Tips to open TAR.GZ file

Can't open the TAR.GZ file? You are not the only one. Thousands of users face similar problems every day. Below you will find tips on how to open TAR.GZ files as well as a list of programs that support TAR.GZ files.

TAR.GZ file extension

File Name Compressed Tarball Format
File Developer The GNU Project
File Category Compressed Files

The TAR.GZ file is supported on 3 operating systems. Depending on your operating system, you may need different software to handle the TAR.GZ files. Below is a summary of the number of programs that support and open the TAR.GZ file on each system platform.

Operating systems
  • 3
  • 2
  • 2
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

What is TAR.GZ file?

The file in the TAR.GZ format belongs to the Compressed Files category. The creator of this file is The GNU Project. Additionally, the Compressed Files category contains 236 of other files. Compressed Tarball Format is supported by 3 operating systems. Although it can be found with greater or lesser success on any operating system, it will only be useful on Linux, Mac OS, Windows. There are also 6 alternative programs to handle the TAR.GZ file. The WinZip, 7-Zip, WinRAR, The Unarchiver programs will also handle the file when the Apple Archive Utility program does not fulfill its role.

How to open TAR.GZ file?

An often recurring problem with Compressed Tarball Format is that TAR.GZ is not associated with the correct program file. Thus, when you open TAR.GZ, the program selection wizard or some other program starts. This problem can be easily remedied.

The first thing you should do is just "doubleclick" on the TAR.GZ file icon you want to open. If the operating system has an appropriate application to support it and there is also an association between the file and the program, the file should be opened.

Step 1. Install Apple Archive Utility

An often overlooked issue is to make sure that Apple Archive Utility is installed on the computer. This can be achieved by typing Apple Archive Utility into the operating system search engine. If it is not, installation may solve the problem, as most applications create file associations during installation. Below is a list of programs that support the file TAR.GZ.

Step 2. Create association of Apple Archive Utility with TAR.GZ files

However, it may happen that the application itself does not cause the TAR.GZ file to open in the Apple Archive Utility application, but you can set it manually. This option is available from the level of Properties of a specific file available in the context menu. Information about the file and the program that the file is associated with are available here. Changes can be made using the "Change" button. The program should be visible in the window, otherwise it should be selected manually using the "Browse" button and the program installation directory should be indicated. However, it is important to check the "Always use the selected program ..." box, this will allow you to permanently associate the TAR.GZ file with the Apple Archive Utility application.

Step 3. Update Apple Archive Utility to the latest version

The fault may also lie with the Apple Archive Utility program, it is possible that Compressed Tarball Format requires a newer version of the program.

Step 4. Check for the following problems with the TAR.GZ file

The problem may also be with the file itself if the above steps don't work. The most common file problems are:

Very often, the file may be size 0 or incomplete. Usually this applies to TAR.GZ files downloaded from the Internet in case the download did not finish properly. The only repair option is to download the file again.
The operating system may be infected with a computer virus. A virus scan using an up-to-date antivirus program should fix the problem. If this is not possible, you can use the online scanner. For the best results, we will scan the entire operating system, not just our TAR.GZ file. However, remember that not every infected TAR.GZ file can be recovered, so it is important to take care of regular backups.
Older version of TAR.GZ file may not always be supported by the latest software version. Help should be sought from the software developer, as they usually recommend using free file converters or installing an older version of the program.
There can be many reasons for this. Depending on the type of file, it is necessary to repair it accordingly. Some programs offer the option of recovering data from damaged TAR.GZ files.
When reading, a message appears that the file was encrypted or corrupted. The encrypted TAR.GZ files can be used by the device on which they were encrypted, on any other device it is required to have the appropriate cryptographic key and decrypt the file before its recovery.
The operating system protects files in some locations (e.g. the root of the system partition) against unauthorized access. These directories are write-protected to them and it's very hard to fix this problem. If possible, you can try to move the TAR.GZ file to another location.
This problem usually affects more complex files. Some file types can only be opened in one program at a time. Running programs (including those in the background) should be verified. If the error persists after closing other programs, wait for a while. Some anti-virus or backup software may occupy the TAR.GZ file for a certain period of time. If this does not work either, restart the device.