Extract a tar.gz file online

What is a tar.gz file?

A .tar.gz or .tgz file is two formats in one. Tar puts many files into one stream, and gzip compresses that stream. Source code, Linux packages and server backups are often shared this way. Many download pages offer it next to a .zip.

Why extract it here?

Older versions of Windows can't open a .tar.gz with a double-click. Even where you can, you often just want to look inside or pull out one config file. This page opens the archive in your browser with a file list, sizes and a download button per file. You don't need a terminal or 7-Zip, and nothing is sent to a server.

How tar.gz extraction works

First the gzip layer is decompressed. Then the tar stream is read block by block to recover each file, including long ustar paths. Download files one at a time, or get everything back as a ZIP. If the .gz holds a single file instead of a tar archive, you get that file on its own. Its name is the archive's name without .gz.

What it supports

Standard gzip-compressed tar archives work, including nested folders. Only regular files are extracted. Symbolic links, hard links and empty folders are skipped. Unix permissions such as the executable bit are lost, because browser downloads can't carry them. This tool does not open .tar.bz2, .tar.xz or plain uncompressed .tar files.

How to extract a tar.gz on Windows, Mac and Linux

Every major desktop system can also unpack a tar.gz with built-in tools:

• Linux and macOS terminal: run tar -xzf archive.tar.gz to extract into the current folder. Run tar -tzf archive.tar.gz to list the contents first.
• Mac Finder: double-click the .tar.gz. Archive Utility extracts it into a folder next to the archive.
• Windows 10 and 11: open Command Prompt or PowerShell in the archive's folder and run the same tar -xzf archive.tar.gz command. Windows includes tar.
• Windows 11: recent updates let File Explorer open .tar.gz files. Right-click the file and choose Extract All.
• Any browser: drop the file on this page to browse and download what's inside.

Before you start

Input: TAR.GZ, TGZ, and GZ. Output: Extracted files. The settings appear before anything runs, so you can check them first. Your original file is never changed.

Archives and fonts can hold many files or complex tables. Look over the file names you get. Don't open programs you didn't expect, and keep the source until you have checked the output.

Keep the original until you have opened and checked the result. The work happens in this browser tab, so the size you can handle depends on your device's memory, your browser and the file itself.

How to extract a tar.gz file online

1. Drop a .tar.gz or .tgz file into the box above.
2. The page decompresses the archive and reads it on your device.
3. Browse the files and download what you need.
4. Or press Download all as ZIP to get everything at once.