How to Extract or Decompress wp-content.tar.gz Using the Linux Command Line

✏️ Excerpt: Learn how to extract .tar.gz or .zip backup files like wp-content.tar.gz using simple Linux terminal commands. This tutorial is perfect for WordPress developers, sysadmins, or anyone restoring website backups. 📄 Post Content (HTML-Formatted for WordPress Editor): html Copy Edit

📦 How to Extract wp-content.tar.gz on Linux

If you’re restoring a WordPress backup or moving files between servers, you may come across archive files like wp-content.tar.gz or wp-content.zip. Here’s how to safely extract them using the command line.

1. For .tar.gz Files

Run the following command to extract a .tar.gz archive in the current directory:

tar -xzvf wp-content.tar.gz

Explanation of flags:

• x — extract
• z — uncompress gzip
• v — verbose (show progress)
• f — specify filename

To extract into a specific directory:

tar -xzvf wp-content.tar.gz -C /home/naomiso/naomisophyblog.com.ng/wp-content/

2. For .zip Files

If your archive is a .zip file, use the unzip command:

unzip wp-content.zip

To extract to a specific folder:

unzip wp-content.zip -d /home/naomiso/naomisophyblog.com.ng/wp-content/

🔧 Need to Install tar or unzip?

If these commands are missing on your server, install them with:

For Ubuntu

sudo apt install tar
sudo apt install unzip

For AlmaLinux
sudo yum install tar
sudo yum install unzip

✅ Conclusion

Now you know how to handle both .tar.gz and .zip files when working with WordPress backups on a Linux server. Always make sure you’re extracting into the correct directory and have the right permissions set for www-data or your web user.

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