ZIP to TAR Converter
Turn a ZIP into the tarball Linux servers, Docker builds and CI pipelines expect, with optional gzip. See everything inside first; nothing is unpacked on your computer.
ZIP to TAR
Add your files. Recommended settings are ready, so you can process in one click.
PDF, Word, images, audio, video, archives and more
Up to 100 files · 250 MB · No account- 1Add files
- 2Choose an action
- 3Download or keep going
What happens to your file.
The ZIP central directory is read for the names exactly as stored — which matters, because a normalising reader would hide a member that climbs out of its folder. Each name is then reduced to a safe relative path, the contents are written into a TAR, and the result is optionally gzipped. Paths too long for a TAR header are written using the ustar prefix field or a GNU long-name entry, so nothing is truncated. Process file does the conversion on our server: it keeps each file’s date, the executable bit on scripts and empty folders, reads names from a ZIP made on a Mac correctly and leaves out the Finder’s __MACOSX folder, and gives a README and readme pair distinct names instead of failing.
Where it stops: A ZIP records Unix permissions only when it was made on Linux or a Mac; Process file keeps the executable bit when it is there, and the visual editor writes sensible defaults. Symbolic links are left out. Password-protected archives cannot be read and are reported rather than failing with a confusing error.
TAR or TAR.GZ?
Choose .tar.gz for anything you are sending or storing: it is the Linux and Docker convention, and text, code and configuration compress dramatically. Choose plain .tar when the next step compresses anyway, when the contents are already compressed, or when a tool specifically asks for an uncompressed tarball.
Why the member list is worth reading
- A member that points outside its folder would be written somewhere unintended when extracted on a server.
- Two members writing to the same name mean one silently replaces the other.
- A member expanding more than 200 times is the signature of a compression bomb.
- Files that run when opened are worth knowing about in an archive you did not build.
What people use it for.
Everything you need, without a paywall.
Common questions.
Will the TAR be compressed?
Yes, if you want it to be. In the visual editor "Compress the TAR with gzip" is on by default and produces a .tar.gz; with Process file, tick the same option in the settings. Leave it off for a plain .tar.
What happens to a ZIP made on a Mac?
Accented and non-Latin file names come through as written, and the __MACOSX folder of Finder metadata that a Mac adds is left out, so the tarball holds only your files.
Are folder structures preserved?
Yes. Paths carry across, after each is reduced to a relative path that cannot climb out of the archive root.
Why would I want TAR instead of ZIP?
Most Linux tooling, Docker build contexts and deployment scripts assume tarballs, and many will not accept a ZIP at all.
What about very long file paths?
They are written using the standard ustar prefix field, or a GNU long-name entry when that will not fit. Both are understood by every current tar, so nothing is truncated.
Is my archive uploaded?
Not with the visual editor, which reads and converts it in your browser. Process file sends it to our server, where it is written to a temporary folder for that request and deleted as soon as the job finishes.
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