How to fix "invalid compressed data--format violated" in Linux, macOS, 7-Zip
gzip: stdin: invalid compressed data--format violated
What this error means
The compressed data is damaged part-way through — often because the file was transferred in text (ASCII) mode over FTP.
Why it happens
- FTP transfer in ASCII mode
- Storage errors
How to fix it
- Transfer the file again in binary mode
- Upload it here to recover everything before the damage
About TAR.GZ archive files
A .tar.gz is a tarball (files one after another) compressed with gzip. If the compressed stream is cut or damaged, everything before the damage can still be decompressed and every complete file inside kept.