TAR Extract
Extract and browse TAR archives locally in your browser without uploading files. Read more
What is TAR extract?
TAR stores multiple files and directories in one sequential archive without compression. This tool lists and extracts plain .tar entries locally in the browser. The GNU tar manual documents TAR’s create, list, extract, and format behavior in more detail.
How to use this tool
Open a plain .tar, inspect every entry name and type, then download selected files or the reconstructed folder structure. Use TAR Create for the reverse operation. Compressed TAR files must be decompressed with the matching Gzip Extract, Brotli, XZ, or Zstandard tool first.
Choosing the right format
TAR can preserve paths and selected metadata, but browser downloads cannot reproduce every Unix permission, owner, device, sparse-file, hard-link, or symbolic-link behavior. Different TAR variants also encode long paths and extra metadata differently.
Important limitations
Treat untrusted TAR files cautiously: entries can contain absolute paths, .. components, links, duplicate names, or very large data. Review the list before saving files and avoid overwriting important destinations. Use a sandboxed native extractor for suspicious or large archives.
Frequently asked questions
Why can another program not open the result?
This page expects plain TAR bytes. A .tar.gz, .tgz, .tar.xz, or other compressed archive has a compression layer that must be removed first. A misleading extension does not change the underlying format.
Are my files uploaded?
No. Listing and extraction preparation happen locally in your browser.
Drag and drop a TAR file here, or choose Open TAR.
The archive is processed locally and is not uploaded.