Convert TAR to ZIP
Convert TAR to ZIP free in your browser. No upload, no signup, no watermark. Files stay on your device.
drop a .tar file
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how to convert tar to zip
Drop your TAR file
Drag your TAR file into the drop zone above, or click the box to pick a file from your computer or phone. The browser reads the file directly — nothing uploads.
Click Convert
The page runs libarchive.js on your device to decode the Tape Archive and encode it as ZIP archive. Most conversions finish in a few seconds; large or codec-heavy files (RAW, video) can take longer.
Download the ZIP file
When the conversion finishes, the ZIP file is ready to download. Save it anywhere on your device.
FAQ
common questions
What's the difference between .tar, .tar.gz, and .tgz — and can I convert all of them to ZIP?
A plain .tar just bundles files without compression; .tar.gz (same as .tgz) adds gzip compression on top, and .tar.bz2 adds bzip2. All three convert to ZIP the same way: extract the archive, then re-zip the resulting folder — any modern archiver handles it.
How do I open a tar file on Windows?
Windows 10 (build 17063+) and Windows 11 include a built-in tar command, and File Explorer has opened .tar and .tar.gz directly since 2023. On older Windows install 7-Zip or WinRAR — both extract tar archives, and you can then right-click 'Send to → Compressed (zipped) folder' to produce the ZIP.
Will my ZIP be smaller than the .tar.gz?
Usually slightly larger. Gzip and ZIP's DEFLATE use the same underlying algorithm, but tar.gz compresses the whole archive as one stream (better ratio for many small files), while ZIP compresses each file individually. Expect the ZIP to be a few percent bigger when the archive contains many small files.
Does converting tar to ZIP lose file permissions or symlinks?
Yes, often. Tar preserves Unix mode bits, ownership, symlinks, and timestamps; standard ZIP does not store these reliably. If you're moving a Linux backup to Windows for storage that's fine, but converting back later won't restore executable bits or symlinks — for cross-platform backups, keep the original .tar.gz.
Why convert tar to ZIP at all — isn't tar more powerful?
Audience. Tar is the Unix-world default, but Windows and macOS users overwhelmingly expect ZIP. For sharing files with non-technical recipients, uploading to web platforms, or attaching to email, ZIP just works — no extra software, no 'what's a tar' question.