Extract text from Lzip compressed archives (LZ)
To convert LZ archives to another format, you need Lzip or other Compressed software.
To convert other file formats to the "Lzip Compressed Archive" file type, you need software like Lzip or a similar tool.
An .lz file is primarily a lossless compressed data archive created by Lzip, a compression tool that utilizes the LZMA (Lempel–Ziv–Markov chain algorithm) method. Designed for high compression ratios and data integrity, Lzip is frequently used by Linux developers and archivists to compress TAR files (resulting in .TAR.LZ) for software distribution.
Despite its efficiency, the .lz format presents significant challenges for everyday users. It is not natively supported by Windows Explorer or macOS Archive Utility. This means you cannot simply double-click an .lz file to view its contents without installing third-party software like 7-Zip or relying on command-line interfaces. Furthermore, because it is a stream compressor, extracting a single file from a massive .TAR.LZ archive requires decompressing the stream up to that file's location, which is slow and CPU-intensive. Complicating matters, the .lz extension is sometimes used for renamed RAR files, proprietary Nintendo 3DS game assets (using LZ77), or NationalChip set-top box firmware updates - none of which will open in standard Lzip software.
To avoid compatibility headaches and share files easily, you should convert the format. For broad distribution and native OS support, convert to ZIP. For maximum compression with better graphical interface support, convert to 7Z. For web servers and Linux distribution, .TAR.GZ is the industry standard.
Convert.Guru analyzes your LZ file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted LZX, LZ4, TAR, PNG, BIN, TLZ, GZ and NSZ files.
If you want to convert LZ file to ZIP, RAR, 7Z, TAR, GZ, BZ2, XZ, LZMA, CAB, ACE, ARJ or LHA, you can use Lzip or similar software from the "Lossless Data Compression Archive" 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 LZ, try Lzip or another comparable tool in the "Lossless Data Compression Archive" 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 LZ converter.