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To open a .gma archive and see its files, use gmad, the addon extractor included with Garry’s Mod. Run gmad.exe extract -file "C:pathtoyourfile.gma" in Command Prompt; add -out "C:pathtodestination" if you want to choose where the extracted files go.
What a GMA file is—and what opening it does
A .gma file is a Garry’s Mod addon package. Facepunch describes gmad as the “Garry’s Mod Addon Creator and Extractor”; it can unpack a GMA’s contents so you can inspect the files. Extracting an archive does not by itself make its assets ready to use in another application. Some content may need additional modification, as a community guide notes for Source Filmmaker.
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If your goal is simply to use an addon in Garry’s Mod, extraction may not be necessary. The official documentation also covers creating and publishing Workshop addons.
Find the GMA file and the gmad program
Locate the archive
If the file came from a Workshop download, a community guide points to Steam’s steamapps/workshop/content/4000 directory, where an addon may be stored in a numbered folder. This is a practical pointer, not a universal path: Steam can use different library locations. Check the library where Garry’s Mod is installed and look for the relevant Workshop folder. Steam Community guide
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Locate the extractor
The Garry’s Mod Wiki documents the bundled gmad executable under the game’s bin directory. On Windows, look in <Steam location>/steamapps/common/garrysmod/bin. On Linux, use the appropriate executable in the linux32 or linux64 subdirectory. The actual Steam library path depends on your installation. Garry’s Mod Wiki: Workshop Addon Creation
Extract a GMA file with gmad
- Open Command Prompt on Windows, or a terminal on Linux, and navigate to the Garry’s Mod
bindirectory. Alternatively, use the full path to the platform’sgmadexecutable in the command. - Run the extraction command with the full path to the archive. On Windows, for example:
gmad.exe extract -file "C:pathtoyourfile.gma"Keep quotation marks around paths containing spaces. The default example extracts the contents into the source file’s parent folder.
- To save the files somewhere else, add
-outand a destination path:gmad.exe extract -file "C:pathtoyourfile.gma" -out "C:pathtodestination"Choose a destination folder you can find easily and have permission to write to.
- Open the output folder in File Explorer or your file manager to inspect the unpacked addon files.
These command forms and the default output behavior are documented in Facepunch’s gmad repository.
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Choose where the extracted files go
| Method | Command | Where files are saved |
|---|---|---|
| Default extraction | gmad.exe extract -file "C:pathtoyourfile.gma" |
The source file’s parent folder, following the official example. |
| Specified destination | gmad.exe extract -file "C:pathtoyourfile.gma" -out "C:pathtodestination" |
The folder named after -out; useful for keeping extracted files separate from Workshop downloads. |
Both options use the same official extractor. Use the default when the archive’s parent folder is convenient; specify -out when you want a separate, easier-to-manage location.
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Troubleshoot common extraction problems
Command Prompt cannot find gmad
Run the command from Garry’s Mod’s bin directory, or replace gmad.exe with the executable’s full path. On Linux, check the platform-specific linux32 or linux64 directory documented by the Wiki.
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The input file cannot be found
Confirm the full path, spelling, and .gma extension. Put quotation marks around the complete path, especially if it includes spaces. Apply the same care to the output path after -out.
The Workshop file is not in the expected folder
Check the Steam library used for the game and look under that library’s Workshop content directory. Workshop files may be under steamapps/workshop/content/4000 rather than an older Garry’s Mod addons location; the exact location depends on the installation. Steam Community guide
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The extracted title does not match the Workshop listing
Garry’s Mod uses the title embedded inside the GMA file as its file-search title, so it may differ from the Workshop item’s displayed title. Garry’s Mod Wiki: File Search Paths
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The documented instructions do not establish how every malformed, legacy, compressed, or otherwise unusual GMA behaves. Check that the file is actually a GMA and that the input path is correct. For a more specific diagnosis, the useful details are the file’s origin, its exact extension, your operating system, and the full error text.
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