archivemount: Mount archives as filesystems

archivemount: Mount archives as filesystems

archivemount lets you access an archive as if it were a regular directory tree. It uses FUSE to present the archive contents at a mount point, so you can browse, copy, and read files with familiar tools.

Quick start

  • Mount an archive to a mountpoint:
archivemount /path/to/archive /path/to/mount_point
  • Unmount when you’re done:
fusermount -u /path/to/mount_point
  • Example: mount a ZIP archive and list files
archivemount ~/downloads/archive.zip ~/mnt/archive
ls -l ~/mnt/archive

Tip: FUSE must be enabled and usable by your user. If the mount fails due to permissions, you may need to run with sudo or configure /etc/fuse.conf (see Common pitfalls).

Common options (high level)

  • Allow other users to access the mounted filesystem:
-o allow_other
  • Allow mounting over an existing non-empty directory (use with caution):
-o nonempty
  • Enable read-write access if supported by the archive type:
-o use_ino
  • Help/usage: archivemount —help
archivemount --help

How it works (short)

  • archivemount relies on FUSE to expose the archive contents as files and directories.
  • It abstracts away the archive format specifics; common formats (zip, tar, 7z, etc.) are surfaced uniformly.
  • Some formats may be read-only depending on the compression or file attributes stored in the archive.

Typical pitfalls

  • Missing FUSE permissions: If your user isn’t allowed to use FUSE, the mount fails. Ensure your user is in the fuse group and /etc/fuse.conf allows your user to mount.

  • Not unmounting properly: If you just kill the terminal or process, the mount may stay behind. Always try:

fusermount -u /path/to/mount_point
  • Mounting over non-empty directories: By default, archivemount may refuse to mount over a non-empty path. Use -o nonempty with caution:
archivemount -o nonempty /path/to/archive /path/to/mount_point
  • Performance quirks: Large archives or certain compression formats can be slower to access on first browse. Consider extracting only necessary parts if you need faster access.

Troubleshooting quick checks

  • Verify the archive type is supported by archivemount in your build:
archivemount --version
  • Check kernel FUSE status and mount options if you see “Permission denied” or similar:
dmesg | tail
  • Ensure you can create a mount point and have permissions:
mkdir -p ~/mnt/archive
  • If you need read-only access and minimal setup, consider using tools like unzip or tar with direct streaming (less flexible than a mounted FS, but sometimes lighter).
  • For frequent access, a lightweight alternative is to mount with a GUI file manager that supports archives, though that typically uses its own internal extraction rather than a shared FUSE mount.

When to use archivemount

  • You want to interact with archive contents with standard shell commands (cd, ls, cp) as if they were real files.
  • You need to pass files from an archive to other programs without manually extracting.
  • You’re working with mixed archive types and prefer a single mount point abstraction.

Quick recap

  • How to mount: archivemount /path/to/archive /path/to/mount_point
  • How to unmount: fusermount -u /path/to/mount_point
  • Common options: -o allow_other, -o nonempty

For more details, see the archivemount man page and your distribution’s packaging notes.

See Also