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It contains multiple files that have been packaged together for easier storage and sharing. Notably, unlike .ZIP files and many other types of archives, TAR files are not compressed.","url":"https://fileinfo.com/extension/tar","keywords":"tar, file, extension, format, Tape Archive, data, open, information","dateCreated":"2006","datePublished":"2006","dateModified":"2023-06-15","copyrightHolder":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Sharpened Productions"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"FileInfo.com","url":"https://fileinfo.com/","logo":"https://fileinfo.com/img/main/fileinfo_com.png"},"locationCreated":{"@type":"Place","name":"United States"},"inLanguage":"en-US","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://fileinfo.com/extension/tar"},"image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://fileinfo.com/img/icons/files/256/tar-105.png","width":256,"height":256,"caption":"TAR file icon"},{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://fileinfo.com/img/ss/md/tar_105.png","width":760,"height":439,"caption":"TAR file open in 7-Zip"}],"about":{"@type":"FAQPage","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"How do I open a .tar file?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"You can open a TAR file, and extract the files it contains, with several common archive utilities, including:"}}]}} </script> </head> <body class="ext"> <div id="full"> <header id="siteheader"> <div class="content"> <a href="#main" class="visuallyhidden">Skip to main content</a> <a href="/" class="logo"><img src="/svg/logo.svg" alt="FileInfo.com" width="174" height="34"></a> <div class="siteheader-middle"> <div class="searchwrapper collapsed"> <form id="search" class="search" action="/search" method="post"> <div class='autocomplete' role='combobox' aria-expanded='false' aria-owns='autocomplete-results'> <input type="text" id="term" name="term" placeholder="Search (e.g. tar, svg, eps, obj, dxf)" aria-label="Search (e.g. psd, docx, exe, jpg, zip)" autocomplete="off" class='autocomplete-input term' aria-autocomplete='both' 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class="visuallyhidden">Page Contents Menu</span> <svg height="18" viewBox="0 0 32 32" width="18" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path clip-rule="evenodd" d="m4.93934 10.9393c.58579-.5857 1.53553-.5857 2.12132 0l8.93934 8.9394 8.9393-8.9394c.5858-.5857 1.5356-.5857 2.1214 0 .5857.5858.5857 1.5356 0 2.1214l-10 10c-.5858.5857-1.5356.5857-2.1214 0l-9.99996-10c-.58579-.5858-.58579-1.5356 0-2.1214z" fill="rgb(0,0,0)" fill-rule="evenodd"/></svg></button> </div> <ol><li class="ftypenav open"><a href="#tape_archive_overview" class="ftype active">Tape Archive</a><ul class="subnav"><li><a href="#tape_archive_moreinfo">More Information</a></li><li><a href="#tape_archive_open">How to Open</a></li><li><a href="#tape_archive_apps">Program List</a></li></ul></ol></nav> <article> <div class="extTop"><header class="extHeader card"><h1><span class="fext">.TAR</span> File Extension</h1></header> <section id="tape_archive" class="filetype card hasfooter" data-termid="105"> <div id="tape_archive_overview"> <div class="entryHeader"> <div class="entryIcon" data-bg="https://fileinfo.com/img/icons/files/128/tar-105.png" data-bg-lg="https://fileinfo.com/img/icons/files/256/tar-105.png" title="Corel WinZip Mac 8 Icon"></div> <h2 class="title">Tape Archive</h2> <table class="headerInfo"> <tr> <td>Developer</td> <td>AT&T Labs</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Popularity</td> <td> <div class="popularity"> <span class="rtg three-half"></span><span class="stats"><span class="voteavg">3.7</span>  |  <span class="votetotal">134</span> <span class="votes">Votes</span></span></div></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="quickapp_label" data-label="Open with"> </td> <td class="quickapp_link"></td> </tr> </table> </div> <h3 id="tape_archive_info" class="heading">What is a TAR file?</h3> <div class="infoBox"> <p>A TAR file is an <a href="https://techterms.com/definition/archive" target="techterms">archive</a> saved in the Tape Archive format. It contains multiple files that have been packaged together for easier storage and sharing. Notably, unlike <a href="/extension/zip">.ZIP</a> files and many other types of archives, TAR files are not <a href="https://techterms.com/definition/compression" target="techterms">compressed</a>.</p> </div> </div> <section id="tape_archive_moreinfo"><h3 class="heading">More Information</h3> <div class="infoBox hasimg"> <div class="baguetteBox"> <figure> <a href="https://fileinfo.com/img/ss/xl/tar_105.png"><img src="https://fileinfo.com/img/ss/sm/tar_105.png" alt="Screenshot of a .tar file in 7-Zip" title="TAR File Screenshot" width="380" height="253" srcset="https://fileinfo.com/img/ss/md/tar_105.png 760w, https://fileinfo.com/img/ss/sm/tar_105.png 380w" sizes="(max-width: 370px) 95vw, 380px"></a> <figcaption class="caption">TAR file open in 7-Zip</figcaption> </figure> </div> <p>AT&T Bell Laboratories developed the tar archiving utility and TAR archive format in 1979. Originally, tar was used to write data to tape drives, which are data storage devices that read and write data on magnetic tape. Thus, the archives tar created were referred to as Tape Archives.</p> <p>These days, <a href="https://techterms.com/definition/linux" target="techterms">Linux</a> and other <a href="https://techterms.com/definition/unix" target="techterms">Unix-like</a> users are the primary source of TAR files. For example, Linux users often distribute software packages as TAR files, to make those programs easier to download and install. Many of these users refer to TAR files as tarballs, a nickname that references real-life tar balls' sticky, object-gathering nature.</p> <p>While TAR files themselves are not compressed, users often compress them using tar or other compression utilities. This reduces a TAR file's file size, making it even easier to store and share. Primarily, users compress TAR files using Gzip compression, turning them into <a href="/extension/tgz">.TGZ</a> or <a href="/extension/tar.gz">.TAR.GZ</a> files.</p> <h3>How to create a TAR file</h3> <p> In Windows, you can create a TAR file with <a href="/software/igor_pavlov/7-zip">7-Zip</a>. To do so:</p> <ol> <li>If you haven't already, install 7-Zip.</li> <li>From within 7-Zip File Manager, select the files and folders you want to package in your TAR file.</li> <li>Right-click one of the selected items and select <span class="menu">7-Zip → Add to archive...</span>.</li> <li>In the <span class="menu">Add to Archive</span> window, set the <span class="menu">Archive format:</span> to tar.</li> <li>Click <span class="button">OK</span>.</li> </ol> <p>In macOS and Linux, you can use the <span class="command">tar</span> command-line command to create a TAR file. For example, you can enter the following command to create a TAR file:</p> <p><span class="command">tar -cf YourArchiveName.tar ~/path/to/your/files-or-folder</span></p> <p>If you want to compress the TAR file you create in this process (creating a <a href="/extension/tar.gz">.TAR.GZ</a> file), instead enter the following command:</p> <p><span class="command">tar -czf YourArchiveName.tar.gz ~/path/to/your/files-or-folder</span> </p> </div> </section> <div class="adBotLB native"> <div id="div-gpt-ad-1695406251416-0"> </div> </div> <section id="tape_archive_open"> <h3 class="heading">How to open a TAR file</h3> <div class="infoBox"> <p>You can open a TAR file, and extract the files it contains, with several common archive utilities, including:</p> <ul> <li><a href="/software/igor_pavlov/7-zip">7-Zip</a> (Windows)</li> <li><a href="/software/apple/archive_utility">Apple Archive Utility</a> (Mac)</li> <li><a href="/software/peazip/peazip">PeaZip</a> (multiplatform)</li> <li><a href="/software/catalina_group/b1_free_archiver">B1 Free Archiver</a>(multiplatform)</li> </ul> <p>Android users can open TAR files with ZDevs ZArchiver. iOS users can open TAR files with ComcSoft Corporation iZip.</p> </div> </section> <a href="/software/windows_file_viewer?ref=105&b=1" class="promo" data-promo="fvp" data-ref="105" data-ext="TAR" data-afv=true data-fvp=true><span class="promotext">Open and view .TAR files with <span class="promotitle">File Viewer Plus</span>.</span><span class="promoaction">Free Download</span></a> <section id="tape_archive_apps"> <div class="programsheading"> <h3 class="programsquestion">Programs that open TAR files</h3> <div class="programsmenu"> <button class="sort">Sort</button> <div class="sortmenu"> <div class="sortoptions"> <button class="psort" data-sort="license">Pricing</button> <button class="psort" data-sort="program">Program Name</button> <button class="psort" data-sort="platform">Platform</button> </div> <button 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class="external"></div></div><span class="license iap">Free<sup>+</sup></span></div></div> <div class="app"><div class="appIcon" data-bg="https://fileinfo.com/img/icons/apps/32/7-zip.png"></div><div class="appmid"><div class="program"><a href="/software/igor_pavlov/7-zip">7-Zip</a></div><span class="license free">Free</span></div></div> <div class="app"><div class="appIcon" data-bg="https://fileinfo.com/img/icons/apps/32/corel_winzip.png" data-bg-lg="https://fileinfo.com/img/icons/apps/64/corel_winzip.png"></div><div class="appmid"><div class="program"><a href="/software/corel/winzip">Corel WinZip</a></div><span class="license trial">Free Trial</span></div></div> <div class="app"><div class="appIcon" data-bg="https://fileinfo.com/img/icons/apps/32/rarlab_winrar.png" data-bg-lg="https://fileinfo.com/img/icons/apps/64/rarlab_winrar.png"></div><div class="appmid"><div class="program"><a href="/software/rarlab/winrar">RARLAB WinRAR</a></div><span class="license trial">Free Trial</span></div></div> <div class="app"><div class="appIcon" data-bg="https://fileinfo.com/img/icons/apps/32/smith_micro_stuffit_deluxe.png" data-bg-lg="https://fileinfo.com/img/icons/apps/64/smith_micro_stuffit_deluxe.png"></div><div class="appmid"><div class="program"><a href="/software/smith_micro/stuffit_deluxe">Smith Micro StuffIt Deluxe</a></div><span class="license paid">Paid</span></div></div> <div class="app"><div class="appIcon" data-bg="https://fileinfo.com/img/icons/apps/32/estsoft_alzip.png" data-bg-lg="https://fileinfo.com/img/icons/apps/64/estsoft_alzip.png"></div><div class="appmid"><div class="program"><a href="/software/estsoft/alzip">ESTSoft AlZip</a></div><span class="license free">Free</span></div></div> <div class="app"><div class="appIcon" data-bg="https://fileinfo.com/img/icons/apps/32/peazip.png" data-bg-lg="https://fileinfo.com/img/icons/apps/64/peazip.png"></div><div class="appmid"><div class="program"><a href="/software/peazip/peazip">PeaZip</a></div><span class="license free">Free</span></div></div> <div class="app"><div class="appIcon" data-bg="https://fileinfo.com/img/icons/apps/32/b1_free_archiver.png" data-bg-lg="https://fileinfo.com/img/icons/apps/64/b1_free_archiver.png"></div><div class="appmid"><div class="program"><a href="/software/catalina_group/b1_free_archiver">B1 Free Archiver</a></div><span class="license free">Free</span></div></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="programs" data-plat="mac"> <div class="platformwrapper"> <div class="platform"><div class="platIcon" data-bg="https://fileinfo.com/img/os/mac.png" data-bg-lg="https://fileinfo.com/img/os/mac2x.png"></div>Mac</div> <div class="apps"> <div class="app"><div class="appIcon" data-bg="https://fileinfo.com/img/icons/apps/32/apple_archive_utility.png" data-bg-lg="https://fileinfo.com/img/icons/apps/64/apple_archive_utility.png"></div><div class="appmid"><div class="program"><a href="/software/apple/archive_utility">Apple Archive Utility</a></div><span class="license bundled">Included with OS</span></div></div> <div class="app"><div class="appIcon" data-bg="https://fileinfo.com/img/icons/apps/32/the_unarchiver.png" data-bg-lg="https://fileinfo.com/img/icons/apps/64/the_unarchiver.png"></div><div class="appmid"><div class="program"><a href="/software/dag_agren/the_unarchiver">The Unarchiver</a></div><span class="license free">Free</span></div></div> <div class="app"><div class="appIcon" data-bg="https://fileinfo.com/img/icons/apps/32/corel_winzip_mac.png" data-bg-lg="https://fileinfo.com/img/icons/apps/64/corel_winzip_mac.png"></div><div class="appmid"><div class="program"><a href="/software/corel/winzip_mac">Corel WinZip Mac</a></div><span class="license trial">Free Trial</span></div></div> <div class="app"><div class="appIcon" data-bg="https://fileinfo.com/img/icons/apps/32/smith_micro_stuffit_deluxe_mac.png" data-bg-lg="https://fileinfo.com/img/icons/apps/64/smith_micro_stuffit_deluxe_mac.png"></div><div class="appmid"><div class="program"><a href="/software/smith_micro/stuffit_deluxe_mac">Smith Micro StuffIt Deluxe Mac 16</a></div><span class="license paid">Paid</span></div></div> <div class="app"><div class="appIcon" data-bg="https://fileinfo.com/img/icons/apps/32/keka_for_mac.png" data-bg-lg="https://fileinfo.com/img/icons/apps/64/keka_for_mac.png"></div><div class="appmid"><div class="program"><a href="https://www.keka.io/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Keka</a><span class="external"></span></div><span class="license free">Free</span></div></div> <div class="app"><div class="appIcon" data-bg="https://fileinfo.com/img/icons/apps/32/default.png" data-bg-lg="https://fileinfo.com/img/icons/apps/64/default.png"></div><div class="appmid"><div class="program"><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/tar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GNU Tar</a><span class="external"></span></div><span class="license free">Free</span></div></div> <div class="app"><div class="appIcon" data-bg="https://fileinfo.com/img/icons/apps/32/peazip.png" data-bg-lg="https://fileinfo.com/img/icons/apps/64/peazip.png"></div><div class="appmid"><div class="program"><a href="/software/peazip/peazip">PeaZip</a></div><span class="license free">Free</span></div></div> <div class="app"><div class="appIcon" data-bg="https://fileinfo.com/img/icons/apps/32/b1_free_archiver.png" data-bg-lg="https://fileinfo.com/img/icons/apps/64/b1_free_archiver.png"></div><div class="appmid"><div class="program"><a href="/software/catalina_group/b1_free_archiver">B1 Free Archiver</a></div><span class="license free">Free</span></div></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="programs" data-plat="lin"> <div class="platformwrapper"> <div class="platform"><div class="platIcon" data-bg="https://fileinfo.com/img/os/linux.png" data-bg-lg="https://fileinfo.com/img/os/linux2x.png"></div>Linux</div> <div class="apps"> <div class="app"><div class="appIcon" data-bg="https://fileinfo.com/img/icons/apps/32/default.png" data-bg-lg="https://fileinfo.com/img/icons/apps/64/default.png"></div><div class="appmid"><div class="program"><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/tar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GNU Tar</a><span class="external"></span></div><span class="license free">Free</span></div></div> <div class="app"><div class="appIcon" data-bg="https://fileinfo.com/img/icons/apps/32/peazip.png" data-bg-lg="https://fileinfo.com/img/icons/apps/64/peazip.png"></div><div class="appmid"><div class="program"><a href="/software/peazip/peazip">PeaZip</a></div><span class="license free">Free</span></div></div> <div class="app"><div class="appIcon" data-bg="https://fileinfo.com/img/icons/apps/32/b1_free_archiver.png" data-bg-lg="https://fileinfo.com/img/icons/apps/64/b1_free_archiver.png"></div><div class="appmid"><div class="program"><a href="/software/catalina_group/b1_free_archiver">B1 Free Archiver</a></div><span class="license free">Free</span></div></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="programs" data-plat="web"> <div class="platformwrapper"> <div class="platform"><div class="platIcon" data-bg="https://fileinfo.com/img/os/web.png" data-bg-lg="https://fileinfo.com/img/os/web2x.png"></div>Web</div> <div class="apps"> <div class="app"><div class="appIcon" data-bg="https://fileinfo.com/img/icons/apps/32/123apps_archive_extractor.png" data-bg-lg="https://fileinfo.com/img/icons/apps/64/123apps_archive_extractor.png"></div><div class="appmid"><div class="program"><a href="https://extract.me/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">123apps Archive Extractor</a><span class="external"></span></div><span class="license free">Free</span></div></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="programs" data-plat="ios"> <div class="platformwrapper"> <div class="platform"><div class="platIcon ios"></div>iOS</div> <div class="apps"> <div class="app"><div class="appIcon" data-bg="https://fileinfo.com/img/icons/apps/32/comcsoft_corporation_izip_for_ios.png" data-bg-lg="https://fileinfo.com/img/icons/apps/64/comcsoft_corporation_izip_for_ios.png"></div><div class="appmid"><div class="program"><a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/izip-zip-unzip-unrar-tool/id413971331" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">ComcSoft Corporation iZip</a><span class="external"></span></div><span class="license iap">Free<sup>+</sup></span></div></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="programs" data-plat="and"> <div class="platformwrapper"> <div class="platform"><div class="platIcon" data-bg="https://fileinfo.com/img/os/android.png" data-bg-lg="https://fileinfo.com/img/os/android2x.png"></div>Android</div> <div class="apps"> <div class="app"><div class="appIcon" data-bg="https://fileinfo.com/img/icons/apps/32/file_viewer_for_android.png" data-bg-lg="https://fileinfo.com/img/icons/apps/64/file_viewer_for_android.png"></div><div class="appmid"><div class="program"><a href="/software/android_file_viewer">File Viewer for Android</a></div><span class="license iap">Free<sup>+</sup></span></div></div> <div class="app"><div class="appIcon" data-bg="https://fileinfo.com/img/icons/apps/32/zdevs_zarchiver.png" data-bg-lg="https://fileinfo.com/img/icons/apps/64/zdevs_zarchiver.png"></div><div class="appmid"><div class="program"><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ru.zdevs.zarchiver&hl=en_US&gl=US" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">ZDevs ZArchiver</a><span class="external"></span></div><span class="license free">Free</span></div></div> <div class="app"><div class="appIcon" data-bg="https://fileinfo.com/img/icons/apps/32/rarlab_rar_for_android.png" data-bg-lg="https://fileinfo.com/img/icons/apps/64/rarlab_rar_for_android.png"></div><div class="appmid"><div class="program"><a href="/software/rarlab/rar_for_android">RARLAB RAR</a></div><span class="license iap">Free<sup>+</sup></span></div></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </section> <div class="adBotLB"> <div id="div-gpt-ad-1589912704162-0"> </div> </div> <footer class="ftfooter"><span>Category: <a href="/filetypes/data">Data Files</a></span><div class="upDate">Updated: June 15, 2023</div></footer></section> </div> </article> <div class="fileinfo card"> <h2 class="heading"><svg height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" width="20" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="m10 0c5.5228475 0 10 4.4771525 10 10s-4.4771525 10-10 10-10-4.4771525-10-10 4.4771525-10 10-10zm5.1507914 5.74076153c-.38707-.3317743-.9547571-.31591752-1.3224984.01829628l-.0875496.09016895-5.2977434 6.17879134-2.23589322-2.23510675-.09420734-.08318861c-.3922912-.30502489-.95952226-.27729535-1.32000622.08318861-.36048396.36048395-.3882135.92771505-.08318861 1.32000625l.08318861.0942073 3 3 .09209242.0815699c.382869.299536.92993804.278526 1.28870593-.0494925l.08556503-.0883928 6-7 .0757182-.10031012c.2740391-.41453005.2028866-.97796356-.1841834-1.30973785z" fill="#09aa51" fill-rule="evenodd"/></svg> Verified by FileInfo.com</h2> <p><a href="/help/authors">The FileInfo.com team</a> has independently researched the Tape Archive file format and Mac, Windows, Linux, Android, and iOS apps listed on this page. Our goal is 100% accuracy and we only publish information about file types that we have verified.</p> <p>If you would like to suggest any additions or updates to this page, <a href="/contact?form=update&ext=tar">please let us know</a>.</p> </div> <div class="prevnext"> <a href="/extension/tap">‹ .TAP</a> <span> | </span> <a href="/extension/tar.bz2">.TAR.BZ2 ›</a> </div> </div> <div id="right"> <div id="fixedside"> <div class="pagenav"> <h2>PAGE CONTENTS</h2> <nav> <ol> <li class="ftypenav open"> <a href="#tape_archive_overview" class="ftype active">Tape Archive</a> <ul class="subnav"> <li><a href="#tape_archive_moreinfo">More Information</a></li> <li><a href="#tape_archive_open">How to Open</a></li> <li><a href="#tape_archive_apps">Program List</a></li> </ul> </li> </ol> </nav> </div> <div class="adRightSky"> <div id="div-gpt-ad-1589922359625-0"> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <script> TYPE = "e"; extArr = new Array(); extArr[0] = 105; formatInfo = [{"heading":"Binary","detail":"This file is saved in a binary format, which requires a specific program to read its contents."}] T="tar";C="a902a751421d07b549f8e83939dee719"; </script> </main> <footer id="sitefooter"><a href="https://sharpened.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span class="copyright">© 2025 Sharpened Productions</span></a>  |  <a href="/terms">Terms of Use</a>  |  <a href="/privacy">Privacy Policy</a>  |  <button class="ot-sdk-show-settings">Cookie Settings</button>  |  <a href="/about">About</a>  |  <a href="/contact">Contact</a></footer> </div> <script defer src="https://fileinfo.com/js/fi.js?v=1"></script> <script async src="https://fundingchoicesmessages.google.com/i/pub-0087137714961591?ers=1" nonce="WQeQmShICpf9rYcBWE6D9w"></script><script nonce="WQeQmShICpf9rYcBWE6D9w">(function() {function signalGooglefcPresent() {if (!window.frames['googlefcPresent']) {if (document.body) {const iframe = document.createElement('iframe'); iframe.style = 'width: 0; height: 0; border: none; z-index: -1000; left: -1000px; top: -1000px;'; iframe.style.display = 'none'; iframe.name = 'googlefcPresent'; document.body.appendChild(iframe);} else {setTimeout(signalGooglefcPresent, 0);}}}signalGooglefcPresent();})();</script> <script defer src="https://fileinfo.com/js/fi-smoothscroll.js"></script></body> </html>