Instead, you should be using the native tar support available on Windows 11 or a Linux distro in WSL. Unpacking .tar.gz files on Windows 10 is a simple process with the right tools. 7-Zip makes it easy and efficient, whether you’re working with software distributions or massive data backups. By following the steps outlined above, you’ll be able to unpack any .tar.gz files that come your way.

To clear things up, the .tar extension is a file format that archive multiple files into a single file without compression. The .gz (Gzip) is a compression method in which the logical size of the files is reduced to save disk space. The .tar and .gz are usually used together to archive multiple files into a single file that is also compressed significantly, thus, with the combined extension of .tar.gz. The command bundles multiple files and directories into a single file archive but doesn’t compress data on its own. Therefore, it is often used with compression tools, such as gzip (tar.gz files) or bzip2 (tar.bz2 files), to reduce the overall archive size.

Extract .tar.gz File in Windows Using WinRAR

While it’s a paid software, it offers a free trial that can be used effectively to handle TGZ, GZ, and TAR.GZ files. The extraction method is precisely the same skrill cryptocurrency risk statement for tar files that have compression, such as.tar.gz,.tar.bz2, and others. The above action opens the Command Prompt window with administrator rights. In the command window, run the below command while replacing the source and destination paths.

Whether you’re using a third-party utility or command-line options, knowing how to extract .tgz files can help you manage compressed files efficiently. By following these steps, you’ll be able to unzip TAR files on Windows with ease and have access to the data you need without any hassle. GZ files are compressed files created using the here’s how much money software developers earn in every state software development GNU Zip (gzip) compression. The GZ format reduces file size to make storage and transmission easier but does not organize multiple files or directories.

GNU zip compression reduces the size of the archive to save disk space. To extract a .tar.gz file on Windows, you will need a file compression tool that supports this format. There are many such tools available, with a friendly graphical user interface, including 7-Zip (open source) and WinRAR (free trial). official bitcoin warning issued as the currency rockets in value 2020 Windows 10 also includes a build in tar utility that can be used via the command line / terminal.

Extract .tar.gz File in Windows Using tar Command

In this example, the user tried to extract the file titled “FILE” from filename.tar.gz. However, tar was unable to find FILE within .tar.gz, meaning that the user either misspelled the name or that the file simply doesn’t exist in filename.tar.gz. Another common cause of errors is case sensitivity, where Linux treats “FILE” and “file” as two separate entities.

What are compressed files?

Yes, Tar.GZ files are archive files that are considered very safe. However, if the contents inside the archive don’t come from a trusted source, it’s a good idea to extract and scan with an antivirus before executing. A file archiver is a program used to compress and uncompress files. 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.

Understanding these formats and how to work with them will not only enhance your productivity but also ensure you can share and retrieve files without unnecessary hassle. With the methods outlined in this article, you should now feel empowered to extract and open TGZ, GZ, and TAR.GZ files on your Windows machine effortlessly. After the option, you have to specify the path of the tarball file to extract. In the command, we start the path with /mnt/c/ since this is Linux, not Windows. Once you complete the steps, the files and folders will extract to the specified destination. It also integrates with the Windows Explorer context menu, which enables users to create and extract archives directly from the right-click menu.

GZ Files

You’ll need an external program to open tar.gz files on Windows. 7-Zip is lightweight and does the job well, though it takes two steps to open tar.gz files. WinRar opens them in one step but is slightly clunkier to use. 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.

  • Usually, tar files are more common with Ubuntu (other Linux distros) and macOS users for data archival and backups.
  • As a result, we recommend sticking to free (but trustworthy) tools or simply using the command line.
  • 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.
  • Since Windows doesn’t natively support .tar.gz files, extracting involves third-party tools or non-native commands.
  • Regardless of which tool you use, the process should be straightforward and will allow you to access the contents of the .tar.gz archive on your Windows machine.

They are compressed files often used for software distribution and backup. A .tar.gz file is a tar archive compressed using gzip, hence the extension .tar.gz. Typically, these files contain multiple files and directories in one compressed package, which makes them popular for sharing and storing large amounts of data. Extracting TAR files on Windows is simple with the right tools.

  • This quick and easy guide shows you how to unzip or extract tar files such as.tar.gz, .tgz, .gz, etc., on Windows 11 without using third-party software like 7-zip or WinRAR.
  • While it’s a paid software, it offers a free trial that can be used effectively to handle TGZ, GZ, and TAR.GZ files.
  • Tar has been supported since then on almost every platform outside of Windows.
  • In the command, we start the path with /mnt/c/ since this is Linux, not Windows.
  • You’ll want to replace “tarfile” with the path to the tar.gz file that you’re trying to extract.

For this guide, we’ll use 7-Zip, a free and open-source file archiver with a high compression ratio. A file using .tar.gz format is a file that has been created using the Unix-based archival application tar and then compressed using the gzip compression. These files are often referred to as “tarballs.” While you can find them with a double extension (.tar.gz), the extension can also be shortened to .tgz or .gz. You’ll want to replace “tarfile” with the path to the tar.gz file that you’re trying to extract. 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.

User Comments :

You can use it to easily open, view and extract any .gz, tar.gz or .tar file. TAR or Tape Archive file is an archive created by a Unix-based utility tar. These files are saved in an uncompressed format and include information about the files. However, mostly we see this file with the .gz extension, which is the GNU zip compression.

You can also use –wildcards to extract all files with a certain extension or name. You may also be interested in learning about the best WinZip alternatives to compress files. That means users can download and use it for free during a trial period. Also, its trial version does not have time limitations, and users can still use it even after the trial period has expired, with occasional reminders to purchase the license.

Extract and view archive files online without installing any software. Alternatively, select Extract files to pick where to extract the files. This error occurs if you try to decompress a file without specifying a decompression utility, specifically -z for gzip. 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. 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.


Johnathon Fox
Johnathon Fox

Johnathon Fox is a professional Forex and Futures trader who also acts as a mentor and coach to thousands of aspiring traders from countries right around the world.