Convert DMG to TAR

Understanding DMG and TAR file formats

DMG files are Apple Disk Image files commonly used on macOS to distribute software and disk images. They can contain compressed or encrypted file systems and are primarily used for mounting virtual disks on Mac computers.

TAR files, short for Tape Archive, are widely used on Unix and Linux systems to bundle multiple files and directories into a single archive file. Unlike DMG, TAR files are not compressed by default but are often used in conjunction with compression utilities like Gzip or Bzip2.

Why convert DMG to TAR?

Converting a DMG file to a TAR archive is useful when you need to extract the contents of a macOS disk image and package them in a format that is more universally accessible across different operating systems, especially Linux and Windows.

How to convert DMG to TAR

There is no direct one-step conversion from DMG to TAR. The process involves extracting the contents of the DMG file and then archiving them into a TAR file. Here’s how you can do it:

On macOS

1. Double-click the DMG file to mount it.
2. Open the mounted volume in Finder and copy its contents to a folder on your system.
3. Open Terminal and navigate to the folder containing the extracted files.
4. Run the command:
   tar -cvf output.tar /path/to/extracted/folder

On Windows or Linux

1. Use a tool like 7-Zip or PeaZip to extract the DMG file’s contents.
2. After extraction, use a tool like tar (available on Linux and via Windows Subsystem for Linux or Cygwin) to create a TAR archive:
   tar -cvf output.tar /path/to/extracted/folder

Best software for DMG to TAR conversion

• 7-Zip (Windows): Free and open-source, supports DMG extraction and TAR creation.
• PeaZip (Windows/Linux): Another free tool for extracting DMG and creating TAR archives.
• macOS Finder & Terminal: Native tools for mounting DMG and creating TAR files.

Summary

To convert a DMG file to a TAR archive, first extract the DMG’s contents using a suitable tool, then archive those contents into a TAR file using tar or a graphical archiver. This two-step process ensures compatibility across different operating systems.