How to Extract .tar.zst Files on Ubuntu Terminal

This article outlines the steps required to decompress .tar.zst archive files within the Ubuntu operating system using the command line. It covers installing the necessary compression utility and executing the specific tar command needed to extract your files quickly and efficiently.

Install Zstandard

Before extracting the file, ensure the zstd package is installed on your system. Open your terminal and run the following command to install it via the apt package manager:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install zstd

Extract the Archive

Once the tool is installed, you can decompress the archive using the tar command with the --zstd flag. Navigate to the directory containing your file and execute:

tar --zstd -xf filename.tar.zst

Replace filename.tar.zst with the actual name of your archive. The -x flag tells tar to extract files, while -f specifies the filename. The --zstd option informs tar to use the Zstandard decompression algorithm.

Verify Extraction

After the command completes, list the directory contents to confirm the files have been extracted successfully:

ls

You should now see the decompressed files and folders ready for use.