What This Tool Does
This tool decompresses an XZ file back into the TAR it wraps. XZ uses LZMA-family compression and is common for distributing source packages; the underlying container is almost always a TAR, which this converter recovers.
You get the plain TAR back, which you can open on any system or convert further with the tools on this site.
How It Works
The XZ stream is decoded into the original byte stream, then the recovered TAR is opened with the archive engine to verify it reads correctly before the download link appears.
Step by Step
- 1
Upload the XZ file.
- 2
Click Decompress XZ.
- 3
Wait for the stream to decode.
- 4
Download the recovered TAR.
Compatibility
- Standard XZ streams are supported by the decoder.
- Recovered TAR is verified before download.
- Lossless decoding: output bytes match the original TAR exactly.
Troubleshooting
- Corrupt or truncated XZ streams fail explicitly.
- XZ conventionally wraps TAR; that pairing is what this converter handles.
- High-compression sources decode at a moderate speed by design.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is inside an XZ file normally?
A TAR archive compressed with LZMA, common in source code distributions.
Is the TAR identical to the original?
Yes, XZ decoding is lossless, so the TAR bytes are exactly recovered.
Why choose XZ over gzip?
XZ typically compresses more, at the cost of more time to produce and decode.
Can I skip the TAR step?
Use TAR XZ to ZIP for a direct path to a ZIP deliverable.
Is my data processed locally?
Yes, on this server, and temporary files are removed after download.