How to Extract Files From a TAR Archive Online

TAR archives are common on Linux and in developer tooling. Here's how to open one and pull out its contents without installing anything.

Try it now: TAR Extractor →

TAR is a common archive format on Linux systems and in developer workflows — source code releases, backups, and container-related files are often distributed as .tar. Opening one doesn't require a terminal or dedicated software.

When you'll run into a TAR file

Downloading a source code release or dataset packaged as .tar
Receiving a backup or export from a Linux-based system
Unpacking build artifacts or logs bundled together

How to extract a TAR file online, step by step

Open the TAR Extractor.
Upload the .tar file.
Browse the extracted file list, including folders.
Download the files you need.

Tips

TAR doesn't compress by default — a .tar file is often larger than a .zip with the same contents, since TAR just bundles files together without compressing them.
Look for the folder structure in the file list; TAR archives commonly preserve nested paths from the original system.
Need it in a more common format? Convert it with TAR to ZIP so it's easier to share with people on Windows or macOS.

Common questions

Is TAR the same as ZIP? No — TAR just bundles files together (often paired with separate compression like gzip), while ZIP bundles and compresses in one step.

Can I extract a .tar.gz file with this tool? This tool is built for standard .tar files; a compressed .tar.gz may need to be decompressed to .tar first.

Can I repackage the extracted files afterward? Yes — use the ZIP Creator to bundle them into a more universally supported ZIP file.

Have a TAR archive to open? Extract it for free →