CHM to TAR Converter
Processing entirely on your device — large files may take a moment.
CHM is Microsoft's compiled help format: HTML topics, images and an index compressed into one legacy-but-everywhere file. Old software manuals, ebooks and documentation still ship as CHM. 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 CHM compares to TAR
| CHM | TAR | |
|---|---|---|
| Compression | LZX | None (pair with gzip/zstd) |
| Encryption | None | None |
| Bundling | HTML topics + index in one file | Unix-faithful bundling |
| Best for | Legacy software manuals | Linux packaging and source trees |
How to convert CHM to TAR
- 1
Select your files
Drag & drop your CHM 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 CHM format
CHM (Compiled HTML Help) is Microsoft's format for bundling HTML topics, images and a searchable index into one file. An entire generation of software manuals, programming references and even novels shipped as CHM — and modern Windows no longer renders it comfortably.
Extracting a CHM gives you back the raw HTML topics and images: open them in any browser, convert them onward to PDF or EPUB, or migrate the content into a modern documentation system. The help tree becomes regular files.
+ Strengths
- ✓Unlocks decades of locked-in documentation
- ✓Topics come out as clean, standalone HTML
- ✓No deprecated viewer required
! Limitations
- −Index and search metadata do not convert
- −Topic filenames are often opaque codes
- −Some CHM files use encodings that need care
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 CHM to TAR?
Converting makes sense where the strengths of TAR meet what CHM cannot give you. Preserves Unix permissions and symlinks Meanwhile Index and search metadata do not convert One pass through the converter above puts your file on the right side of that trade-off.
Frequently asked questions
Is this CHM 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 CHM 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.
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 CHM file.
Are the files inside my CHM 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.