However, Windows 10 includes native support for tar files, and you can use Command Prompt to extract these files. Or you can even use the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) that includes native support for Ubuntu, Fedora, SUSE, and many other distros. Therefore, you can also access many Linux tools, including tar, to quickly extract content from tarballs.
The .gz extension represents the gzip compression format, which can be applied to almost any file format to compress data and save space. This quick and easy guide shows you how to unzip or extract tar files such as.tar.gz, .tgz, .gz, etc., on Windows 11 without using third-party software like 7-zip or WinRAR. The command bundles multiple files and directories into a single file archive but doesn’t compress data on its own.
While tarball files are more common in the Linux world, you might encounter them occasionally in the Windows world too. For instance, many open-source project use .tar.gz, .tgz, or .gz file compression formats. The good thing is, https://www.topbitcoinnews.org/ Windows 11 natively supports unzipping and extracting tar.gz files. WinRAR is a popular file compression & archive utility software. Windows 11/10 has native support for tar files, which can be extracted using Command Prompt.
Manual approach to open tar.gz file in Windows 10
Generally speaking, a collection of files archived and compressed as a .tar.gz will be more space-efficient (i.e., smaller) than the same collection compressed as a .zip. This command will extract (-x) the file (-f) specified (in this case, filename.tar.gz) to the current directory. Note that this command also works with other common compression formats such as .tar.bz2. Though gzip is the most common compression utility, it’s not the only one. As you might imagine, using a different compression utility on a .tar file will result in a different double extension. Some common examples include .tar.bz2 (bzip2), .tar.br (Brotli), and .tar.zst (zstd), among many others.
If you are using the correct software, try downloading the file again in case it is corrupted. If the problem persists, try using a different extraction location or checking your disk space to make sure you have enough storage. Since .tar.gz compresses multiple files all at once, it can take advantage of similarities between individual files to save on space.
Also, we skipped some options that are usually useful to preserve permissions since they are not required on Windows 11. It also integrates with the Windows Explorer context menu, which enables users to create and extract archives directly from the right-click menu. You can easily extract .tar.gz files using third-party tools like 7 zip and Winrar on the Windows system. This format is common in the Unix/Linux world and is widely used to create compressed archives. But it does not compress the data, which results in a larger file size compared to compressed formats. But they are prone to get corrupted and then cannot be recovered.
Therefore, it is often used with compression tools, such as gzip (tar.gz files) or bzip2 (tar.bz2 files), to reduce the overall archive size. This error usually occurs when a .tar has been saved as a .gz despite having never been compressed using the gzip utility. It may sound like a silly mistake, but it’s surprisingly common in situations where users directly rename files and their extensions (such as .tar and .gz) in the process.
They can significantly reduce file sizes, making them easier to transfer and store. Choose whether to unzip to one of the offered locations or define one with the Unzip to… option. Choose Extract Here to extract the file to your current location. It usually doesn’t come preinstalled in older Windows systems. However, newer versions (starting from Windows 10) have it preinstalled. This error occurs when trying to extract specific files or directories from a .tar.gz file using tar.
Generally, .tar.gz files are safe and commonly used to compress and archive files on Unix-based systems. However, as with any file, it is important to be cautious when downloading or opening .tar.gz files from unknown or suspicious sources. By following these steps, you should be able to easily convert and extract your TGZ files to the more widely recognized ZIP format. If you have any issues or concerns, make sure to check that you have selected the correct files and that the files are not corrupted or damaged. You can open most .tar.gz files using the tar command built in to Linux, macOS, and Windows 10. If you’re not comfortable with the terminal or command line, third-party tools such as 7-Zip offer a more user-friendly alternative.
How to Extract .tar.gz File in Windows
It is assumed that you are extracting a tarball created on another system. We are skipping some arguments usually necessary to preserve permissions, which on Windows 10 are not required to access the files. Extracting .tar.gz files on Windows 10 is not a daunting task. You don’t need extensive technical skills to get the job done.
- The size of the files is increasing day by day owing to high quality in everything related to video, audio, document, software, etc.
- In other words, .zip files are a collection of compressed files, while .tar files are a compressed collection of files.
- The good thing is, Windows 11 natively supports unzipping and extracting tar.gz files.
7-Zip is a very lightweight third party app that does this job very well. To open these files on a Windows 11/10 computer, you need specific software to extract or unzip them. In this article, we will explain how to properly unzip and https://www.bitcoin-mining.biz/ open TGZ, GZ, and TAR.GZ files on your Windows 11/10 computer. For a more GUI-friendly approach to extracting .tar.gz files, use 7-Zip. To access the Windows command line, search for “command prompt” or “cmd” in the search bar.
Extract .tar.gz File in Windows Using WinZip
Mauro has over 14 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology.
Is .tar.gz More Efficient Than .zip?
While extracting a .tar.gz file isn’t quite as easy as unzipping a .zip, it’s still pretty straightforward. Windows 11 includes native support to extract “.tar.gz” files using Command Prompt without needing third-party tools. You can even use a Linux distro through the Windows https://www.crypto-trading.info/ Subsystem for Linux (WSL) to quickly extract tarballs created on another platform. However, third-party tools like 7-Zip, WinRAR, or WinZip can help you extract these files. For this guide, we’ll use 7-Zip, a free and open-source file archiver with a high compression ratio.
Zip and Unzip .tar and .tar.gz in Linux with gzip
An alternative way to extract TGZ, GZ, and TAR.GZ on Windows 11/10 is by converting the file to a ZIP file using a service or app that can convert between different file types. Extracting .tar.gz files using WinZip is also quite straightforward. However, while tools like 7-Zip are free, many more “robust” solutions are only available for a price after a trial period.