Convert 7Z to PAX

Understanding 7z and pax file formats

7z is a popular compressed archive format developed by 7-Zip. It uses advanced compression algorithms to reduce file size and can contain multiple files and folders. pax (Portable Archive Exchange) is a standardized archive format used primarily on Unix and Linux systems. Unlike 7z, pax does not compress files by default but is valued for its portability and support for extended file attributes.

Why convert 7z to pax?

Converting from 7z to pax is useful when you need to transfer files between different operating systems, especially in Unix-based environments, or when you require a non-compressed, portable archive format that preserves file metadata.

How to convert 7z to pax

There is no direct one-step converter for 7z to pax, but you can achieve the conversion in two steps:

1. Extract the contents of the 7z archive.
2. Create a pax archive from the extracted files.

Step-by-step conversion process

1. Extract 7z archive:
   Use 7-Zip (Windows) or p7zip (Linux/macOS) to extract the 7z file.
   7-Zip: Right-click the .7z file → Extract Here
   p7zip: Run 7z x archive.7z in the terminal
2. Create pax archive:
   On Unix/Linux/macOS, use the pax command:
   pax -w -f archive.pax extracted_folder/

Best software for 7z to pax conversion

• 7-Zip (Windows): Free, open-source tool for extracting 7z files.
• p7zip (Linux/macOS): Command-line version of 7-Zip.
• pax (Linux/macOS): Native command-line tool for creating pax archives.

For Windows users, you may need to use the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) or Cygwin to access the pax command.

Summary

To convert a 7z file to a pax archive, first extract the 7z file using 7-Zip or p7zip, then create a pax archive from the extracted files using the pax command. This two-step process ensures compatibility and preserves file attributes.