Extract text from archive files (TAR)
To convert TAR archives to another format, you need GNU tar or other Compressed software.
To convert other file formats to the "Tape Archive Format" file type, you need software like GNU tar or a similar tool.
A .TAR file is a standard Unix archive format used to bundle multiple files and directory structures into a single continuous file. Originally developed by AT&T for magnetic tape backups, it remains the standard method for packaging open-source software, raw scientific datasets, and server backups in Linux and macOS environments. Modern platforms also use the format for bulk exports; for example, Skype uses it for chat history exports, and the PyTorch framework uses it to save deep learning model checkpoints.
You can create or extract .TAR files using command-line tools like GNU tar or desktop utilities such as 7-Zip and WinRAR. However, the raw format has severe practical limitations. The biggest disadvantage is that a standard .TAR file applies absolute zero compression. It simply chains files end-to-end, resulting in massive file sizes that eat up hard drive space and are impossible to email. Furthermore, because it was designed for sequential magnetic tape, it lacks a central directory index; software must read the entire file sequentially just to list its contents.
To solve these bloat and compatibility issues, you must convert the uncompressed .TAR file into a compressed format. For broad compatibility across all operating systems and easy sharing, convert to ZIP. For maximum file size reduction, convert to 7Z. If you are returning the files to a Linux or server environment, convert to .TAR.GZ (GZIP). Drag and drop your file here on convert.guru to analyze and convert it securely right in your browser - free, online, and without installing complex archive software.
Convert.Guru analyzes your TAR file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted GZ, ZIP, TRA, LZ4, DZIP, ENC, OVPN, DECRYPT, SGML, PTH, TXT, CSV and RUN files.
If you want to convert TAR file to ZIP, MP4, CSV, TGZ, RAR, ISO, MP3, JSON, XML, YAML, YML or TOML, you can use GNU tar or similar software from the "Uncompressed Archive Bundle" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert DBF, XML, SQLITE, XLSX, SQL, TSV, ACCDB, YAML, MDB, CSV, ODS or JSON files to TAR, try GNU tar or another comparable tool in the "Uncompressed Archive Bundle" 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 TAR converter.