Nowadays, many software packages, videos, and some large files are compressed and saved by using tar.gz file format. The vast use of software and high-quality media content increases the overall file size. Hence, it becomes a new normal to store and compress data in tar.gz file format on Windows/Mac/Linux systems.
Though it is not an easy task to open tar.gz file as extracting a zip file. However, using certain commands we can unzip it in a few steps.
What is a Tar.gz file?
The tar.gz file format is made up of two distinct file packaging systems. The first extension TAR means Tape Archive. It is invented to transfer data between devices without their own file systems.
The .gz file extension means Gzip. It is a compressed file format that is used to compress large archive files.
In a nutshell, Gzip compresses all the files individually and Tar packages them into a single archive file.
How to Open tar.gz File in Windows 10/ Windows 11?
We can access tar.gz file with the help of a command prompt in Windows 10/ Windows 11.
Step 1: First press the Windows button and enter cmd in the search bar.
Step 2: Next, click the command prompt and select Run As Administrator.
Step 3: Now locate your saved Tar.gz file.
Step 4: Here enter the following command:
tar -xvzf filename.tar.gz
Step 5: In a few moments your tar.gz file is extracted at the same file path.
Note: In the given command, use your actual file name as “filename”.
How to Extract tar.gz on Mac?
If you are a Mac user, Apple MacOS have built-in features where you can locate and open your tar.gz files without installing any third-party software.
Step 1: Launch Terminal on your MacBook.
Step 2: Now type the following terminal command and hit Enter.
tar -xzf filename.tar.gz
Step 3: Here within seconds your tar gz file gets extracted.
Note: Don’t forget to replace “filename” with your original file name
How to Unzip tar.gz Linux?
In a Linux system, you can quickly extract tar.gz files with the Terminal command.
Step 1: First, open the Terminal tab on your Linux system.
Step 2: Here enter the following given command.
tar -xf filename.tar.gz
Step 3: Now press Enter and within a minute you can access your extracted tar file.
Note: Use your tar file name as “filename” in the above command.
Wrap Up
You can easily open tar.gz file with the help of the given step-by-step guides. Also, there are several third-party tools available online that you can use to unzip your tar.gz file with ease. But the above methods are more convenient without paying for any external software. Thanks for reading this How to guide. I hope you found it useful.