7Z to TAR.GZ Converter

7Z vs TAR.GZ — Which Archive Should You Use?

If you have a .7z file and need it to behave like a native Unix archive — extractable with a plain tar -xzf on any Linux or macOS box, with file permissions and paths intact — converting to .tar.gz is the move. The catch: 7-Zip's LZMA2 packs tighter than gzip's DEFLATE, so expect the resulting .tar.gz to be a little larger. The conversion itself is lossless: your files come out byte-for-byte identical, only the container and compression change.

Side-by-side Comparison

When to Pick TAR.GZ

• You are deploying to a Linux server, CI pipeline, or container where tar -xzf is guaranteed to exist and no extra tooling is wanted.
• You need to preserve Unix file modes, ownership, and directory structure on extraction.
• You are publishing source code or a software bundle for a Unix-like audience — .tar.gz is the long-standing convention.
• Fast decompression matters more than squeezing out the last few percent of size.

When to Stay on 7Z (or Pick a Tighter Target)

• Smallest file size is the priority — LZMA2 typically beats gzip, so the original .7z is often the more compact option.
• Your recipients are on Windows with 7-Zip already installed.
• If you want a Unix-friendly tarball that still compresses tightly, target .tar.xz instead — it pairs tar with LZMA2-class compression. See 7Z to TAR.XZ.

Which Unix Tarball Should You Target?

How to Convert 7Z to TAR.GZ

1. Upload Your 7Z File: Drag and drop your .7z archive onto the page, or click "+ Add Files" to browse. You can add several archives at once.
2. Choose Single Archive or Individual Archives: In the "Combine?" option, pick Single Archive to repack everything into one .tar.gz, or Individual Archives to produce a separate .tar.gz for each uploaded file.
3. Keep the Defaults: The defaults are tuned for a clean, standards-compliant tar tarball with gzip compression — leave them as-is unless you have a specific reason to change them.
4. Convert and Download: Click "Convert" and download your .tar.gz. Files are uploaded over an encrypted connection, processed on our servers, and deleted automatically after a few hours. No sign-up, no watermark.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will I lose any data converting 7Z to TAR.GZ?

No. The conversion is lossless — the 7z is extracted and its contents are repacked into a tar tarball, then gzip-compressed. Every file comes out byte-for-byte identical to what was inside the 7z. Only the container and compression method change.

Why is my TAR.GZ larger than the original 7Z?

Because 7-Zip uses LZMA2, which generally compresses tighter than the DEFLATE algorithm gzip uses. The contents are the same, but gzip leaves a bit more on the table, so a .tar.gz is usually slightly larger than the equivalent .7z. If file size is your main concern, TAR.XZ keeps the Unix-friendly tar structure while compressing closer to 7z levels.

Does TAR.GZ keep Unix file permissions and folder structure?

Yes. The tar layer inside a .tar.gz records file mode, ownership, and directory paths, so when you extract it on Linux or macOS those attributes are restored. This is a key reason .tar.gz is the default for server deploys and software distribution, where 7z's permission handling is more limited.

How do I extract a TAR.GZ once it is converted?

On Linux or macOS, run tar -xzf archive.tar.gz in a terminal — no extra software needed, since tar and gzip ship with the OS. On Windows, use 7-Zip or WinRAR; note it is a two-step format (gunzip, then untar), so some tools unpack it in two passes.

Is TAR.GZ better than 7Z for sharing files?

It depends on the recipient. For Linux and macOS users, servers, and CI systems, .tar.gz is the more compatible choice because the tools are built in. For the smallest download or Windows recipients with 7-Zip, the original .7z may serve better. In our testing, repacking a 7z of mixed source files into .tar.gz produced an archive a few percent larger, with no change to the extracted contents.

Is the .tar.gz this produces the same as a .tgz?

Yes. .tgz is just the single-extension spelling of .tar.gz — the same tar-then-gzip format with identical bytes inside. Some older tools and filesystems preferred the shorter name, but any program that opens one opens the other. If a tool specifically asks for .tgz, you can rename the output; nothing about the file needs to change.

Should I use TAR.GZ or TAR.XZ for my 7z contents?

If compatibility is the priority, TAR.GZ — every Unix system, CI runner, and container base image can tar -xzf it with zero setup. If keeping the archive small matters more, TAR.XZ compresses with LZMA2, the same family 7z uses, so it lands much closer to the original .7z size while staying a native Unix tarball. A rough rule: TAR.GZ for deploys and wide sharing, TAR.XZ when you're trying to preserve 7z-level compression.

Are my files kept private during conversion?

Yes. Your archive is uploaded over an encrypted connection, processed on our servers, and deleted automatically after a few hours. We never share, publish, or watermark your files, and no sign-up is required. If you would prefer a Windows-friendly target instead, see 7Z to ZIP.