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.TGZ file extension

To open .TGZ files on Windows, install an archive tool that supports .tgz (tar+gzip), such as 7-Zip or WinZip (as listed by FileInfo).

To open a .TGZ file, use an archive extractor (or the command line) to unpack it. On Linux/macOS you can usually extract it with tar; on Windows, use an archive tool that supports tar+gzip rather than renaming the file.

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Last updated: June 10, 2026

Open on your device

Choose your operating system for a dedicated step-by-step opening guide.

How to open .TGZ files

Use these platform-specific instructions to open .TGZ files safely.

Windows

  1. Install an archive tool that supports .tgz (tar+gzip), such as 7-Zip or WinZip (as listed by FileInfo).
  2. Right-click the .tgz file → open with your archive tool → extract to a new folder.
  3. If you get a nested .tar after extraction, open/extract the .tar as well (some tools do this in one step).
Full Windows guide

Mac

  1. Try double-clicking the .tgz file in Finder (Archive Utility often handles common tar.gz/tgz archives).
  2. If it doesn’t extract cleanly, use Terminal: tar -xzf file.tgz (extracts into the current folder).
  3. Open the extracted folder to access the contents.
Full Mac guide

Linux

  1. In a terminal, run: tar -xzf file.tgz (GNU tar can handle .tgz/.tar.gz archives).
  2. Or use your desktop archive manager (often called Archive Manager/File Roller) to extract to a folder.
  3. If needed, verify it’s gzip-compressed: file file.tgz (should indicate gzip compressed data).
Full Linux guide

iOS

  1. iOS may not natively preview/extract .tgz in Files; if you can’t open it, transfer it to a Mac/PC and extract it with tar or an archive tool.
Full iOS guide

Android

  1. Use an archive manager app that supports .tgz (tar+gzip). If the app only extracts to a .tar, extract the resulting .tar as a second step.
  2. If extraction fails or the archive is large/complex, move the file to a desktop system and extract it with tar.
Full Android guide

Security notes

  • A .tgz archive can contain executables or scripts; don’t run extracted files unless you trust the source and understand what you extracted.
  • Be cautious of archives containing unexpected paths or many files; extract into a new, empty folder so you can review what was created.
  • Archive parsers can have vulnerabilities; keep your extraction tool updated, especially when opening .tgz files from untrusted sources.
  • Treat .tgz files from unknown sources like any software package: inspect contents (e.g., tar -tzf) before extracting/running anything.

Can't open this file?

These are the most common causes and fixes when .TGZ files fail to open.

Common reasons

  • It extracts to a .tar file and I still can’t see my files
  • Extraction fails or reports a corrupted/incomplete archive
  • Files don’t appear where expected after extracting
  • Permission or ownership problems after extraction (especially on Unix-like systems)

Fix steps

  1. Open/extract the resulting .tar file with the same archive tool.
  2. Alternatively, use tar directly (macOS/Linux): tar -xzf file.tgz.

OS-specific troubleshooting

What is a .TGZ file?

.TGZ is the common filename extension for a tar archive that has been compressed with gzip (equivalent to .tar.gz). Technically, it contains a tar stream wrapped in the gzip file format (RFC 1952), commonly identified as application/gzip (RFC 6713).

Background

TGZ files are typically used to bundle many files and folders into a single package and compress it to reduce size for downloading or storage. You’ll commonly see them for distributing open-source software source code, Unix/Linux packages, backups, and datasets.

Functionally, “.tgz” is just a shorthand variant of “.tar.gz”. Tools like GNU tar can automatically choose gzip compression based on the filename suffix, and can create or extract these archives directly.

Because TGZ is an archive, it can contain almost anything—documents, binaries, scripts, or installers—so the main risk is not the TGZ format itself, but what you extract and run afterward.

Common MIME types: application/x-gtar-compressed

Further reading

Authoritative resources for more details on the .TGZ format.

Common .TGZ issues

It extracts to a .tar file and I still can’t see my files

Some tools decompress the gzip layer first (producing a .tar) but don’t automatically unpack the tar archive.

  1. Open/extract the resulting .tar file with the same archive tool.
  2. Alternatively, use tar directly (macOS/Linux): tar -xzf file.tgz.

Extraction fails or reports a corrupted/incomplete archive

The download may be incomplete, or the gzip/tar data may be damaged.

  1. Re-download the .tgz from the original source and try extracting again.
  2. Try extracting with a different tool (e.g., switch between a GUI extractor and tar).
  3. On macOS/Linux, test integrity by attempting to list contents: tar -tzf file.tgz (if this fails, the archive is likely broken).

Files don’t appear where expected after extracting

The archive may contain paths that extract into a subfolder, or you extracted into a different working directory.

  1. Search for the extracted folder name or recently modified files in your file manager.
  2. Extract again and explicitly choose a destination folder you can easily find (e.g., Desktop or Downloads).

Permission or ownership problems after extraction (especially on Unix-like systems)

Tar archives can store file permissions and may restore them on extraction, which can create files you can’t easily execute or modify as expected.

  1. Extract into a folder you own (e.g., inside your home directory).
  2. Adjust permissions after extracting if needed (e.g., chmod for scripts you intend to run), and avoid running extracted files until you understand what they are.

FAQ

Is .tgz the same as .tar.gz?

Yes. .tgz is a shorter, common variant for a tar archive compressed with gzip.

Can I open a .tgz file without extracting it?

Many archive tools let you browse the contents without fully extracting. On macOS/Linux you can list contents with: tar -tzf file.tgz.

What MIME type is associated with .tgz?

It’s commonly treated as a gzip payload (application/gzip per RFC 6713). Desktop environments on Linux use the shared-mime-info database to map extensions like .tgz to MIME types.

Can I convert a file to .tgz by renaming it?

No. Renaming only changes the extension. To create a real .tgz, you must tar the files and compress with gzip (for example using tar with gzip support).

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