ARJ to TAR Converter
Processing entirely on your device — large files may take a moment.
ARJ ruled DOS BBS archives before ZIP won — a solid-compression container whose files still surface in retro software collections. TAR preserves the exact file tree and permissions that Linux tooling expects.
Because the whole conversion happens on your device, it is instant, unlimited and genuinely private — no accounts, no watermarks, no files on anyone's server. Multiple files are converted in one go.
How to convert ARJ to TAR
- 1
Select your files
Drag & drop your ARJ files onto the area above, or click to browse. You can add multiple files at once for batch conversion.
- 2
Convert instantly
Click "Convert to TAR". The conversion runs entirely inside your browser using WebAssembly — no upload, no queue, no waiting.
- 3
Download results
Download each converted TAR file individually, or grab everything at once as a ZIP archive.
About the ARJ format
ARJ was the power-user archiver of the DOS era — solid compression (later files reference earlier ones for better ratios), multi-volume spanning and self-extracting executables, years before ZIP caught up. Software collections from the early 1990s are full of .arj volumes.
7-Zip's decoder still reads ARJ, so those collections remain extractable: unpack in the browser and repackage into ZIP for anything modern.
+ Strengths
- ✓Solid compression was ahead of its time
- ✓Multi-volume and SFX support
- ✓Still readable via 7-Zip
! Limitations
- −Abandoned format — no modern writers
- −Windows-125x filenames can mojibake
- −DOS-era paths (8.3 remnants)
About the TAR format
TAR (tape archive) is Unix's fifty-year-old answer to bundling: it concatenates files with headers into a single stream, preserving POSIX permissions, ownership and symlinks — but compressing nothing. It is the container half of the classic .tar.gz pairing and the native format of Linux source trees and backups.
Being pure bundling, TAR pairs with a compressor: gzip (the classic), bzip2, zstd. Alone, a TAR is the same size as its contents. Windows 10+ ships bsdtar, so even Windows can unpack it now — permissions aside, where NTFS has no room to be faithful.
+ Strengths
- ✓Preserves Unix permissions and symlinks
- ✓Streamable: works over pipes and tapes
- ✓The standard of Linux distribution and backup
! Limitations
- −No compression by itself
- −No built-in encryption
- −Permissions meaningless on Windows filesystems
Why convert ARJ to TAR?
Think of it as moving your file to the container that fits the job. Abandoned format — no modern writers TAR works differently: Preserves Unix permissions and symlinks If any of that sounds like your task, run the conversion — it takes seconds and nothing leaves your device.
Frequently asked questions
Is this ARJ to TAR converter really free?
Yes — completely free, with no sign-up, no watermark and no daily conversion limits. The site is supported by advertising.
Are my files uploaded to a server?
No. The conversion runs entirely inside your browser using WebAssembly, so your files never leave your device — that is what makes it instant and private.
Does it work on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android?
Yes. Anything with a modern browser works: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS. No software installation is required.
Is there a file size limit for ARJ to TAR?
The only limit is your device's memory, since nothing is uploaded. Files up to a few hundred megabytes work fine on a modern desktop browser; very large files simply take a little longer.
Are the files inside my ARJ archive modified?
No. Contents are unpacked in memory and repacked into TAR byte-for-byte — the conversion changes the container, never the files inside it.
What about folders and directory structure?
The full directory tree is preserved: folders stay folders, and deep paths arrive exactly as they were packed in the ARJ file.