TAR to GZ Converter

What happens when you convert TAR to GZ

• The TAR is compressed with gzip in your browser exactly as it is, so every file and folder inside it keeps its name, date and permissions. Nothing is uploaded.
• A GZ file holds one file, so the TAR goes inside it whole, and the result is saved as .tar.gz, the usual name for a gzip file that holds a TAR archive.

How to convert TAR to GZ online

1. Press "Choose TAR files" and select one or more files, or drag them onto the box. You can add files of any size your device can hold in memory.
2. There are no settings to choose: the converter keeps everything the target format can hold.
3. Press "Convert to GZ". Nothing large needs to download: your browser compresses the file itself, in a moment for most files.
4. Save each GZ with its download button. Close the tab and every trace of the files is gone from memory.

Why convert TAR to GZ?

TAR files usually come from software source code and Linux and Mac backups. People convert them to GZ because gzip is the standard compression on Linux and Mac servers, and every command line and archive program unpacks it.

In short, TAR is good at what it was made for, and GZ is the more practical choice when the file has to open, upload or print somewhere else. TAR opens natively on macOS and Linux, and with tar or 7-Zip on Windows, while GZ opens natively on macOS, Linux and Windows 11 since its 2023 update, and with 7-Zip on older Windows.

How to convert TAR to GZ on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android

On Windows

Open this page in Chrome, Edge or Firefox, drag your TAR files in from File Explorer, and press Convert. Each GZ is saved to your Downloads folder.

On a Mac

Safari, Chrome and Firefox all work. Drag the TAR files from Finder onto the drop zone and the GZ files land in Downloads.

On iPhone and iPad

Open the page in Safari and tap Choose TAR files. You can pick from Photos or from the Files app. The converted GZ appears in Files, in the Downloads folder.

On Android

Open the page in Chrome, tap Choose TAR files and pick them from Files or your gallery. The GZ is saved to the Download folder, where any file manager can find it.

Best settings for TAR to GZ

There is nothing to set: every file in the TAR is copied into the GZ as it is.

Large archives are unpacked into your browser's memory, so very big ones, several gigabytes, are better handled by a desktop program such as 7-Zip. Archives split into several parts (.part1.rar, .part2.rar) need all parts, which this tool does not join.

TAR vs GZ: the differences

About TAR and GZ files

What is a TAR file?

A TAR file bundles files without compressing them; it keeps Unix permissions and folder structure. It is usually compressed again with gzip, giving a .tar.gz or .tgz file.

What is a GZ file?

Gzip compresses a single file, not a folder. That is why folders are packed into a TAR first and then gzipped, giving .tar.gz, and why a plain .gz holds exactly one file, usually named like the .gz without its extension.

TAR to GZ not working? Common problems

• The archive will not open. It may be password protected, damaged, or one part of a multi-part archive.
• The browser tab stops on a big archive. Everything is unpacked in memory; very large archives are better handled by 7-Zip or The Unarchiver.
• Files have odd names. Archives made on some older systems store names in a local character set; the files themselves are intact.

Convert TAR to GZ from the command line

gzip, built into Mac and Linux, compresses the TAR as it is:

gzip -c input.tar > output.tar.gz

The converter on this page does the same job in your browser, without installing anything.