I use a little mnemonic phrase... tar dash eXtract Zee Files (tar -xzf) and tar dash Compress Zee Files (tar -czf) Yes, the z does nothing when extracting. B

I use a little mnemonic phrase... tar dash eXtract Zee Files (tar -xzf) and tar dash Compress Zee Files (tar -czf) Yes, the z does nothing when extracting. But it helps me remember.