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TAR to TAR.GZ Converter

Turn TAR files into TAR.GZ in a couple of clicks. Uncompressed Unix bundle — usually paired with gzip. The standard Unix compressed bundle. Files are unpacked and repacked; their contents are unchanged.

On your deviceNever uploadedGone when you close the tabHow this works

Drop your files here

TAR files (.tar) · up to 500 MB each

or paste files from your clipboard

Ready when you are

Drop a TAR file above and FileTools360 will turn it into TAR.GZ — right here on your device, without uploading anything.

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How to use it

  1. 1

    Add your TAR files

    Drag them onto the upload area, choose them from your device, or paste them from your clipboard. You can queue several at once.

  2. 2

    Adjust the settings if you want to

    The defaults suit most people. Open Advanced to control the output settings.

  3. 3

    Convert and download

    Press Convert. Everything happens on your own device — nothing is uploaded. Download files one by one, or grab them all as a ZIP.

TAR and TAR.GZ explained

TAR bundles files without compressing them, preserving Unix permissions, ownership and symbolic links. It is almost always paired with a compressor, giving .tar.gz.

A .tar.gz is a TAR archive that has been compressed with gzip — bundling and compression handled by two separate, composable tools.

Where TAR files come from
Unix and Linux software distribution and backups.
Where TAR.GZ is used
Source code releases, Linux packages and server backups.

TAR vs TAR.GZ

The two formats solve different problems, which is why converting between them involves trade-offs rather than a straight upgrade.

TAR compared with TAR.GZ
PropertySourceTarget
CompressionNoneLossless
Introduced1979
Browser supportNative on macOS and Linux; needs a tool on Windows.Native on macOS and Linux.
TAR is stronger at
Preserves Unix permissions and symlinks. Streams well, so it works over pipes. Simple, stable specification.
TAR.GZ is stronger at
Preserves Unix permissions and symlinks. Good compression. The standard for Unix software distribution.

Why convert TAR to TAR.GZ?

People make this switch when they run into the limits of TAR: sending to Windows users. TAR.GZ is the better fit when distributing or backing up on Unix-like systems.

TAR limitations that prompt the switch
No compression by itself. No index, so extracting one file means reading the archive. Awkward on Windows without extra tools.
What you give up
Extracting one file requires decompressing the whole archive. Needs extra software on Windows.

What is preserved when converting TAR to TAR.GZ?

Both formats store the content without discarding data, so this conversion preserves it exactly. The file size may change because the two formats compress differently, but the content itself is unaffected.

About these formats

Source

Tape Archive

Uncompressed Unix bundle — usually paired with gzip.

Extensions
.tar
MIME type
application/x-tar
Best for
Unix and Linux workflows · Preserving permissions
Compatibility
Native on macOS and Linux; needs a tool on Windows.

Target

Gzip-Compressed Tape Archive

The standard Unix compressed bundle.

Extensions
.tar.gz, .tgz
MIME type
application/gzip
Best for
Source distributions · Backups · Linux packaging
Compatibility
Native on macOS and Linux.

Unpacks the source and writes a fresh gzip-compressed tarball. Contents are byte-identical; permissions and symlinks are not preserved.

Good to know

TAR to TAR.GZ Converter — questions

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FileTools360 by the numbers

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