In this example, the user tried to extract the file titled “FILE” from filename.tar.gz. However, tar was unable to find FILE within .tar.gz, meaning that the user either misspelled the name or that the file simply doesn’t exist in filename.tar.gz. Another common cause of errors is case sensitivity, where Linux treats “FILE” and “file” as two separate entities. Thankfully, you don’t need to be a 1960s computer technician to use and extract .tar files – nor do modern .tar files even have anything to do with old computers. We have outlined step-by-step instructions for using both native tools and third-party applications to open or convert these files.
You can also use a Linux distro through the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) to quickly extract these files if desired. Since Windows doesn’t natively support .tar.gz files, extracting involves third-party tools or non-native commands. The following text outlines the process of extracting a .tar.gz file in a Windows environment. Usually, tar files are more common with Ubuntu (other Linux distros) and macOS users for data archival and backups. However, Windows 10 users may also come across these files, which is a reason to have a way to extract their contents. Like many archive and compression formats, .tar.gz is an effective way to save storage space and make it easier to send large amounts of data.
Otherwise, keep reading to learn how to unzip .tar.gz files in Linux, macOS, and Windows. Compressed files are a convenient way to store and share large amounts of data. They can significantly reduce coinbase cryptocurrency traders continue to face frozen funds for weeks file sizes, making them easier to transfer and store. An advantage of this method is that it can be used on any operating system, whether Windows or Mac, without worrying about native support.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 14 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me.
It is assumed that you are extracting a tarball created on another system. We are skipping some arguments usually necessary to preserve permissions, which on Windows 10 are not required to access the files. Once you complete the steps, you will have all the files and folders extracted to the destination path you specified after a few moments.
Therefore, it is often used with compression tools, such as gzip (tar.gz files) or bzip2 (tar.bz2 files), to reduce the overall archive size. A .tar.gz file, also known as a tarball, is a compressed archive used in UNIX and Linux systems. This format involves multiple files bundled into a single archive and compressed using gzip compression. While every tar.gz file is a .tar archive, not every .gz is a .tar file. The .gz extension represents the gzip compression format, which can be applied to almost any file format to compress data and save space. Unlike Windows’ convenient graphical user interface (GUI) for unzipping .zip files, you’ll need to use the tar utility through the command line.
- It’s often useful to list the contents of a .tar.gz file without having to unzip the entire archive.
- You also need to be in the directory containing the tar.gz file, like with most terminal commands in Linux.
- However, there are some pretty major differences when it comes to accessing data within the files and the compression efficiency.
- In this article, we’ll show you a simple and straightforward method to open these compressed files.
- In most platforms, the chances are that you already possess the right application to extract and open TGZ files.
In this guide, you will learn how to extract or unzip .tar.gz files in Linux. This error occurs if you try to decompress a file without specifying a decompression utility, specifically -z for gzip. Note that this command will throw an error unless you specify the exact filename listed in the .tar file.
If you’re using a Windows computer and need to open a TGZ file, these step-by-step instructions will help guide you through the process. In most platforms, the chances are that you already possess the right application to extract and open TGZ files. Linux, of course, can open these files natively, while most Mac and Windows computers have software like the Unarchiver or 7-Zip installed on them.
How Do I Unzip a .tar.gz File in Linux Terminal?
The size of the files is increasing day by day owing to high quality in everything related to video, audio, document, software, etc. For the same intention, users are rummaging for newer methods to save their file in a compact form. There are various compressing software available online that can shorten the size of your file.
As we’ll cover more in the next section, you can verify file names by listing contents with the tar -tf filename.tar.gz command. It is useful to note that tar doesn’t compress the files in question, only packages them. Indeed, sometimes the resulting tarball can be of greater size due to padding.
How to open a .tar.gz file in Windows?
The first is the -k option, and the other uses the -c option to output the compressed file to a different file, preserving the original. By following these steps, you should be able to easily convert and extract your TGZ files to the more widely recognized ZIP format. If you have any issues or concerns, make sure to check that you have selected the correct files and that the files are not corrupted or damaged. There are a few different approaches you can take when it comes to extracting TGZ, GZ, or TAR.GZ files on Windows 11 and Windows 10. Here, we will cover the most common methods and explain how to accomplish each one.
7-Zip makes it easy and efficient, whether you’re working with software distributions or massive data backups. By following the steps outlined above, you’ll be able to unpack any .tar.gz files that come your way. This can be achieved by using the tar command in the Command Prompt.
It also has the Windows Subsystem for Linux which lets you use Linux tools, like tar, to get the contents of tarballs quickly. Windows 11/10 has native support for tar files, which can be extracted using Command Prompt. The native Windows 10 software doesn’t support .tar.gz files. However, third-party how to convert dogecoin technical analysis tools like 7-Zip, WinRAR, or WinZip can help you extract these files. For this guide, we’ll use 7-Zip, a free and open-source file archiver with a high compression ratio. The command bundles multiple files and directories into a single file archive but doesn’t compress data on its own.
What Is the Best Method to Open TAR.GZ Files?
Some utilities can open TGZ files in one step, others in two. Extracting .tar.gz files on Windows bitcoin mining calculator 10 is not a daunting task. You don’t need extensive technical skills to get the job done.
Extract .tar.gz, .tgz, .gz tarballs using tar on Windows 10
If the command line isn’t your thing, there are plenty of user-friendly tools available to unzip tar.gz files. Like the tar utility, gzip also allows you to zip and unzip multiple files or entire directories at a time. It’s often useful to list the contents of a .tar.gz file without having to unzip the entire archive. The tar command also provides support for extracting only specific files or directories from a .tar.gz file.
If you plan to distribute and store .tar.gz files on your website, Kinsta’s managed hosting services can help make the most of your space. Since .tar.gz compresses multiple files all at once, it can take advantage of similarities between individual files to save on space. Generally speaking, a collection of files archived and compressed as a .tar.gz will be more space-efficient (i.e., smaller) than the same collection compressed as a .zip. This command will extract (-x) the file (-f) specified (in this case, filename.tar.gz) to the current directory. Note that this command also works with other common compression formats such as .tar.bz2.
