TAR is the Unix tape archive format: a flat concatenation of 512-byte file headers and their payloads. It carries no compression of its own — that's usually layered on top via gzip (.tar.gz) or zstd.

No. Files are opened entirely in your browser using local JavaScript and WebAssembly. Nothing is sent to a server.

Does it work on mobile?

Yes. The viewer is mobile-first and works on phones, tablets, and desktops.

What tar variants are supported?

Classic ustar (with the 155-byte prefix field), GNU long-name blocks (./@LongLink), and PAX extended headers carrying a `path` attribute. Compressed tarballs (.tar.gz, .tar.bz2) should be decompressed first.

Archives.tar

TAR viewer

ready

TAR · .tar

Open TAR files

Unix tape archive.

Choose a fileor paste · ⌘V

About TAR

Unix tape archive.

TAR is the Unix tape archive — uncompressed by itself, simply a stream of 512-byte headers and file payloads. Our parser handles classic ustar, the GNU long-name extension and PAX extended headers, so even tarballs built decades apart open the same way.

FAQ

What is a TAR file?: TAR is the Unix tape archive format: a flat concatenation of 512-byte file headers and their payloads. It carries no compression of its own — that's usually layered on top via gzip (.tar.gz) or zstd.
Is my file uploaded?: No. Files are opened entirely in your browser using local JavaScript and WebAssembly. Nothing is sent to a server.
Does it work on mobile?: Yes. The viewer is mobile-first and works on phones, tablets, and desktops.
What tar variants are supported?: Classic ustar (with the 155-byte prefix field), GNU long-name blocks (./@LongLink), and PAX extended headers carrying a `path` attribute. Compressed tarballs (.tar.gz, .tar.bz2) should be decompressed first.

More Archives