Unzip GZ File: How to Open GZ Files on Windows & Linux CMD Guide

So go ahead, give it a try, and you’ll see that dealing with GZ files on Windows 11 is a piece of cake. Who knows, maybe you’ll become the go-to person for file extraction among your friends and colleagues! Keep exploring, keep learning, and if you ever find yourself stuck, there’s a wealth of resources and communities online to assist you with your GZ file adventures on Windows 11. Do you have a file ending with .GZ that you need to open? GZ files are compressed files that typically contain multiple files and/or folders. To access the files inside, you’ll need to extract them similar to how you’d unzip a ZIP file.

How to Open or Extract .Gz, Tar.gz or .Tar File in Windows 11/10

1. This does not mean that we cannot open GZ files in Windows and Android.
2. Once you complete the steps, you will have all the files and folders extracted to the destination path you specified after a few moments.
3. They’re often used in Unix and Linux systems but can be opened in Windows 11 with the right tools.
4. If you want a specific file, you can drill down into the folder, or you can simply click the “Extract” button and choose a location to put all the files.

But they are sometimes used for regular data archiving purposes; hence, Windows 11/10 users may also come across such types of files and may need to extract their content. In this guide, you will learn the steps to use native tar commands on Windows 11 using Command Prompt and Ubuntu to extract the content of a .tar.gz file. Renaming the file with a .gz file or with another extension will not extract the files.

However, as we’ve just explored, they’re really not that difficult to handle. With a simple file archiver like 7-Zip or WinRAR, you can open GZ files in a matter of minutes and access the data contained within. Remember, the key to success with GZ files is having the right tools and following the steps carefully.

To clear things up, the .tar extension is a file format that archive multiple files into a single file without compression. The .gz (Gzip) is a compression method in which the logical size of the files is reduced to save disk space. The .tar and .gz are usually used together to archive multiple files into a single file that is also compressed significantly, thus, with the combined extension of .tar.gz. Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux.

How to Extract or Unzip tar.gz Files Using Bash on Windows 10 or 11

For a more detailed explanation on how the tar command works, be sure to read our guide to compressing and extracting files in the Linux Terminal. The tar command is extremely powerful, and you can do things like list or search for files in a tar archive, or extract a single file. 7-Zip can work with most compression methods and extensions including .gz, tar.gz and .tar.

Once you’ve selected the right file, you’ll see “7-Zip File Manager” show up in the select app dialog. If you want 7-Zip to always handle tar.gz files in the future, you’re going to want to select the “Always” button at the bottom of the dialog. GZ files are a kind of archive formats that were compressed with the standard GNU zip (gzip) compression algorithm. They are commonly used on UNIX-based operating systems like Linux distros and macOS.

However, Windows 10 includes native support for tar files, and you can use Command Prompt to extract these files. Or you can even use the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) that includes native support for Ubuntu, Fedora, SUSE, and many other distros. Therefore, you can also access many Linux tools, including tar, to quickly extract content from tarballs. Windows 11/10 consists of native support for tar that you can use with Command Prompt to extract these files. Here we discuss the steps to use native tar commands on Windows 11/10 using Command Prompt and Ubuntu to extract contents of a .tar.gz file. GZ files might seem intimidating at first, especially if you’re new to Windows 11 or compressed files in general.

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Although tar files are usually more common on Linux distros (for example, Ubuntu) and macOS for backups and archival, you may also come across these files on Windows 11. You could use third-party tools like 7-Zip and PeaZip, but these are not recommended as they don’t always work to extra .tar.gz files. Instead, you should be using the native tar support available on Windows 11 or a Linux distro in WSL. All you need is a file archiver like 7-Zip or WinRAR, and you can easily extract the contents of the GZ file. Simply download and install the archiver, right-click on the GZ file, select the appropriate option to extract the file, and voila! If you don’t want to install any file compression software, you can quickly extract .gz, tar.gz or .tar files using the Tar command in command prompt on Windows 11 or 10.

Make sure to update the syntax to include the source and destination paths. 6] You will see a new folder path is already included in the ‘Extract to’ text box. It’s important to note that Microsoft is building native support for TAR, GZ, 7-Zip, RAR, and many other archival formats to File Explorer.

Now, hit the ‘Extract all’ button to open the window directly below. Once you complete the steps, the files and folders will extract to the specified destination. Pete loves all things technology and is also an avid DIYer at heart.

Firstly, open an elevated command prompt by search for “cmd” on the Windows 11 or 10 search bar. Right-click “Command Prompt” from the search result and select “Run as administrator“. 5] Now select and right-click the TGZ file, hit, 7-zip, and press the Extract files to open the what does it imply to reclassify an quantity Extract window as shown below. Also, we skipped some options that are usually useful to preserve permissions since they are not required on  Windows 11.

It’s a free archiving utility for both personal and commercial purposes, which offers support for the .gz file extension. Usually, tar files are more common with Ubuntu (other Linux distros) and macOS users for data archival and backups. However, Windows 10 users may also come across these files, which is a reason to have a way to extract their contents. And now you can use the 7-Zip File Manager to open, view, or extract files from tar.gz and other archives. If you want a specific file, you can drill down into the folder, or you can simply click the “Extract” button and choose a location to put all the files.

Download and install a file archiver that supports GZ files, such as 7-Zip or WinRAR. Tar.gz has become the standard format used for distributing Linux and open source software since it’s easy to extract on basically any platform that isn’t Windows. There are a few alternative solutions to 7-Zip capable of extracting files from GZ archives, such as WinRAR, WinZip, and File Viewer Plus. Ankit Gupta is a writer by profession and has more than 7 years of global writing experience on technology and other areas. He follows technological developments and likes to write about Windows & IT security.

Once the files are uncompressed, click Download or Save button to save these files on your device. These GZ files are developed and used commonly in Linux distros and macOS. This does not mean that we cannot open GZ files in Windows and Android. It is one of the file compressors using the GNU zip compression algorithm. These GZ files were first developed by Jean-loup Gailly and Mark Adler. The author combines expert insights with user-centric guidance, rigorously researching and testing to ensure you receive trustworthy, easy-to-follow tech guides.