Compress on Mac using Terminal

If we right click the folder and then compress. The .zip may not be able to work across platforms (e.g., open it on Windows). We can use the terminal to compress files or folders.

http://coolestguidesontheplanet.com/how-to-compress-and-uncompress-files-and-folders-in-os-x-lion-10-7-using-terminal/

ZIP – Cross Platform

First up is ZIP one of the most commonly used compression techniques used across all platforms

To compress

zip -r archive_name.zip folder_to_compress

To extract

unzip archive_name.zip

If you want to make a zip without those invisible Mac resource files such as “_MACOSX” or “._Filename” and .ds store files, use the “-X” option in the command so:

zip -r -X archive_name.zip folder_to_compress

TAR.GZ – Cross Platform

Second up is TAR, an old favourite on Unix/Linux – you add the GZ for the compression – compresses tighter than zip

To compress

tar -zcvf archive_name.tar.gz folder_to_compress

To extract

tar -zxvf archive_name.tar.gz

TAR.BZ2 – Cross Platform

A variation on TAR GZ but with better compression than both tar.gz and zip.

To compress

tar -jcvf archive_name.tar.bz2 folder_to_compress

To extract

tar -jxvf archive_name.tar.bz2

GZ

Without the tar

To extract

gunzip archivename.gz