TAR Extractor
Unpack TAR and TAR.GZ archives without a terminal using our TAR Extractor. Upload a .tar, .tar.gz or .tgz file and the tool decompresses it, reads USTAR, GNU and PAX headers, lists every file and folder with size and date, and returns the files as one ZIP download that opens anywhere. Unsafe paths, links and archive bombs are refused or skipped, so it suits anyone handed a tarball on a Windows computer or a phone.
Frequently asked questions
How do I extract a TAR or TAR.GZ file?
Upload the archive and click Extract TAR. The tool detects whether it is compressed, reads every entry and returns the files as a ZIP download together with a listing of the archive.
Which file types are accepted?
Plain .tar archives and GZIP-compressed archives ending in .tar.gz or .tgz are accepted. The format is detected from the file content, not from its name. BZIP2, XZ, 7z and RAR archives are not supported.
Why do I get a ZIP file as the result?
A page can offer one download per result, and ZIP opens on every system without extra software. The ZIP keeps the folder structure of the TAR archive, so unpacking it gives you the same files.
How large can the archive be?
The upload can be at most 10 MB. Once unpacked, the files can be at most 50 MB in total with at most 1,000 entries, and a compressed archive larger than 1 MB unpacked may expand at most 100 times its size.
Which TAR variants are supported?
USTAR archives with the long path prefix, GNU archives with long file names and PAX archives with extended headers are all read. Header checksums are verified, and a truncated archive is reported as damaged.
What happens to links, devices and other special entries?
Symbolic links, hard links, devices and pipes are shown in the listing but left out of the download, because they can point outside the extracted folder. The listing tells you how many were skipped.
Why was my archive refused because of a path?
Entries with absolute paths or .. segments could write files outside the folder you unpack into. Instead of rewriting such paths silently, the extractor refuses the archive and names the entry.
Are file permissions kept?
The listing shows each entry as it is in the archive, but ZIP downloads use standard permissions, so executable flags are not carried over. Set them again after unpacking if a script needs to run.
What if the archive contains the same path twice?
TAR archives can append a newer copy of a file. As tar itself does, the last copy of a path wins and is the one included in the download.
Is the uploaded archive stored?
No. The archive is unpacked in memory for this request and the result is returned to you directly. Nothing is saved on the server.