Extract text from Unix archives (AR)
To convert AR archives to another format, you need GNU Binutils or other Compressed software.
To convert other file formats to the "Archive File" file type, you need software like GNU Binutils or a similar tool.
The .ar file extension is heavily fragmented and serves multiple purposes. Historically, it represents a Unix archiver format maintained by GNU Binutils, used for creating static software libraries (a) or Debian installation packages (deb). However, many developers use .ar as a generic label for any archive. It is frequently used to store game assets in the Angel Game Engine, or to bundle configurations for medical software like the Siemens Syngo platform.
Because the .ar format can secretly be a standard ZIP, RAR, 7Z, a Microsoft Compound file, or a completely proprietary data container, standard operating systems rarely know how to open it. Double-clicking it usually triggers a system error. The format is highly impractical for daily file sharing and requires specialized command-line tools or trial-and-error with third-party extraction software.
To make the contents accessible, you must extract or convert the archive. Convert .ar to ZIP or 7Z for universal compatibility across Windows, macOS, and Linux. For Unix deployments, convert to TAR.
Convert.Guru analyzes your AR file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted INVITATION LETTER_, PDF, 2024, RAR, IM4, HALL TICKET, NONAME, PDF, DOWNLOADING, JPG, USDZ, BIN and AVIF files.
If you want to convert AR file to M2, SBR, PDF, ZIP, RAR, 7Z, TAR, GZ, BZ2, XZ, LZMA or CAB, you can use GNU Binutils or similar software from the "Data Archive Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert XXE, 7Z, Z, PAK, LHA, DEB, UUE, TAR, LZH, ZIP, PKG or RAR files to AR, try GNU Binutils or another comparable tool in the "Data Archive Storage" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our AR converter.