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TAR File Format

TAR Archive category

TAR bundles many files into one without compression — the standard container on Linux and Unix systems.

Typical use: TAR preserves the exact file tree and permissions that Linux tooling expects.

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
Compression
None (pair with gzip/zstd)
Encryption
None
Bundling
Unix-faithful bundling
Best for
Linux packaging and source trees

Convert TAR to…

11 direct directions, sorted A–Z; 🔥 marks popular targets.

TAR to 7Z Hot TAR to APK TAR to JAR TAR to TAR.BZ2 TAR to TAR.GZ Hot TAR to TAR.XZ TAR to TBZ2 TAR to TGZ TAR to TXZ TAR to WIM TAR to ZIP Hot

Convert other files to TAR…

7Z to TAR Hot APK to TAR ARJ to TAR BZ2 to TAR CAB to TAR CHM to TAR CPIO to TAR DEB to TAR DMG to TAR GZ to TAR ISO to TAR Hot JAR to TAR LZ4 to TAR LZH to TAR LZO to TAR MSI to TAR RAR to TAR Hot RPM to TAR TAR.GZ to TAR Hot TGZ to TAR UUE to TAR WIM to TAR XXE to TAR XZ to TAR Z to TAR ZIP to TAR Hot ZST to TAR

Cross-engine workflows

3DS to TAR 3G2 to TAR 3GP to TAR 3MF to TAR AAC to TAR AC3 to TAR AIF to TAR AIFF to TAR ALAC to TAR AMB to TAR AMR to TAR APE to TAR ASF to TAR AU to TAR AVI to TAR AVIF to TAR AVR to TAR BMP to TAR BVH to TAR CAF to TAR CIN to TAR CSV to TAR CUR to TAR CVS to TAR CVU to TAR DAE to TAR DCX to TAR DDS to TAR DivX to TAR DSS to TAR DTS to TAR DV to TAR E-AC3 to TAR F32 to TAR F4A to TAR F4B to TAR F4V to TAR F64 to TAR FAP to TAR FARBFELD to TAR FBX to TAR FITS to TAR FLAC to TAR FLV to TAR FSSD to TAR GeoTIFF to TAR GIF to TAR GLB to TAR glTF to TAR GRAY to TAR GRAYA to TAR GSM to TAR GSRT to TAR H.264 to TAR HCOM to TAR HDR to TAR HEIC to TAR HEIF to TAR HTK to TAR ICO to TAR IRCAM to TAR J2C to TAR J2K to TAR JFIF to TAR JP2 to TAR JPE to TAR JPEG to TAR JPG to TAR JPT to TAR JXL to TAR LWO to TAR M1V to TAR M2TS to TAR M2V to TAR M4A to TAR M4B to TAR M4R to TAR M4V to TAR MAUD to TAR MD2 to TAR MJPEG to TAR MKV to TAR MOD to TAR MOV to TAR MP2 to TAR MP3 to TAR MP4 to TAR MPEG to TAR MPEG1 to TAR MPEG2 to TAR MPEG4 to TAR MPG to TAR MTS to TAR MXF to TAR OBJ to TAR OGA to TAR OGG to TAR OGV to TAR OMA to TAR OPUS to TAR OTB to TAR PAF to TAR PALM to TAR PBM to TAR PCL to TAR PCX to TAR PDF to TAR PFM to TAR PGM to TAR PLY to TAR PNG to TAR PNG24 to TAR PNG8 to TAR PNM to TAR PPM to TAR PSB to TAR PSD to TAR PVF to TAR QCP to TAR QOI to TAR RAS to TAR RAW to TAR RM to TAR RMVB to TAR S16 to TAR S24 to TAR S32 to TAR S3M to TAR SD2 to TAR SHN to TAR SIXEL to TAR SMP to TAR SNDR to TAR SNDT to TAR SPX to TAR STL to TAR SVG to TAR SVGZ to TAR TAK to TAR TGA to TAR TIF to TAR TIFF to TAR TS to TAR TTA to TAR TXW to TAR U8 to TAR UYVY to TAR VICAR to TAR VMS to TAR VOB to TAR VOC to TAR VQF to TAR VRML to TAR W64 to TAR WAV to TAR WAVPCM to TAR WEBM to TAR WebP to TAR WMA to TAR WMV to TAR WTV to TAR WV to TAR WVE to TAR XBM to TAR XI to TAR XM to TAR XPM to TAR XV to TAR Xvid to TAR Y4M to TAR

Frequently asked questions

What is a TAR file?

TAR bundles many files into one without compression — the standard container on Linux and Unix systems.

How do I convert TAR files online?

Pick a target format from the "Convert TAR to…" list below, drop your file and hit convert. Everything runs in your browser — no install, no upload, no watermark, no limits.

Is it safe to convert TAR files here?

Yes. Every conversion is performed by your own device inside the browser — files never leave for a server, and the page keeps working even offline.

Which formats can TAR convert to?

This page lists all 11 directions across documents, images, audio, video, spreadsheets and archives — each one is its own free converter page.