Extract TAR Files
Extract TAR archive files in your browser
Click or drop a .tar, .tar.gz, or .tgz file hereChoose a .tar, .tar.gz, or .tgz file
About Extract TAR Files
Extract TAR Files opens plain .tar archives and gzip-compressed ones (.tar.gz, .tgz) in your browser and lists every file with its folder path. It reads the ustar prefix, PAX extended headers, and GNU long-name records, so long paths and accented names come out complete. Hard links are extracted as copies of their target; symbolic links and GNU sparse files are listed as not extracted. Folders are not offered as files. For .tar.bz2, .tar.xz, .tar.zst, or a .gz holding a single file, use Extract ZIP Files instead.
How to extract a TAR or TAR.GZ file
- 1Choose a .tar, .tar.gz, or .tgz file; extraction starts at once.
- 2Wait for "Extracting…" to end, then read the list of files, with the folder path shown under each name.
- 3Click "Download" next to a file, or "Download all" to get every file in one ZIP.
Formats and limits
- Input
- TAR, TAR.GZ, TGZ (gzip compression only)
- Output
- The original files, one by one or together in extracted-files.zip
- Not extracted
- Symbolic links and GNU sparse files (listed), folders, and devices
- Size limit
- None set; the archive is read and decompressed in memory
Where your file is processed
The archive is decompressed with the DecompressionStream of your browser and read by this page; it is not uploaded, and the extracted files are made on your device. An error message, if one appears, is logged for us cleaned of names, along with the tool and browser names; the archive is never sent.
Frequently asked questions
Can it open .tar.bz2 or .tar.xz files?
No. This tool decompresses gzip only. Extract ZIP Files in File Tools opens .tar.bz2, .tar.xz, and .tar.zst, as well as RAR and 7Z archives, in your browser too.
Are long paths and accented names kept?
Yes. PAX extended headers and GNU long-name records are read and applied to the next file, so names longer than the 100 bytes of the basic header field and non-ASCII names come out complete; those records are never offered as files.
Are links extracted?
Yes for hard links: each comes out as a copy of the file it points to. No for symbolic links: they are listed under "Not extracted" with their target, like GNU sparse files.
Can it open a single .gz file?
No. A .gz that holds one compressed file rather than a TAR archive is refused with a message pointing to Extract ZIP Files, which unpacks single .gz, .bz2, .xz, and .zst files.