Why doesn't a TAR file compress anything?

TAR only bundles files into a single stream while preserving Unix permissions, timestamps, and symlinks; it applies no compression at all. That's why TAR is almost always paired with a compressor, producing .tar.gz, .tar.bz2, or .tar.xz files.

Can Windows extract TAR files without extra software?

Recent Windows can: Windows 11 File Explorer extracts TAR natively, and Windows 10 includes a command-line tar since the 2018 update. On anything older, install 7-Zip or convert the TAR to ZIP for double-click extraction.

Are .tgz and .tar.gz different formats?

No, .tgz is simply an abbreviation of .tar.gz from the era of three-character DOS extensions. Both are a gzip-compressed TAR bundle, and any tool that opens one opens the other.

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TAR is Unix's standard archiving format, bundling files together while preserving permissions and ownership. While TAR itself doesn't compress, it's typically combined with gzip or bzip2 for .tar.gz or .tar.bz2 archives.

Convert to TAR – Free Online TAR Converter

About the Tape Archive (TAR) Format

Archives without compression by default. Preserves Unix file permissions and ownership. Often combined with gzip (.tar.gz) or bzip2 (.tar.bz2).

Common Use Cases for TAR

Linux software packages
Unix system backups
Source code distribution
Server administration

Pros of TAR

Unix standard
Preserves permissions
Simple format
Streaming support

Cons of TAR

No built-in compression
Large archives
Limited Windows support

How to convert files to TAR

Upload your file using the area above.
Select TAR as the target format.
Click Start and wait for the conversion to finish.
Download your converted TAR file.