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TAR Extractor

Source code, backups and data dumps often arrive as .tar.gz. Open them on any computer, including Windows machines without extra software, and take out just what you need.

Free, no sign-up. Runs in your browser: nothing is uploaded.

How to use TAR Extractor

  1. Drop the .tar, .tar.gz or .tgz file.
  2. Browse the list of files.
  3. Download single files, everything as ZIP, or save into a folder.

Features

  • TAR, TAR.GZ and TGZ, plus plain .gz files
  • GNU long names and PAX headers
  • Links and special files listed, not extracted
  • Convert the whole archive to ZIP
  • Save into a folder in Chrome and Edge

Supported formats

You can open

  • TAR
  • TGZ
  • GZ

You get

  • ZIP
  • Any file

Private by design

Your files are opened and processed by your browser on this device. They are never uploaded to openWorkstand or anyone else, so the TAR Extractor is safe for contracts, IDs, photos and work documents. After you have used it once while online, it also works without an internet connection. How local processing works

Good to know

  • BZIP2 and XZ compressed archives (.tar.bz2, .tar.xz) are not supported.
  • Links and device files are listed but not extracted.
  • Very large files are limited by your device’s memory; on a phone, split huge files into smaller parts first.

Guide

Opening .tar, .tar.gz and .tgz archives on any computer

TAR archives are standard on Linux and macOS: source code releases, server backups, data dumps and many software downloads come as .tar.gz or .tgz. Windows can open them only in recent versions, and many people have no idea what to do with a .tgz. This tool opens TAR archives, gzip-compressed or not, in the browser and lets you take out what you need or convert the whole archive to ZIP.

TAR and gzip in a nutshell

TAR, short for tape archive, stores files one after another, each with a header holding its name, size, date and permissions. It does not compress. gzip then compresses the whole bundle as one stream, which is why archives are named .tar.gz, or .tgz for short. The tool first unpacks the gzip layer, then reads the TAR headers.

Long names and modern headers

The original TAR format limits names to 100 characters. Longer paths are stored in extensions: GNU tar writes a special entry with the long name, and POSIX PAX headers carry long names, large sizes and precise dates. Both are understood, so deep folder structures from source repositories appear with their full paths.

Browsing and extracting

The list shows every file with its path, size and date, with a filter box for large archives. Download single files with the icon next to them, or tick several and download them as a ZIP. In Chrome and Edge on a computer, “Save into a folder…” writes the selection into a folder you choose, with subfolders recreated.

Archives from Unix systems can contain symbolic links, hard links, device files and pipes. A browser cannot create those on your disk, so they are listed with a short explanation, such as “Symbolic link to lib/config.yml”, and skipped. The files they point to are usually in the archive as regular files.

Plain .gz files

Not every .gz is an archive. Log files and database dumps are often gzipped on their own, like access.log.gz. When the decompressed data is not a TAR archive, the tool offers it as a single file, using the original name stored inside the gzip file when there is one.

Converting to ZIP

Keep all files selected and download them as a ZIP. Folders, names and dates are preserved, and the ZIP opens on any computer without extra software. This is handy when sharing a release or a dataset with people on Windows.

Unsupported compression

.tar.bz2, .tar.xz and .tar.zst use compression methods this tool does not unpack. They are recognized and reported with a clear message instead of an obscure error. 7-Zip on Windows, or the tar command on macOS and Linux, can open them.

Archives from servers and repositories

Source releases on GitHub, WordPress backups, database dumps from hosting panels and logs rotated by servers all commonly arrive as .tar.gz. You can check their contents before deciding what to do, pull out a single configuration file, or repackage a release as ZIP for someone who needs it.

Memory

The archive is unpacked in your browser’s memory. Archives of a few hundred megabytes work on most computers; very large backups are better handled by a desktop tool.

For ZIP archives, use the ZIP Extractor. To inspect JSON or CSV data from an archive, open it with the JSON Formatter or the CSV Data Profiler.

Checked against the current version of the TAR Extractor on .

Troubleshooting

The file does not open

Check that it is one of the supported formats above and opens in another app. Damaged files and password-protected PDFs cannot be read until they are repaired or unlocked.

It is slow or stops on a very large file

Everything runs on your device, so speed depends on its memory. Close other tabs, use a computer rather than a phone, or split the file into smaller parts first.

The download did not start

Look for your browser’s download bar or icon. Some browsers ask once before a site may download files; allow it and click the button again.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between .tar and .tar.gz?

TAR bundles many files into one without compressing them. A .tar.gz (or .tgz) is that bundle compressed with gzip, usually much smaller. This tool unpacks the gzip layer and then reads the bundle.

Can I turn a .tar.gz into a ZIP for colleagues on Windows?

Yes. Open it, keep all files selected and choose “Download … selected as ZIP”. The new ZIP has the same folders and files and opens with a double-click on Windows and macOS.

Does it open .tar.bz2 or .tar.xz files?

No. BZIP2 and XZ compression are not supported here; the tool says so instead of failing. 7-Zip or the tar command handle them.

What happens to symbolic links?

Links are shown in the list with their target but are not extracted, because a browser cannot create links on your disk.

Keep working with the result

After you download, choose “Save to Workstand” to keep the result in a folder on your computer, attach it to a project and create a follow-up task. It is saved by your browser, not uploaded.

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