Extract text from Java archives (JAR)
To convert JAR archives to another format, you need Java Runtime Environment or other Executable software.
To convert other file formats to the "Java Archive" file type, you need software like Java Runtime Environment or a similar tool.
The .JAR (Java Archive) file is a package format used to aggregate multiple Java class files, metadata, and resources (text, images) into a single file for distribution. Under the hood, it is built entirely on the standard ZIP compression format.
Developed originally by Sun Microsystems and now maintained by Oracle, the format is primarily executed using the Java Runtime Environment (JRE). You can read more about its technical specifications on the Wikipedia JAR article.
Operating .JAR files today presents several major limitations. Most modern consumer computers no longer have Java installed by default due to historical security vulnerabilities. Users often encounter errors when double-clicking them. Additionally, developers frequently build "fat JARs" that bundle hundreds of megabytes of unnecessary dependency libraries, creating bloated file sizes. The format is also impossible to execute natively on mobile devices like iOS or Android. Because the contents are compiled into CLASS byte code, you cannot simply open the file in a text editor to read the source code.
For basic inspection, convert the file to ZIP to easily extract its contents without Java installed. If you are distributing software to Windows users, convert or wrap it into an EXE file using tools like Launch4j. To recover lost source code, extract the internal CLASS files and decompile them to JAVA format. Drop your file here to view and convert it securely right in your browser.
Convert.Guru analyzes your JAR file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted ZIP, MCPACK, JAVA, MRPACK, JAD, MCADDON, EXE, APK, EPK, CLASS, RAR, PLUGIN and ZAR files.
If you want to convert JAR file to ZIP, EXE, JAVA, MCPACK, APK, PDF, MSI, APP, DMG, DEB, RPM or PKG, you can use Java Runtime Environment or similar software from the "Java Application Distribution" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert APP, SCR, IPA, COM, AAB, PS1, DMG, VBS, EXE, XAPK, MSI or CMD files to JAR, try Java Runtime Environment or another comparable tool in the "Java Application Distribution" 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 JAR converter.