Guide: Extracting compressed files (ZIP and TAR.GZ) that you uploaded to the server via FTP – without SSH and without cPanel
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This guide will be very helpful if you have uploaded a compressed file to your server via FTP – whether it’s a backup, template, or plugin – and discovered that using software like Filezilla, it’s not really a click away to extract it. In this guide, you will learn how to extract ZIP or TAR.GZ files using one simple PHP file.
In short, the situation is:
You uploaded a compressed file to the server via FTP.
You do not have access to/understanding of SSH or cPanel.
You want to easily extract the files through the browser.
Creating an extraction file
Create a file named extract.php in the same folder where you uploaded the files, and paste the following code into it
<?php
// הזינו כאן את שם הקובץ שלכם
$filename = __DIR__ . '/yourfile.zip'; // לדוגמה: 'backup.zip' או 'backup.tar.gz'
if (!file_exists($filename)) {
die('❌ הקובץ לא נמצא בתיקייה הנוכחית.');
}
$extension = pathinfo($filename, PATHINFO_EXTENSION);
// ZIP
if ($extension === 'zip') {
$zip = new ZipArchive;
if ($zip->open($filename) === TRUE) {
$zip->extractTo(__DIR__);
$zip->close();
echo '✅ הקובץ ZIP נפתח בהצלחה!';
} else {
echo '❌ שגיאה בפתיחת קובץ ZIP.';
}
}
// TAR.GZ
elseif ($extension === 'gz') {
$tarFile = str_replace('.gz', '', $filename);
// חילוץ gzip ל-tar
$gz = gzopen($filename, 'rb');
$out = fopen($tarFile, 'wb');
if (!$gz || !$out) {
die('❌ שגיאה בפתיחת קבצים.');
}
while (!gzeof($gz)) {
fwrite($out, gzread($gz, 4096));
}
fclose($out);
gzclose($gz);
// חילוץ קובץ ה-tar
try {
$phar = new PharData($tarFile);
$phar->extractTo(__DIR__, null, true);
echo '✅ הקובץ TAR.GZ נפתח בהצלחה!';
} catch (Exception $e) {
echo '❌ שגיאה בעת החילוץ: ' . $e->getMessage();
}
}
else {
echo '❌ סיומת קובץ לא נתמכת. השתמשו בקבצי ZIP או TAR.GZ בלבד.';
}
?>
Note that in line 3, enter the exact file (folder) name including the extension.
Extract the files
Access the file through the browser, for example:
https://yourdomain.com/wp-content/extract.php
You will receive a message confirming that the file was successfully extracted.
If extracting files doesn't work
- If the file does not open – make sure that the file name you entered in the code (line 3) matches the name of the file you uploaded (including the extension).
- The Phar extension needs to be enabled in PHP. On most servers this is enabled by default.
- Make sure there is no antivirus/firewall blocking direct access to the folder addresses.
securing
Delete the extract.php file. For site security, it is very important to delete the file after use.
to finish
The script does not delete the original file – you can delete it manually if it is not needed.
If you are a webmaster or freelancer working on WordPress sites, this script can save you a lot of time and hassle. Instead of requesting SSH access every time or starting to send emails to support – just extract it yourself.
Do you have any questions? Need help? Write in the comments!
Good luck!💪
