I installed 7-Zip with `sudo apt install 7zip`. The package installs successfully, but it doesn't appear in the application menu, file manager right-click menu, or search results. Running `7zip` also fails, although the `7z` command works.
I also tried installing `p7zip-full` and `p7zip-rar` after following a guide that suggested this would provide a Windows-style graphical interface. However, I still can't find a 7-Zip GUI or an option to extract `.7z` files from my archive manager. Is there a separate Linux GUI package I need, or is 7-Zip on Linux intended to be command-line-only?
3 Answers
If you specifically want a Windows-like graphical application, PeaZip is a common Linux option and supports 7-Zip archives. Another possibility is running the Windows version of 7-Zip through Wine, although that’s usually unnecessary for ordinary extraction and compression.
The packages you installed are command-line tools, not a standalone graphical application. The executable is named `7z`, which is why `7zip` doesn’t work. You can use it from a terminal, or an archive manager such as File Roller or your desktop environment’s equivalent can use its support for `.7z` files if the integration package is installed.
That makes sense for the command itself, but my archive manager still doesn’t show `.7z` as an available format. I may need to install or configure the archive manager separately.
The `p7zip` packages don’t install the same GUI that Windows users associate with 7-Zip. They mainly provide the extraction and compression backend. You can confirm what a package installed with a command such as `dpkg -L p7zip-full`; it includes programs like `/usr/bin/7z` and `/usr/bin/7za`, but no graphical launcher.
Some archive managers already support `.7z`, but the option may not be enabled by default or may require the appropriate archive-manager plugin. If it’s missing, check the packages available for your desktop environment rather than looking for a package literally named ‘7-Zip GUI’.
PeaZip is a separate graphical front end, not just another name for `p7zip`. The command-line package provides the archive functionality, while PeaZip supplies its own user interface.