How to compress and uncompress files and folders in OS X Lion 10.7 using Terminal
September 17, 2011 
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Since OS X is based on Unix there are a of ways to compress files and folders, below are a few options using the command line interface. The default command line interface in OS X is Terminal and stored in /Applications/Utilities.
We should always compress files and folders to save on file size and ensure the contents are captured and delivered or stored as one monolithic file. A compressed file which contains files and folders is generally referred to as an archive.
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” 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.gz
DMG – OSX Only
This one is Mac OSX native only – for a GUI interface use /Applications/Utilities/Disk Utility – for command line use:
To create
$ hdiutil create -format UDZO -srcfolder folder_to_compress archive_name.dmg
To mount
$ hdiutil attach archive_name.dmg
To view
$ ls -lah /Volumes/archive_name/
To Eject
$ hdiutil eject /Volumes/archive_name/
You can also use a number of different formats for creating a .dmg
- UDZO – Compressed image (default)
- UDRO – Read only image
- UDBZ – Better compressed image
- UDRW – Read/Write image
- UDTO – DVD disk image
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