SHAR Converter

Extract text from Unix shell archives (SHAR)


Drop or upload your .SHAR file
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How to extract text from your SHAR file

  1. Click the "Select File" button above, and choose your SHAR file.
  2. You’ll see a preview, if available.
  3. Click the "Convert file to..." button to extract text information.

Convert SHAR to another file type

To convert SHAR archives to another format, you need GNU sharutils or other Compressed software.

Convert a file to SHAR

To convert other file formats to the "Unix Shell Archive Script" file type, you need software like GNU sharutils or a similar tool.


About SHAR files

A .shar file is a Shell Archive script used primarily on Unix and Linux systems to bundle files. Created using the GNU sharutils utility, it acts as a self-extracting archive. It is essentially a standard text file containing a shell script that, when executed via /bin/sh, recreates the original files and directories. The primary disadvantage of a .shar file is the massive security risk. Because extracting the archive requires executing a shell script, an attacker can embed malicious commands alongside the payload. Furthermore, it is generally uncompressed, meaning file sizes can be large, and it offers terrible cross-platform compatibility. Windows users cannot easily open a .shar file without installing environments like Cygwin or WSL. You must convert or extract .shar files to safely access their contents on modern operating systems. For broad compatibility and safe sharing, convert to ZIP. For archiving on Linux, convert to .TAR.GZ. Drop your file here to analyze and convert it securely right in your browser, without running dangerous shell commands on your local machine.

Convert.Guru analyzes your SHAR file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.

Users also converted OWL, JS and TCL files.


FAQ

If you want to convert SHAR file to ZIP, RAR, 7Z, TAR, GZ, BZ2, XZ, LZMA, CAB, ACE, ARJ or LHA, you can use GNU sharutils or similar software from the "Self-Extracting File 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 SHAR, try GNU sharutils or another comparable tool in the "Self-Extracting File Archive" category.



The SHAR Converter Story

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 SHAR converter.