-ai (Include archive filenames) switch
Specifies additional include archive filenames and wildcards.
Multiple include switches are supported.
Syntax
-ai[<recurse_type> ][<mark_type>][<wildcard_type>]<file_ref>
<recurse_type> ::= r[- | 0]
<mark_type> ::= m[- | 2]
<wildcard_type> ::= w[-]
<file_ref> ::= @{listfile} | !{wildcard}
See -i (Include filenames) switch description for information about
-x option parameters.
Parameters
Specifies how wildcards and file names in this switch must
be used. If this option is not given, recursion will be not used.
For more details see specification of the
-r (Recurse) switch.
<recurse_type> ::= r[- | 0]
Specifies filenames and wildcards or list file that specify processed files.
<file_ref> ::= @{listfile} | !{wildcard}
Examples
7z t -an -air!*.7z
tests *.7z archives in current directory and all it's
subdirectories.
Commands that can be used with this switch
e (Extract) ,
l (List) ,
t (Test) ,
x (Extract with full paths)
See also
Switches:
-ax (Exclude archives)
-an (Disable parsing of archive_name)
Notes from this site
Not part of the 7-Zip manual. Written by this site; examples checked with 7-Zip 26.04.
The vendor line "See -i for -x option parameters" means -ai takes the same r, m, w letters and !wildcard or @listfile forms as -i .
How do I test or extract every .7z in a folder?
Use 7z on Windows and 7zz (the official console binary) on Linux/macOS. Quote patterns on Linux/macOS so the shell does not expand * or !. In Windows cmd, single quotes are not quote characters: use the unquoted form, such as 7z x -an -ai!*.7z -o*.
7z t -an -ai!*.7z
7zz t -an -ai'!*.7z'
7zz t -an -air'!*.7z'
7zz x -an -ai'!*.7z' -o'*'
7zz x -an -ai@archives.txt -o'*'
7zz t -an -ai'!*.7z' -ai'!*.zip'
7zz l -an -ai'!*.7z'
7zz t -an -ai'!*.7z' -bso0 -bsp0 || echo FAILED
Lines 1 and 2 test every .7z in the current folder; line 3 adds r to include subfolders.
Lines 4 and 5 extract each archive into a folder named after it. -o* works with e and x only.
Line 5 reads one archive name per line from archives.txt (see list files ); names with spaces are fine, so it is the safest choice in scripts. On Linux/macOS, ls *.7z > archives.txt creates it.
Line 6 covers two formats; line 7 lists the contents of every .7z.
Line 8 is a backup check: it stays silent and prints FAILED if any archive is damaged (exit code 2 in a test). The || form works in cmd too.
What is the difference between -ai and -air?
Plain -ai searches only the current folder (or the path in the pattern, for example -ai'!sub/*.7z'). -air searches subfolders too, with the same rules as -r .
Common mistakes
Forgetting -an : 7-Zip still expects an archive name and stops with "Cannot find archive name".
Using -ai with a command that creates archives; it applies only to e, l, t and x.
Skipping the quotes on Linux/macOS, so the shell expands the pattern first.
Related pages
-an , -ax , -i , -r , t (Test)