Open tar.gz, tgz, or gz files in Windows 11

Stefan
Open tar.gz, tgz, or gz files in Windows 11

In Windows 11 you can open tarball files. Tarball files are uncompressed files that are mainly used in Linux. However, we also see them sometimes in Windows.

An advantage of tarball files is that the file structure and properties of the included files and directories, such as ownership, permissions, timestamps, etc., are preserved.

There is no need to download third-party software to open .tar.gz, .tgz or .gz files. Windows 11 supports the “tar” command that allows you to unzip these types of files.

Open tar.gz, tgz, or gz files in Windows 11

To begin open the Command Prompt as administrator.

Run command prompt as administrator

In a Command Prompt, type the following command:

tar -xvzf <pad naar tar bestand> -C <pad waar inhoud tar bestand moet worden uitgepakt>

Herewith a example:

tar -xvzf tar-1.13.tar.gz -C C:\PCTips\

unpack tar in windows 11

Once you run the command, the files will be unzipped into a new folder with the same name as the TAR file. Here is more information about the arguments you can provide to the tar.exe process.

-x: means that you give tar.exe the command to unzip the .tar.gz file.
-v: means “verbose” which means that extended information is displayed while unzipping the TAR file. This is an optional argument.
-z: means you will use GZIP as extraction.
-f: is the location where the TAR file is located.
-C: is the extraction location where you want the contents of the TAR file to be extracted. This must be an existing folder.

If you prefer to use an app to unzip TAR files, you can use WinRAR.

Read also
Automatically turn off screen after locking Windows

I hope to have informed you with this. Thank you for reading!

Stay Informed
Receive a summary of the latest PC tips directly in your email every 2 weeks.
Will you share?

Please help and share this information with other people.
Do you have a computer question?

The email address will not be published. Required fields are marked with *