Free online TGZ to ZIP converter

Windows utilities, file-sharing workflows, and applications that do not recognize TGZ may require a ZIP archive. The conversion extracts the files from the TGZ and stores them in a new ZIP; it does not convert or re-encode the files themselves.

What the TGZ format is

TGZ, also written as .tar.gz, combines a TAR archive with gzip compression. TAR collects files and directories into one sequential archive, while gzip compresses that TAR stream; gzip does not compress each contained file separately.

TGZ is common on Linux and Unix systems for source-code packages, software distributions, server exports, and backups. GNU tar, Unix backup tools, package-build systems, and development tools commonly create it.

What the ZIP format is

ZIP stores files and directories in one archive and normally compresses each entry independently. Windows, macOS, Linux, Android file managers, and most archive utilities can open ZIP files, although the exact built-in support varies by operating system.

ZIP is useful when a recipient or application specifically requires it, when built-in desktop support matters, or when individual entries should be extracted without decompressing an entire sequential archive. ZIP archives normally include per-file CRC checksums and can use encryption with compatible software; encryption support and strength depend on the ZIP tool and method selected.

How to convert the archive

Using 7-Zip on Windows

1. Right-click archive.tgz and select 7-Zip → Extract Here. 7-Zip first decompresses the gzip layer and creates archive.tar.
2. Right-click archive.tar and select 7-Zip → Extract to "archive\\".
3. Open the extracted directory, select the files and folders to include, right-click the selection, and choose 7-Zip → Add to archive.
4. Set Archive format to zip, enter a name such as archive.zip, and select OK.

To preserve the original top-level directory, add that directory to the ZIP. To put its contents directly at the ZIP root, open the directory and add the contents instead.

Using the command line on Linux or macOS

Extract the TGZ into a temporary directory, create the ZIP from that directory, and then remove the temporary files:

work="$(mktemp -d)"
out="$PWD/archive.zip"
tar -xzf archive.tgz -C "$work"
(cd "$work" && zip -r "$out" .)
rm -rf "$work"

tar -xzf expands the gzip layer and extracts the TAR contents. The recursive zip -r command adds files and subdirectories, including hidden files, to the new archive. Install the zip utility with the operating system's package manager if it is not already available.

You can also convert the file on 101convert.com for free without installing software: upload the TGZ, select ZIP as the output format, start the conversion, and download the result. Do not upload confidential backups, credentials, private documents, or other sensitive data unless the service's handling and retention terms are acceptable.

Compatibility and quality limits

The operation is lossless for ordinary file contents: files are extracted byte-for-byte and placed in a different archive format. It does not improve the quality or reduce the encoded size of documents, images, audio, or video.

The ZIP can be larger or smaller than the TGZ. Gzip compresses the complete TAR stream, while ZIP compresses entries separately, so the result depends on the file types, duplicate data, archive structure, and compression settings. JPEG, MP4, and many PDF files are already compressed and usually shrink very little.

Unix permissions, ownership, symbolic links, extended attributes, hard links, and device files may be lost or represented differently, particularly when 7-Zip creates the ZIP on Windows. A ZIP also may not preserve the metadata required by a Linux backup or software package. Keep the original TGZ for restoration or Unix-system use, and use the ZIP for general file distribution.

Review the extracted directory before creating the ZIP, especially if the archive came from an untrusted source, and verify that the resulting ZIP opens and contains the expected top-level structure.