Free online BIN to GZ converter

A Unix program, backup workflow, or storage system may require a gzip-compressed binary file to reduce transfer and archive size. The operation compresses the existing BIN data without extracting it or changing its internal format.

What the BIN format is

In the Archives category, .bin identifies a generic binary file whose contents are not defined by the extension. Common examples include raw disk or optical-disc images, backup data, and binary packages created by application-specific archivers. A BIN file may contain complete sectors or another proprietary structure rather than separately accessible files.

The extension alone cannot identify how to open or extract the file. Compressing it to GZ preserves the bytes but does not convert it into a standard archive, mountable image, or universally readable format.

What the GZ format is

.gz is a gzip-compressed stream, normally containing one input file. Gzip compression is lossless: decompressing the result can reproduce the original BIN byte for byte. GZ is common on Linux, macOS, and other Unix-like systems, and is useful for reducing the storage or transfer size of large binary images.

Gzip is not a multi-file container and does not preserve a directory tree by itself. To package multiple files, create a TAR archive first and compress it as .tar.gz or .tgz. A single compressed BIN can be named image.bin.gz or image.gz.

How to create a GZ file

Using gzip on Linux or macOS

1. Open a terminal and change to the directory containing the BIN file: cd /path/to/folder.
2. Write the compressed stream to a new file while preserving the source: gzip -c image.bin > image.bin.gz.
3. Check the files and their sizes: ls -lh image.bin image.bin.gz.

The command gzip image.bin creates image.bin.gz and normally removes the uncompressed source. On gzip versions supporting it, gzip -k image.bin creates the GZ file and keeps the source. Restore the BIN with gzip -dc image.bin.gz > restored.bin.

Using 7-Zip on Windows

1. Open 7-Zip File Manager and select the BIN file.
2. Choose 7-Zip → Add to archive….
3. Set Archive format to gzip, enter a filename ending in .gz, and select OK.
4. Use 7-Zip → Extract Here to decompress the result when the original BIN is required.

From a command prompt, the equivalent command is 7z a -tgzip image.bin.gz image.bin. Test the resulting file with 7z t image.bin.gz. WSL or another installed gzip implementation can also run the terminal commands on Windows.

Using 101convert.com

You can convert the file on 101convert.com for free without installing software. Select BIN as the source and GZ as the output, then download the compressed file. Upload only non-confidential data; local tools are preferable for sensitive or very large files.

Compatibility and integrity

Compression does not guarantee a smaller file. Already compressed, encrypted, or high-entropy BIN data may shrink very little and can occasionally become slightly larger because of gzip headers.

Programs that require an uncompressed .bin cannot usually open .bin.gz directly. Decompress the file first, then open the restored BIN with the imaging, backup, or archive software that supports its specific internal format.

If the BIN has a companion .cue sheet, keep both files. A CUE sheet commonly refers to the uncompressed BIN filename, and many disc-image programs do not accept a compressed BIN; decompress it to the expected name before opening the CUE/BIN pair.

To verify lossless recovery, calculate a checksum before compression and after decompression. On Linux or macOS, run sha256sum image.bin, create the GZ file, restore it with gzip -dc image.bin.gz > restored.bin, and run sha256sum restored.bin; the hashes must match. On Windows, use certutil -hashfile image.bin SHA256 and repeat the command for restored.bin.

For multiple files, use a TAR container instead: tar -cf files.tar file1 file2, followed by gzip files.tar, which produces files.tar.gz.