Convert TAR to ZIP
To convert TAR to ZIP, drop the .tar file on this page and click the button; a ZIP with the same files and folder structure downloads a moment later. Your browser does the unpacking and repacking itself, so nothing inside the archive is uploaded anywhere.
Drop your TAR here
It becomes a ZIP right in your browser, up to 100 MB
Your file never leaves your device
Why convert TAR to ZIP?
TAR comes from the Unix world and ZIP belongs to everyone, so this conversion is usually about handing files across that border: a developer sends a .tar export to someone on Windows, a server backup needs opening on a laptop without extra tools, or an upload form only whitelists .zip. Windows has no native TAR association in the place people expect (double-click in Explorer), while every OS opens ZIP out of the box. Repacking once beats teaching every recipient to install an archive utility, and because archives often hold entire project trees or backups, doing it without an upload matters more than for most files.
What is TAR?
TAR (tape archive) is the Unix world's standard way to glue a directory tree into a single file, dating back to 1979. A bare .tar applies no compression at all, which is why it usually travels as .tar.gz; the format faithfully records Unix permissions, symlinks and ownership. Linux and macOS handle TAR effortlessly, but Windows users opening a .tar from a software download or a server backup often hit a wall.
What is ZIP?
ZIP is the archive format the whole computing world agreed on: a 1989 design that bundles files and folders into one compressed container using DEFLATE. Windows, macOS, Linux, phones and even email clients open ZIPs natively, with no extra software. It is not the strongest compressor available, but its universality made it the default way to hand someone a folder, attach multiple files or download a project.
Quality and what to expect
The files themselves come through byte-for-byte intact: extraction is exact, and ZIP recompresses each file with DEFLATE. What does not survive is Unix-specific metadata, because ZIP has no standard place for it: file permissions, executable bits, symlinks and ownership are dropped, and empty directories may be omitted since the repack writes files rather than directory stubs. Timestamps can also reset to conversion time. For sharing documents and assets this is irrelevant; for restoring a server backup with intact permissions, keep the original TAR around as the authoritative copy.
TAR to ZIP FAQ
Does the folder structure inside the TAR survive?
Yes. Each file keeps its full path, so nested directories arrive in the ZIP exactly where they were. Only empty directories with no files inside may disappear, since the repack writes files rather than directory placeholders.
Is anything from my archive uploaded during conversion?
No. The TAR is read by libarchive compiled to WebAssembly inside your browser, and the ZIP is written by a JavaScript zip engine in the same tab. The archive contents never appear in a network request, which the developer tools will confirm.
Will the ZIP be bigger or smaller than the TAR?
Usually smaller, because a bare .tar is uncompressed and ZIP applies DEFLATE to each file. If the TAR holds already-compressed content like JPGs or video, the sizes will land close together.
What about file permissions and symlinks?
ZIP has no portable way to carry Unix permissions, executable bits or symlinks, so they are dropped in the conversion. If you need those preserved, the archive should stay a TAR; this pair is for getting the files to someone who just needs to open them.