Archives & disk images · .bz2
What Is a BZ2 File?
A .bz2 file is a file compressed with bzip2, often a .tar.bz2 archive.
- Extension
- .bz2
- Full name
- Bzip2 compressed file
- Type
- Archive
- MIME type
- application/x-bzip2
- Developed by
- Julian Seward (1996)
Free BZ2 Tools
These run in your browser. Your BZ2 files are never uploaded.
About BZ2 Files
Bzip2 compresses a single file, usually smaller than gzip but more slowly. Like gzip, it is used with TAR to compress folders, producing .tar.bz2 or .tbz2 files. It was common for Linux software downloads and is still used for some data dumps, such as Wikipedia's. XZ has largely replaced it for new releases because it compresses even better.
How to Open a BZ2 File
- Mac & Linux
- Double-click it, or run bunzip2 file.bz2 (or tar -xjf file.tar.bz2).
- Windows
- Use 7-Zip, or tar -xjf in Command Prompt.
BZ2 File Questions
Is bzip2 better than gzip?
It usually makes smaller files but is slower. XZ beats both on size.
How do I extract a .tar.bz2?
Run tar -xjf file.tar.bz2, or open it in 7-Zip twice: once for bzip2, once for TAR.