression or decompression
-v	Verbose output showing details
-c	Write output to standard output, keep original file
-r	Recursively compress files in directories (use with caution)

Key Takeaways

Use gzip filename to compress and gunzip filename.gz or gzip -d filename.gz to decompress files.

By default, gzip deletes the original file after compression; use -k to keep it.

gzip compresses only files, not directories directly; use tar with gzip for directories.

Use -v option to see detailed output of compression or decompression.

Always check file extensions to avoid decompressing wrong files.