Extract text from Bzip compressed files (BZ)
To convert BZ archives to another format, you need 7-Zip or other Compressed software.
To convert other file formats to the "Bzip Compressed Archive" file type, you need software like 7-Zip or a similar tool.
The .bz file is a legacy compressed data file created using the bzip compression program. Operating on the Burrows-Wheeler block sorting algorithm, it provides high compression ratios but operates strictly on a single file. Unlike modern archive formats such as ZIP, a standard .bz file cannot hold directories or multiple files unless it is first bundled into a TAR archive.
To open or extract a .bz file, users typically rely on robust third-party archiving utilities like 7-Zip or WinRAR. While the format has roots in Unix-like systems, it presents significant usability challenges today. It is largely obsolete, having been rapidly superseded by bz2 to bypass early software patents. The format lacks native extraction support on standard Windows installations, requiring users to download external software. Additionally, threat actors occasionally disguise malicious RAR payloads by renaming them with a .bz extension to bypass basic email security filters.
Converting your .bz file is highly recommended to improve accessibility and workflow. For broad compatibility across all operating systems without requiring special software, convert to ZIP. If maximum file compression is your goal for archiving, convert to 7Z.
Convert.Guru analyzes your BZ file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted BZ2, GZ, BZZ, TBZ and BZIP files.
If you want to convert BZ file to ZIP, RAR, 7Z, TAR, GZ, BZ2, XZ, LZMA, CAB, ACE, ARJ or LHA, you can use 7-Zip or similar software from the "Single File Data Compression" 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 BZ, try 7-Zip or another comparable tool in the "Single File Data Compression" 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 BZ converter.