Does TAR compress my files?

No — TAR only bundles. It combines many files into one archive without shrinking them. Compress the resulting .tar with the gzip tool if size matters.

Are long file names supported?

Yes. Entries with long names (GNU and pax style extensions) are validated against test fixtures, not just handled by hope.

Is anything uploaded while packing a TAR?

No. The archive is written by your browser from files it already holds locally. Nothing crosses the network.

TAR or ZIP — which one should I use?

ZIP is friendlier on Windows and supports per-entry compression. TAR is the standard in Unix pipelines and pairs naturally with gzip. Both tools are free and equally private here.

Create and unpack TAR archives — locally

Bundle files into a POSIX .tar archive or unpack one to get its contents — entirely inside your browser, with no upload at any point.

Open the TAR compressor tool Runs entirely in your browser — files never leave your device.

What this tool does

TAR is the plain container format used across Linux, macOS and countless build pipelines. It bundles many files (with directory structure) into one, without compression — pair it with gzip when you need the contents squeezed as well.

This tool reads and writes TAR format directly in your browser, including entries with long file names, which are validated against real test fixtures rather than assumed to work.

How to make a .tar without the terminal

Select files. Add the files you want bundled — or drop an existing .tar to unpack it.
Pack or unpack. Create a TAR from your selection, or extract the entries of an existing archive.
Download. Save the .tar or the extracted files — produced and kept on your device.

Supported operations

This list is generated from CompressKit's capability registry — only implemented and tested operations appear here.

Create archive

Build a .tar archive from selected files, preserving names.
Extract content

Unpack a .tar and download the entries. Parsing happens fully in your browser.

Frequently asked questions

Does TAR compress my files?: No — TAR only bundles. It combines many files into one archive without shrinking them. Compress the resulting .tar with the gzip tool if size matters.
Are long file names supported?: Yes. Entries with long names (GNU and pax style extensions) are validated against test fixtures, not just handled by hope.
Is anything uploaded while packing a TAR?: No. The archive is written by your browser from files it already holds locally. Nothing crosses the network.
TAR or ZIP — which one should I use?: ZIP is friendlier on Windows and supports per-entry compression. TAR is the standard in Unix pipelines and pairs naturally with gzip. Both tools are free and equally private here.

Ready to try it?

The TAR compressor tool runs on this site with no upload step — your file is processed by your own browser and saved back to your device.

Open the TAR compressor tool