Archives & disk images · .tar
What Is a TAR File?
A .tar file is an uncompressed archive format common on Linux and macOS.
- Extension
- .tar
- Full name
- Tape Archive
- Type
- Archive
- MIME type
- application/x-tar
Free TAR Tools
These run in your browser. Your TAR files are never uploaded.
About TAR Files
TAR bundles files and folders into one file while keeping Unix details such as permissions, owners and symbolic links. It was originally made for backing up to tape drives. A plain .tar file isn't compressed; it is usually compressed afterwards with gzip, bzip2 or xz, giving .tar.gz, .tar.bz2 or .tar.xz files. Software source code and Linux packages are commonly distributed this way.
How to Open a TAR File
- Mac & Linux
- Double-click it, or run tar -xf file.tar in a terminal.
- Windows
- Windows 10 and 11 include the tar command, and Windows 11 opens TAR in File Explorer. 7-Zip works too.
TAR File Questions
Is a TAR file compressed?
No. TAR only bundles files. Compression comes from a second step, such as gzip, which makes .tar.gz.
How do I extract a TAR on Windows?
Open Command Prompt and run tar -xf file.tar, or use 7-Zip.