What is the .TAR.GZ file extension?
The .TAR.GZ extension refers to the extension of a tarball file that has been compressed using the Gzip application. TAR or Tar archive is a program in UNIX and Linux that basically packs together multiple files into one without any compression. A Tar archive file by itself in uncompressed form bears a .TAR extension. This file however may be compressed further and doing it with the GNU Zip program is very common. GNU Zip is a free open source compression utility that runs on Linux. When the compression capability of GNU Zip is used along with TAR, the resulting file bears a file extension of .TAR.GZ.
The compressed file is also popularly known as Tarball. Apart from .TAR.GZ, a tarball file may also assume a shorter file extension of .TGZ.
Tools to work with .TAR.GZ files
There are many tools available for various operating systems to work on .TAR.GZ files. The original method of packing, compressing and unzipping these files is through the UNIX command prompt. However, today there are Graphic User Interface based extraction and compression utilities even for Linux operating systems. With its increasing popularity the .TAR.GZ is compatible with the newer versions of most compression utilities. Some of the popular ones that can help you manage these file extensions are mentioned below:
Microsoft Windows: Corel Winzip, WinACE, Stuffit Deluxe, 7-zip, and more
Mac OSX: Stuffit Deluxe, Tar
Linux: Tar, Gzip
These tools can help you compress, unzip and work with these archive files with ease.
Errors opening .TAR.GZ files
Even with relevant programs available you may still encounter errors due to incorrect associations, bad installation or other reasons. When the programs mentioned above find it tough to open the file, tools such as FileCure can be used to read and manipulate .tar.gz file extensions.
File opening tools help you scan the file for irregularities and help you correct any errors found in the file. In the worst possible case, these file fixing utilities create a readable version of the file and help you recover valuable information.