.XZ file extension
To open .XZ files on Windows, install a tool that supports XZ (for example, XZ Utils or an archive manager listed by FileInfo).
To open an .xz file, you usually extract (decompress) it with XZ Utils (the standard toolset for .xz) or an archiver that supports XZ. After decompression you get the original file (often a .tar, producing .tar.xz archives).
Last updated: October 13, 2026
Open on your device
Choose your operating system for a dedicated step-by-step opening guide.
How to open .XZ files
Use these platform-specific instructions to open .XZ files safely.
Windows
- Install a tool that supports XZ (for example, XZ Utils or an archive manager listed by FileInfo).
- Use the tool to extract/decompress the .xz file; if the output is a .tar, extract the .tar as a second step to get the files.
Mac
- Install an XZ-capable tool (for example, XZ Utils or another extractor that supports .xz).
- Decompress the .xz file; if it becomes a .tar (common with .tar.xz), extract the .tar to access the contents.
Linux
- Use XZ Utils (often available as the command-line tools such as xz/unxz).
- Decompress the file (e.g., unxz file.xz); if you get file.tar, unpack it with tar to retrieve the directory contents.
iOS
- iOS is not commonly used for .xz workflows; if you can’t extract it in your file manager app, transfer the .xz to a desktop system and decompress it with XZ Utils or another XZ-capable extractor.
Android
- Use an archive app that explicitly supports XZ; if none is available or extraction fails, transfer the .xz to a desktop system and decompress it with XZ Utils or another XZ-capable extractor.
Security notes
- .xz files are compressed containers; they can be used to deliver any kind of content (including executables or scripts) once decompressed—treat the decompressed output as untrusted until you verify its source.
- Like other compression formats, .xz can be used for decompression bombs (very small files that expand to huge data). Be cautious extracting untrusted .xz files on systems with limited disk space or memory.
- Use well-maintained extractors (such as XZ Utils / liblzma or reputable archive tools) because malformed .xz files can trigger bugs in parsers.
Can't open this file?
These are the most common causes and fixes when .XZ files fail to open.
Common reasons
- I decompressed the .xz and got a .tar (or another single file) instead of a folder
- Extraction fails with a corruption or integrity-check error
- My extractor doesn’t recognize .xz or says the format is unsupported
Fix steps
- Decompress the .xz first to produce the underlying file (often a .tar).
- Extract/unpack the resulting .tar with a tar-capable tool to get the actual files and folders.
OS-specific troubleshooting
What is a .XZ file?
.xz is a compressed data container format used by XZ Utils and the liblzma library. The container can hold one or more compressed streams and includes integrity checks (as defined by the XZ file format specification). It is commonly used to distribute source code and packages, often combined with tar as .tar.xz.
Background
XZ is the file format used by XZ Utils, a widely used compression suite on Unix-like systems. The format is designed for high compression ratios and is commonly seen in open-source software distribution and Linux package ecosystems, frequently as part of a tar archive (e.g., .tar.xz).
The XZ file format is specified by the upstream project (Tukaani) and is documented in the XZ Utils source tree (including the xz-file-format specification). The format is distinct from “raw” LZMA streams: .xz is a container with headers, indexes, and checks.
Because .xz is an archive-style container for compressed bytes, “opening” it usually means decompressing it into the original file(s). If the result is a .tar, you then unpack the tar to get the files and folders.
Common MIME types: application/x-xz
Further reading
Authoritative resources for more details on the .XZ format.
Common .XZ issues
I decompressed the .xz and got a .tar (or another single file) instead of a folder
.xz typically compresses one data stream; when you see .tar.xz, the .xz layer only removes compression and leaves a .tar archive to unpack separately.
- Decompress the .xz first to produce the underlying file (often a .tar).
- Extract/unpack the resulting .tar with a tar-capable tool to get the actual files and folders.
Extraction fails with a corruption or integrity-check error
The XZ container includes integrity checks; incomplete downloads, truncation, or storage errors can cause the decompressor to report an error.
- Re-download or re-copy the .xz file to rule out a partial transfer.
- Try extracting with XZ Utils (reference implementation) to confirm whether the file is truly damaged or the other tool is incompatible.
My extractor doesn’t recognize .xz or says the format is unsupported
Not all archive managers implement XZ container support (as opposed to ZIP/7z), and some only handle .tar.xz as a whole.
- Use XZ Utils (or another tool listed as supporting .xz) rather than a basic built-in extractor.
- If the file is actually .tar.xz, make sure your tool supports both XZ decompression and TAR extraction (sometimes as two steps).
FAQ
Is .xz the same as .lzma?
No. .xz is a container format used by XZ Utils (with headers, index, and checks). “.lzma” often refers to a raw LZMA stream; tools may handle them differently.
Why do I often see .tar.xz?
.tar.xz is a tar archive compressed with XZ. You typically decompress the .xz layer first (to get a .tar), then extract the tar archive to get the files.
What MIME type is used for .xz files?
Commonly used MIME types include application/x-xz (as listed in shared-mime-info and Wikidata).
Can I open an .xz file in a text editor?
Not meaningfully. .xz is compressed binary data; you need to decompress it to get the original file before viewing or editing.
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