What Is an LZMA File? GA S REGULAR Menu Lifewire Tech for Humans Newsletter! Search Close GO Software & Apps > File Types

What Is an LZMA File?

How to open, edit, & convert LZMA files

By Tim Fisher Tim Fisher Senior Vice President & Group General Manager, Tech & Sustainability Emporia State University Tim Fisher has more than 30 years' of professional technology experience. He's been writing about tech for more than two decades and serves as the VP and General Manager of Lifewire. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on September 11, 2021 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email File Types File Types Apps Windows MS Office Linux Google Drive Backup & Utilities Design Cryptocurrency A file with the LZMA file extension is an LZMA Compressed file. The suffix stands for Lempel-Ziv-Markov chain-Algorithm, and the files are mainly seen on Unix-based operating systems. LZMA files are similar to other compression algorithms like ZIP that compress data to save on space. However, LZMA compression is known to provide faster decompression times than other algorithms like BZIP2. LZMA2 is a container format that can hold both LZMA data and uncompressed data. There's some more information below on their differences. TLZ is short for a TAR file that's been compressed using LZMA. It uses the TAR.LZMA file extension and is usually called an LZMA Compressed Tarball.

How to Open an LZMA File

PeaZip and 7-Zip are two free programs for Windows and Linux that can decompress (extract) the contents of an LZMA file. The Unarchiver can open LZMA files on a Mac, and B1 Free Archiver is a similar LZMA file opener for Windows, Linux, macOS, and Android. To open a TAR file that's tucked away in an LZMA archive might require two steps: extracting the TAR file from the LZMA and then unpacking the data from the TAR file. Some decompression programs combine these steps into one, making the process a little easier. In a Unix terminal, you can see this two-step process in a single command execution. Data in a TAR file can be unpacked from an LZMA archive using the following command (replace file.tar.lzma with your own LZMA file):
tar --lzma -xvpf file.tar.lzma If that doesn't work, you probably don't have lzma installed. Use this command to install it if you think that's the case:
sudo apt-get install lzma If you find that a program on your computer tries to open the LZMA file but it's the wrong application, or if you'd just rather use a different one to open LZMA files, see our How to Change the Default Program for a Specific File Extension guide for making that change (in Windows).

How to Convert an LZMA File

You can convert an LZMA file to GZ, ZIP, TAR, TGZ, and some other archive formats using FileZigZag, an online and completely free file converter. Just upload the LZMA file to FileZigZag and choose which format to convert it to. Another option is to use CloudConvert, which supports saving the LZMA file to RAR.

Still Can' t Open the File

The most common reason your file isn't opening with the programs listed above is because you're not really dealing with an LZMA file, which might happen if you're misreading the file extension. For example, LZM files look an awful lot like LZMA, but only because their file extensions are similar. An LZM file is actually a Slax Module file used by the Slax operating system. ZMA and ZMAP are some other examples where the file extension is reserved for SPL Tracer and the video game Zombies Ate My Neighbors Map, respectively. If checking the file extension shows that you really have a totally different type of file, then research those letters/numbers to learn which programs are able to open or convert it.

LZMA vs LZMA2

LZMA is perfectly acceptable to use, so long as you're compressing a small archive (under 256 MB). If you're compressing something larger, or if you're compressing already compressed data, then using a program that supports LZMA2, like 7-Zip, can provide you with faster and better compression. However, you won't see an improvement using LZMA2 unless you're utilizing more than 4 CPU threads to perform the compression. Also, a lot more system memory is required for LZMA2 compression over LZMA. Some similar compression algorithms are LZ77 and LZ78, which are commonly called LZ1 and LZ2. LZMA is based off of these two algorithms. FAQ Is LZMA2 a lossless file format? Yes. LZMA is a lossless format, and LZMA2 is a considered a "container" format that includes both LZMA data and uncompressed data. What's the best way to compress files in 7-Zip? 7-Zip has its own proprietary compression format called 7z. Generally, 7z does the best job of compressing files. But, keep in mind that the person you're sending the compressed file to needs their own copy of 7-Zip to open it. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire BZ2 File (What It Is & How to Open One) BSA File (What It Is & How to Open One) XAR File (What It Is and How to Open One) 7Z File (What It Is and How to Open One) How to Open, Edit, and Convert LZH Files Z File (What It Is & How to Open One) DEB File (What It Is & How to Open One) HFS File (What It Is & How to Open One) Unzip-Online Review (A RAR and ZIP Opener) JAR File (What It Is & How to Open One) 5 Best Free File Converters for Occasionally Used Formats CSO File: What It Is and How to Open One ISZ File (What It Is and How to Open One) What Is the Definition of a Compressed File? HQX File (What It Is and How to Open One) TGZ & GZ Files (What They Are & How to Open Them) Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies