Extract text from compressed archives (DZ)
To convert DZ archives to another format, you need 7-Zip or other Compressed software.
To convert other file formats to the "Compressed Archive File" file type, you need software like 7-Zip or a similar tool.
A .dz file is primarily a compressed archive format. The most common variation is the dictzip compressed dictionary file, developed by the DICT Development Group and used by programs like StarDict to store massive text databases. A secondary variation is the Dzip compressed archive, historically used to compress video game data, specifically demos from the Quake engine. Other rare uses include Dapodik school data packages, DIgSILENT PowerFactory projects, and LG phone firmware updates.
To interact with dictionary .dz files natively, users typically rely on command-line tools like dictzip or standard gzip utilities, since the format is technically a specialized extension of GZ. For Dzip game archives, users traditionally needed the specific dzip.exe utility.
The main disadvantage of the .dz format is its obscurity. Modern operating systems like Windows and macOS cannot open .dz files natively. Users often encounter "unrecognized file" errors when trying to view the contents. Depending on specialized command-line tools just to read a text dictionary is a major barrier for average users, and Dzip game archives are now largely obsolete.
To make the contents accessible, you must extract or convert the archive. For general sharing and archiving, convert the .dz archive to a widely supported format like ZIP or 7Z. If you need to read the dictionary itself, extract the internal TXT or XML data.
Convert.Guru analyzes your DZ file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted DZD, DSL, GZ, DICT, S3E, DZIP, DIZ, APK, ZIP, EXE, XAPK, SIG and ACSM files.
If you want to convert DZ 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 "Compressed 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 DZ, try 7-Zip or another comparable tool in the "Compressed 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 DZ converter.