On the other hand, Windows users can rely on third-party file archiver tools like 7-zip or WinRAR to effortlessly extract files. Whether you prefer command-line tools or graphical file archivers, the extraction process is pretty simple. Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication.

Using third-party software

The command bundles multiple files and directories into a single file archive but doesn’t compress data on its own. Therefore, how to reset authenticator app it is often used with compression tools, such as gzip (tar.gz files) or bzip2 (tar.bz2 files), to reduce the overall archive size. Windows 11 includes native support to extract “.tar.gz” files using Command Prompt without needing third-party tools. You can even use a Linux distro through the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) to quickly extract tarballs created on another platform.

You can also use The Unarchiver, which is a free tool for managing archives, functions just like the Archive Utility, and supports .rar files as well. Once you’ve selected the right file, you’ll see “7-Zip File Manager” show up in the select app dialog. If you want 7-Zip to always handle tar.gz files in the future, you’re going to want to select the “Always” button at the bottom of the dialog. The terminal command used in Linux works here just fine if you are comfortable with terminal commands. Here you should replace the filename with the actual name of the file in question. You also need to be in the directory containing the tar.gz file, like with most terminal commands in Linux.

Before we start, make sure you have downloaded and installed the 7-Zip software. If you haven’t, you can download it from the official 7-Zip website. The author combines expert insights with user-centric guidance, rigorously researching and testing to ensure you receive trustworthy, easy-to-follow tech guides. Before you move on, I wanted to ask if you would consider supporting my work.

Open TGZ Files Using an Online Tool

1. This simplifies file management and reduces the risk of data loss during transfers.
2. Typically, these files contain multiple files and directories in one compressed package, which makes them popular for sharing and storing large amounts of data.
3. For a more detailed explanation on how the tar command works, be sure to read our guide to compressing and extracting files in the Linux Terminal.
4. In Linux, users have multiple ways to extract .tar.gz files – through the terminal and graphical file archivers.

It’s an old utility, invented mainly for accurate data transfer to devices without their own file systems. A tar file (or tarball) contains files in a sequential format, along with metadata about the directory structure and other technical parameters. Since Windows doesn’t natively support .tar.gz files, extracting involves third-party tools or non-native commands. The following text outlines the process of extracting a .tar.gz file in a Windows environment. In Linux, users have multiple ways to extract .tar.gz files – through the terminal and graphical file archivers.

How to open TAR GZ files

You first have to install a distro using the Windows Subsystem for Linux before you can extract tarballs on Linux. For those that don’t like using a terminal, you’ll be delighted to hear that macOS can open tar and tar.gz files by default with the Archive Utility. Pureinfotech is independent online publication that makes Windows and apps easy to understand with clear, concise guides, advice, and news. Once you’ve downloaded and installed 7-Zip, double-click on the tar.gz file that you’re trying to open, and then select “Choose an app on your PC” from the popup dialog that shows up.

Here we discuss the steps to use native tar commands on Windows 11/10 using Command Prompt and Ubuntu to extract contents of a .tar.gz file. A tar file, often called a tarball, is a collection of files wrapped up in one single file for easy storage. Rather than keep track of a whole folder of files, you only need to keep track of one. Tar files are often compressed after being created, giving it the .tar.gz file extension. Technically these are TGZ files, but nearly how do i buy and sell cryptocurrency everyone calls both .tar and .tar.gz files simple “tar files.”

However, Windows 10 includes native support for tar files, and you can use Command Prompt to extract these files. Or you can even use the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) that includes native support for Ubuntu, Fedora, SUSE, and many other distros. Therefore, you can also access many Linux tools, including tar, to quickly extract content from tarballs. Windows 11/10 consists of native support for tar that you can use with Command Prompt to extract these files.

6] You will see a new folder path is already included in the ‘Extract to’ text box. Extracting .tar.gz files using WinZip is also quite straightforward. Choose Extract Here to extract the file to your current location. These files can be used in incremental backup strategies – where only new or modified files are added to the archive. 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.

Install and manage Python apps easily without any programming know-how needed. On Windows 10, to use tar on Linux, you need to install the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) and a distro like Ubuntu from the Microsoft Store. Welcome to Help Desk Geek- a blog full of tech tips from trusted tech experts. We have thousands of articles and guides to help you troubleshoot any issue. Our articles have been read over 150 million times since we launched in 2008.

Alternatively, select Extract files to pick where to extract the files. You can notice in the above image that the archive files are extracted in the same working directory. It’s important to note that Microsoft is building native support for TAR, GZ, 7-Zip, RAR, and many other archival formats to File Explorer. The support is expected to arrive with the release of Windows 11 23H2.

A file with the TGZ or GZ file extension is created using the Unix-based archival application tar and further compressed using GZIP Compression. These files are made up of a collection of files placed in a TAR archive mainly for making storage and tracking easy. TAR files are often compressed once created; the compressed TAR files are called tarballs and sometimes use a “double” extension like “.TAR.GZ” but are usually shortened to “.TGZ” or “.GZ”. A .tar.gz file, also known as a tarball, is a compressed archive used in UNIX and Linux systems. This format involves multiple files bundled into a single archive and compressed using gzip compression. Gzip (denoted how to buy sell and trade cryptocurrencies by a .gz file extension) is a compressed file format used to archive data to take up smaller space.

It offers AES-256 encryption to protect sensitive data within archives. Users can utilize the 7-zip command-line interface for automated & scripted extraction tasks. Although tar files are usually more common on Linux distros (for example, Ubuntu) and macOS for backups and archival, you may also come across these files on Windows 11. You could use third-party tools like 7-Zip and PeaZip, but these are not recommended as they don’t always work to extra .tar.gz files.

And now you can use the 7-Zip File Manager to open, view, or extract files from tar.gz and other archives. If you want a specific file, you can drill down into the folder, or you can simply click the “Extract” button and choose a location to put all the files. Instead of downloading a specific application to your computer or leveraging its built-in abilities, you can extract your tar.gz archive using an online app. Many websites allow you to extract all kinds of compressed files, including ZIP and TAR files. In short, a TAR file creates one archive file out of multiple files without compressing them, while the GZ file format compresses a file without creating an archive. Combined into the tar GZ file extension, you can archive and compress multiple files into one.

You can easily extract .tar.gz files using third-party tools like 7 zip and Winrar on the Windows system. This format is common in the Unix/Linux world and is widely used to create compressed archives. But it does not compress the data, which results in a larger file size compared to compressed formats. The -C — (hyphen and capital C) option is used to change folders, and you have to specify the destination path, which starts with the /mnt/ annotation followed by the Windows path.

Gzip uses the same compression algorithm as the more commonly known zip but can only be used on a single file. In short, Gzip compresses all the individual files and tar packages them in a single archive. Tar has been supported since then on almost every platform outside of Windows. WinRAR is a popular file compression & archive utility software. It allows users to create, view, and extract files in various archive formats, including its native .RAR format as well as other common formats like .ZIP, .7z, ISO, .TAR, and more.