PowerShell Expand-Archive
last modified February 15, 2025
In this article, we will cover the Expand-Archive cmdlet in
PowerShell. This cmdlet extracts files from compressed archive files.
Archive basics
An archive is a file containing one or more files compressed to save space.
Common archive formats include ZIP, 7ZIP, and TAR. PowerShell can work with
ZIP files natively. The Expand-Archive cmdlet extracts contents
from these archives.
Basic Expand-Archive usage
The simplest way to use Expand-Archive requires just the archive
path and destination. The cmdlet extracts all files to the specified location.
If the destination doesn't exist, it will be created automatically.
Expand-Archive -Path "C:\archives\data.zip" -DestinationPath "C:\extracted"
This command extracts all files from data.zip to C:\extracted. The destination folder will contain the archive's contents with original directory structure.
Extract to current directory
You can extract files to the current working directory by omitting the destination path. The files will be extracted to the same location as the archive. This is convenient for quick extractions in the current folder.
Expand-Archive -Path "project_files.zip"
This command extracts project_files.zip contents to the current directory.
The current location is shown by the Get-Location cmdlet.
Force overwrite existing files
By default, Expand-Archive won't overwrite existing files. Use the
-Force parameter to overwrite files in the destination. This is useful when
you need to ensure you have the latest extracted version of files.
Expand-Archive -Path "update.zip" -DestinationPath "C:\app" -Force
This command overwrites existing files when extracting update.zip to C:\app. Use caution with -Force as it permanently replaces existing files.
Extract specific files with wildcards
You can use wildcards to extract only files matching a pattern. Combine with the -Force parameter to selectively update specific files. This helps when you only need certain files from a large archive.
Expand-Archive -Path "docs.zip" -DestinationPath "C:\docs" -Force -Include "*.pdf"
This command extracts only PDF files from docs.zip to C:\docs. The -Include parameter filters which files to extract based on the pattern.
Exclude specific files during extraction
The -Exclude parameter lets you skip certain files during extraction. This is useful when you want most files but need to omit specific types or names. Multiple patterns can be separated by commas.
Expand-Archive -Path "website.zip" -DestinationPath "C:\web" -Exclude "*.tmp", "thumbs.db"
This command extracts all files except temporary files and thumbs.db. The excluded files won't be extracted or overwritten in the destination.
Verbose output for extraction
Add the -Verbose parameter to see detailed progress during extraction. This shows each file as it's extracted from the archive. Verbose output helps verify the extraction process is working correctly.
Expand-Archive -Path "backup.zip" -DestinationPath "C:\restore" -Verbose
This command shows each extracted file in the console. The verbose output includes paths and progress information during the extraction.
VERBOSE: Performing the operation "Expand-Archive" on target "C:\backup.zip". VERBOSE: Created 'C:\restore\document1.txt' VERBOSE: Created 'C:\restore\images\photo1.jpg' VERBOSE: Created 'C:\restore\data\records.csv'
Extract from network location
Expand-Archive works with network paths using UNC notation. Ensure
you have proper permissions to access both the archive and destination. Network
extractions may be slower depending on connection speed.
Expand-Archive -Path "\\server\share\archive.zip" -DestinationPath "\\nas\department\files"
This command extracts files from a network share to another network location. Both paths use UNC format for network resource access.
Source
In this article, we have covered the Expand-Archive cmdlet in PowerShell.
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