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Snap (Ubuntu package) file format

.snap  ·  package (squashfs)  ·  introduced 2014 by Canonical

What is a Snap (Ubuntu package) file?

A .snap file is a SquashFS image containing an entire confined application bundle plus its dependencies and a meta/snap.yaml manifest. Snaps are mounted read-only at install time and run inside an AppArmor confinement. They are slow to start compared to native packages but make distribution-independent deployment possible.

Most readers reach this page after double-clicking a .snap file and finding their operating system unsure what to do with it. The good news: Snap (Ubuntu package) is a well-understood format with mature tooling on every major platform. It is supported in one click by mainstream archivers on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

How to extract a Snap (Ubuntu package) file

Opening a .snap file is straightforward on every modern operating system. The exact steps depend on which platform you are on:

On Windows

  1. Locate the .snap file in File Explorer.
  2. Right-click the file. If you have 7-Zip installed, choose 7-Zip → Extract Here. On Windows 11 the built-in extractor handles ZIP, 7z, RAR and several other formats directly through Extract All…
  3. If prompted, pick a destination folder and click Extract.
  4. The extracted files appear in a folder next to the original archive.

On macOS

  1. Find the .snap file in Finder.
  2. Install The Unarchiver from the Mac App Store, or Keka for both creating and extracting.
  3. Right-click the file → Open With → The Unarchiver (or just double-click after Unarchiver is set as the default).
  4. The extracted folder appears next to the archive.

On Linux

  1. Use your file manager: right-click the archive → Extract Here (file-roller on GNOME, Ark on KDE).
  2. On the command line, run one of: 
    7z x archive.snap    # works for almost any format
  3. The files appear in the current directory.

How to create a Snap (Ubuntu package) file

To pack files into a .snap archive, you typically need an archiver that supports writing this format. Not every tool can create every format — for example, only WinRAR can create real RAR files. The sidebar lists the software known to read and write Snap (Ubuntu package).

On the command line, the canonical create command is:

# Use 7-Zip, PeaZip, or the format's reference tool to create .snap files.

If you regularly create archives at scale, a dedicated archive automation suite can wrap this command in scheduled jobs, integrity checks, and offsite replication.

Strengths

  • Sandboxed by default
  • Atomic updates and rollbacks
  • Cross-distribution

Weaknesses and limitations

  • Slow first launch
  • Larger disk footprint than native packages
  • Centralized Snap Store

Typical use cases

  • Distribution-independent Linux apps
  • IoT firmware (Ubuntu Core)
  • Server agents

Technical details

Snap (Ubuntu package) uses the SquashFS + xz/zstd algorithm and is identified on disk by the magic byte sequence 68 73 71 73. The standard MIME type is application/vnd.snap. The format is an open specification and is free for any use.

Frequently asked questions

Is Snap (Ubuntu package) safe to open?

Archive files are containers — they are only as safe as what they contain. A .snap from a trusted source is fine; one received from a stranger can hold malicious executables, scripts, or files engineered to exploit bugs in your archiver. Always keep your archiver updated, and never run unknown executables that come out of an archive. A safe workflow is to extract into a sandbox and scan the contents before opening anything.

What is the maximum file size?

Modern implementations support archives in the multi-terabyte range. The practical limit is your filesystem (FAT32 caps at 4 GB; ext4, NTFS, APFS, and exFAT all comfortably handle multi-TB files).

Can I password-protect a Snap (Ubuntu package)?

Some archivers can wrap Snap (Ubuntu package) files in an encrypted container, but the format itself does not always include built-in encryption. Check your archiver's documentation.

How does Snap (Ubuntu package) compare to other formats?

See our format comparison pages such as ZIP vs 7z, ZIP vs RAR, and tar.gz vs tar.xz for side-by-side feature tables.

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