Ark

KDE's graphical archive manager for browsing, creating, extracting and modifying compressed archives.

FreeOpen sourceWindowsLinux
Official websiteapps.kde.orgDocumentationdocs.kde.org

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1 more ways to get Ark

Package managers

  • Flathubflatpak install flathub org.kde.ark

About Ark

Ark is the archive manager from the KDE project. It opens, browses, extracts, creates and modifies archives in formats such as zip, 7z, rar, tar, gzip and bzip2, and it can also read CD-ROM images. You can preview files inside an archive without extracting them first.

It is packaged by most Linux distributions and on Flathub, and a Windows build is also offered. New releases follow the regular KDE Gear schedule of roughly monthly updates.

Strengths

  • Previews file contents without extracting
  • Handles zip, 7z, rar, tar and disc images
  • Frequent releases on the KDE Gear schedule
  • Integrates with the KDE Plasma desktop

Limitations

  • Fits best in a KDE Plasma desktop
  • Some formats depend on external command-line tools being installed

Details

Pricing
FreeFree and open source as part of KDE Gear.
License
GPL-2.0-or-later
Developer
KDE
Platforms
Windows, Linux
How it runs
Downloadable app
Account
Not required
Works offline
Yes
Best suited for
Linux desktop users, especially on KDE Plasma, who want a graphical archive manager
Categories
Compression
Last verified
Added
Provenance
Facts checked against the developer's own pages and store listings, 1 sources on file.

Alternatives to Ark

Compare all

Software that can replace Ark for an important use case, and what changes if you switch.

  • File Roller

    The GNOME desktop's archive manager for creating, browsing and extracting compressed archives.

    FreeOpen sourceLinux

    File Roller is GNOME's GPL archive manager, integrated with the GNOME desktop rather than KDE Plasma, with fewer advanced options and Linux only.

  • Engrampa

    The MATE desktop's graphical archive manager for creating, browsing and extracting compressed files.

    FreeOpen sourceLinux

    Engrampa is the MATE desktop's lightweight archive manager, integrating with Caja instead of Plasma, and it runs on Linux only.

  • Xarchiver

    A lightweight GTK archive manager for Linux and FreeBSD that works independently of the desktop environment.

    FreeOpen sourceLinux

    Xarchiver is a lightweight GTK archive manager that does not depend on a desktop environment, suiting Xfce or LXDE, with format support tied to installed tools.

  • PeaZip

    A cross-platform archive manager that reads over two hundred formats and has a real file manager built in.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinux

    PeaZip is a free cross-platform archive manager reading over 200 formats with a built-in file manager, not tied to KDE Plasma but with a busier interface.

  • Arqiver

    A simple Qt archive manager for Linux built on libarchive, gzip and 7z.

    FreeOpen sourceLinux

    Arqiver is a small Qt archive manager for lightweight Qt or LXQt desktops, built on bsdtar and 7z, with fewer features than Ark.

  • Deepin Archive Manager

    A lightweight Linux archive manager from the Deepin desktop for creating and extracting archives.

    FreeOpen sourceLinux

    Deepin Archive Manager offers a simple compress and extract workflow on Linux, but depends on Deepin's DTK libraries and fits best on the Deepin desktop.

  • 7-Zip

    The small, free archiver that opens practically every archive format and compresses better than ZIP.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsLinuxmacOSCommand line

    7-Zip offers a graphical app only on Windows, with console builds on Linux and macOS, but adds strong 7z compression and no KDE dependency.

Similar software

Related functionality, not necessarily a direct replacement.

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