How to Open TAR.GZ Files
Extract .tar.gz and .tgz archives on any platform. The standard Linux archive format explained.
What Is a TAR.GZ File?
A .tar.gz (or .tgz) file is actually two things combined: 1. TAR — bundles multiple files and folders into a single file (preserving permissions and directory structure) 2. GZ (gzip) — compresses that single file to make it smaller This two-step approach comes from Unix/Linux tradition where archiving and compression were separate tools. It's the standard format for: • Linux software packages and source code • Server backups • Node.js packages (npm) • Python packages • Docker image layers
How to Extract TAR.GZ
On Mac/Linux terminal: tar -xzf archive.tar.gz On Windows: • Windows 10/11 has built-in tar support: open Command Prompt and run tar -xzf archive.tar.gz • Or use 7-Zip: right-click → 7-Zip → Extract Here (may need to extract twice — first .gz, then .tar) In browser: • tarpanda — TAR.GZ support coming soon
TAR vs ZIP
TAR.GZ preserves Unix file permissions and symbolic links, which ZIP traditionally doesn't. This is why Linux projects always distribute as .tar.gz — the file permissions are important. For general file sharing between different operating systems, ZIP is more practical.
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Open Archive ToolFrequently Asked Questions
They're the same thing. .tgz is just a shorter version of .tar.gz, required by some older systems that only support 3-character extensions.
Some tools (like older versions of 7-Zip) first decompress the .gz to get the .tar file, then extract the .tar. Modern tools and the command-line tar command do both steps at once.