LZH to TAR Converter
Processing entirely on your device — large files may take a moment.
LHA/LZH Archive and TAR Archive exist for different jobs: LZH (LHA) is the archive format of the Japanese PC-98 era and Amiga scene — still attached to old downloads and doujin material. TAR preserves the exact file tree and permissions that Linux tooling expects.
This converter runs entirely in your browser using WebAssembly — your files never leave your device, nothing is uploaded, and there are no watermarks, sign-ups or queues. Drop in several files at once to convert them as a batch.
How LZH compares to TAR
| LZH | TAR | |
|---|---|---|
| Compression | LZ (LHA variants) | None (pair with gzip/zstd) |
| Encryption | None | None |
| Bundling | Multi-file | Unix-faithful bundling |
| Best for | Retro software archives | Linux packaging and source trees |
How to convert LZH to TAR
- 1
Select your files
Drag & drop your LZH 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 LZH format
LZH (also LHA) is the archive format that ruled Japanese PCs in the 8.3-filename era and the Amiga scene elsewhere. It compresses with a simple LZ scheme, predates ZIP's dominance, and still shows up attached to retro software, doujin archives and old BBS downloads.
No modern OS opens it natively, and LHA tools are niche. Converting LZH to ZIP is the one-step rescue: same files, universal container, no retro software hunt required.
+ Strengths
- ✓The retro Japanese/Amiga archive standard
- ✓Simple, well-documented compression
! Limitations
- −No native OS support today
- −Weak compression by modern standards
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 LZH to TAR?
Converting makes sense where the strengths of TAR meet what LZH cannot give you. Preserves Unix permissions and symlinks Meanwhile No native OS support today One pass through the converter above puts your file on the right side of that trade-off.
Frequently asked questions
Is this LZH 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 LZH 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.
Is there a size limit for archive conversion?
There is no upload cap because nothing is uploaded — the practical limit is your device memory. A few hundred megabytes of unpacked content works comfortably on a modern computer.
Are the files inside my LZH 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.