In other words, .zip files are a collection of compressed files, while .tar files are a compressed collection of files. On Windows, the easiest way to handle .tar files is to install the LGPL open source 7-Zip utility. Its name implies it’s a zip utility, but it also works with tar archives, and even provides commands what does being unbiased mean for the cmd command-line interface.
How to “Unzip” or Extract a Tar.gz File on Windows
It just bundles files & directories together while preserving their file structure and metadata. This means it takes all the specified files and puts them together into one container. Then we’ll jump into the step-by-step process of unzipping on both Linux and Windows platforms. Once you’ve done this successfully, you’ll notice that the icon for tar.gz files will change to a 7-Zip icon. Tar.gz has become the standard format used for distributing Linux and open source software since it’s easy to extract on basically any platform that isn’t Windows. While there are many tools to choose from, the most popular include 7-Zip and WinZip.
Is .gz a .tar file?
- However, Windows 10 includes native support for tar files, and you can use Command Prompt to extract these files.
- Gzip compression reduces the overall file size, which makes it more efficient for distribution, backup, and storage purposes.
- Whether you prefer command-line tools or graphical file archivers, the extraction process is pretty simple.
- I use this option so that when I extract files from a tarbomb, they remain tidy and contained.
I had a lot of fun, three years ago or so, running a bunch of tests with different compression methods, and it was very enlightening to see how various files took to compression. If you have an existing tarball and want to add a new file into it, you don’t have to unarchive everything just to add a new file. Any remotely modern version of tar should auto-detect that the archive is gzipped, and add “z” for you. The author combines expert insights with user-centric guidance, rigorously researching and testing to ensure you receive trustworthy, easy-to-follow tech guides. Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication.
Just like the more familiar .zip files, .tar files compress large files into a single package, making it easier to store and send them through email, servers, and so on. As a result, it has become a common file extension for many open-source software packages and other resources. People new to the tar format usually equate it to a .zip file, but a tar archive is notably not compressed. The tar format only creates a container for files, but the files can be compressed with separate utilities.
Extract Files to the Specific Directory
You may also be interested in learning about the best WinZip alternatives to compress files. Once you choose the directory, click the Select button in the top right corner. However, while tools like 7-Zip are free, many more “robust” solutions are only available for a price after a trial period. As a result, we recommend sticking to free (but trustworthy) tools or simply using the command line. Once you’re comfortable with the basics, it’s useful to explore other features.
The Dolphin file manager offers a feature to autodetect whether the files extracted from an archive are contained in a directory or if a new directory needs to be created for them. I use this option so that when I extract files from a tarbomb, they remain tidy and contained. This error usually occurs when a .tar has been saved as a .gz despite having never been compressed using the gzip utility. It may sound like a silly mistake, but it’s surprisingly common in situations where users directly rename files and their extensions (such as .tar and .gz) in the process.
This article provides detailed guides to unzip .tar.gz files in Linux and Windows, as well as a few helpful tips and tricks. In the shell, you can add a file or directory to a tar archive as long as it is not compressed. If your archive has been compressed, you must uncompress it, but you do not need to unarchive it.
While slightly different, they are quite lightweight and offer a much simpler alternative to using the command line. To access the Windows command line, search for “command prompt” or “cmd” in the search bar. Right-click the first result and select the “Run as administrator” option. And of course this is possible with the Linux tar command, but firstly you need to check what is there inside the tarball without unpacking it. We can see that the Ukulele Songs directory contains directories called Random Songs, Ramones and Possibles.
After reading this article, you know how to extract or unzip .tar.gz file in Linux using different methods and tools. It’s easy to get confused when navigating between .tar, .tar.gz, and .gz – not to mention zipping and unzipping them. Here are a few frequently asked questions we commonly hear from users working with .tar.gz files.
Rather, they both accomplish the same task (file compression) in the same way. The following article will help you to extract (unpack) and uncompress (untar) – tar, tar.gz and tar.bz2 files from the Linux command line. Given this structure, the site admin could extract your incoming archive directly to the server’s root directory. The tar utility autodetects the existence of /var/ as well as the subdirectories store, deals, and images, and distributes the files into the proper directories. These kinds of archives are sometimes called a tarbomb, although not always with a negative connotation.
In a GUI, right-click the archive you want to extract and select “Extract.” To extract a single file, provide the path and the name of the file. The -p (parents) option causes mkdir to create any parent directories that are required, ensuring the target directory is created. As the files are extracted, they are listed in the terminal window. This is because most versions of tar allow both gnu and bsd style options (simplistically, gnu requires a hyphen, bsd doesn’t).
Some third-party tools also offer extended flexibility for converting between file types, saving more time if you want to change between compression formats. It’s often useful to list the contents of a .tar.gz file without having to unzip the entire archive. Again, the above command extracts to the current working directory by default. You can use the -C option to extract to a different directory (in this case, /home/user/files). Of course, that’s not to say .tar files are some kind of “lesser” format than .zip.
Thankfully, you don’t need to be a 1960s computer technician to use and extract .tar files – nor do modern .tar files even have anything to do with old computers. This is good and pretty comprehensive, Seth.One thing to point out is that, since .jpg and .png files are already compressed, you won’t get much compression with gzip. One file is called ukulele_songs.tar.gz , the other is called guitar_songs.tar.bz2 . This format is common in the Unix/Linux world and is widely used to create compressed archives.
You’ll probably have to install the “other” tar (whatever that may be on your system) manually. Now the file “four” is extracted to a new directory called “bar.” If “bar” already exists, then “four” is placed inside the existing directory. If you’ve received a tarball from a friend or a software project, you can extract it in either your GUI desktop or in a shell.
You can open most .tar.gz files using the tar command built in to Linux, macOS, and Windows 10. If you’re not comfortable with the terminal or command line, third-party tools such as 7-Zip offer a more user-friendly alternative. In this example, the user tried to extract the file titled “FILE” from filename.tar.gz.