How to Extract Files from a Z (Unix Compress) Archive on macOS
The .Z format is the original Unix compression format, created by the compress utility. While largely replaced by Gzip and newer formats, you may still encounter .Z files in legacy systems, old FTP archives, and historical software distributions.
The default way to open Z files on macOS
Tool: Terminal (built-in)
$ uncompress file.ZSteps
- Open Terminal.
- Run: uncompress file.Z (decompresses in place).
- Alternatively: gzip -d file.Z (Gzip can decompress .Z files).
Extract individual files from a Z archive
The default macOS tools extract everything — there's no way to pick individual files. MacPacker lets you browse Z archive contents, preview files, and extract only what you need — without unpacking the entire archive.
A better way: open Z files with MacPacker
MacPacker is a free, open-source macOS archive manager that supports Z and 30+ other formats. Unlike the default tools, MacPacker lets you:
- Browse archive contents like a folder
- Preview files with Quick Look without extracting
- Extract individual files via drag and drop
- Navigate nested archives (archives within archives)
- Enjoy a native SwiftUI interface that feels right at home on macOS
Get MacPacker
v0.15.1 · macOS 14+$ brew install --cask macpackerApp Store updates may lag a few days behind direct downloads due to Apple review.
Frequently asked questions
How do I open a .Z file on Mac?
Open Terminal and run: uncompress file.Z — this decompresses the file in place. You can also use: gzip -d file.Z since Gzip is backwards-compatible with Unix compress.
Related formats
Gzip is the most common compression format on Unix/macOS. Usually wraps a TAR archive to create .tar.gz files. Natively supported on macOS.
TAR.Z is a TAR archive compressed with the original Unix compress utility. Found in legacy Unix archives.
TAR (tape archive) bundles files without compression. Often combined with GZ, BZ2, or XZ for compressed archives. Natively supported via Terminal on macOS.