Extract .TAR Files Online
(No Size Limits)
Open, view, and unpack source archives securely in your browser tab. 100% safe from data leaks, lightning-fast processing, and optimized for large developer packages.
About Decompression of TAR
A .tar file bundles many files into one and compresses nothing. A 500 MB folder becomes a 500 MB .tar, occasionally a little larger. That sounds pointless until you know what it was built for.
Why a format that does not compress
TAR means tape archive, and it was designed in 1979 to write files to magnetic tape in one continuous stream. Tape cannot seek, so the format simply concatenates each file's metadata and contents one after another with no central index. That design is why it is still everywhere: a .tar can be produced and consumed as a stream, which means it pipes.
That is the whole reason the Unix world stacks formats. TAR turns many files into one stream, then a separate compressor squeezes that stream, producing .tar.gz, .tar.xz or .tar.zst. ZIP does both jobs in one format and indexes its entries, which is why you can open a huge .zip and pull one file out instantly, and why doing the same to a .tar.gz means reading through everything before it.
An uncompressed .tar usually shows up when the contents are already compressed, such as photos or video, where compressing again gains nothing and costs time.
Opening one
| System | Opens it natively | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Windows 11 (23H2 and later) | Yes | Right-click, Extract All |
| Windows 10 | No | Install 7-Zip, or extract on this page |
| macOS | Yes | Double-click, Archive Utility handles it |
| ChromeOS | No | Extract on this page |
| Linux | Yes | tar -xf archive.tar |
How large a .tar can be
There is no ceiling. Entries are read and written out one at a time as they are encountered, so memory use stays flat no matter how large the archive is. Since TAR does not compress, these files are often very large, which is exactly the case where an upload-based tool refuses to help.
Doing it from a terminal instead
To extract everything:
tar -xf archive.tarTo list the contents without extracting anything:
tar -tf archive.tarWhat does not work
Multi-volume archives split across several files are not supported. TAR has no encryption of its own, so a password-protected .tar is really an encrypted container holding one, and that outer layer has to come off first.
TAR FAQ
Everything you need to know about how unpk.app processes TAR locally.
Is it safe to extract TAR files online with unpk.app?
Yes, extracting TAR files on unpk.app is completely secure. The entire decompression process runs locally in your browser memory via WebAssembly. Your TAR archive is never uploaded to a server, keeping your confidential contents entirely private.
Can I unpack large TAR archives like 5GB or 10GB files?
Yes! There are no artificial file size caps or upload limits for TAR archives. Since unpk.app extracts TAR files entirely within your browser using WebAssembly, you are only limited by your device's physical memory (RAM).
Do I need an app like WinRAR or 7-Zip to extract TAR files?
No software installation or browser extensions are needed to open TAR files. unpk.app decompresses TAR archives directly in your browser tab, making it ideal for restricted school Chromebooks or locked-down corporate environments.
Can unpk.app extract password-protected or encrypted TAR files?
Yes! unpk.app supports unlocking password-protected TAR archives locally. Since the password prompt and decryption run completely client-side in your browser, your passwords are never sent over the network or stored on any server.
Can I decompress TAR files on mobile browsers like iOS Safari?
Yes! You can extract and view the contents of TAR files directly on iOS Safari or Android Chrome. unpk.app runs smoothly on mobile devices, allowing you to open TAR archives on the go without installing extra apps.
Is there a limit on how many TAR files I can extract for free?
No. unpk.app offers unlimited, free TAR file extractions. Because the processing runs locally on your computer rather than our servers, we don't charge any fees or enforce any bandwidth or volume limits.
What other formats can I extract here besides TAR?
In addition to TAR, unpk.app supports 9 other formats: ZIP, RAR, 7Z, TAR, GZ, TAR.GZ, XZ, TAR.XZ, BZ2, and ISO. All formats are unpacked entirely locally inside your browser via WebAssembly.