File extension TAR

File type Unix Standard Archive Format, Tape Archive
Developer Jean-loup Gailly
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What is a TAR file?

TAR is a data archive file created with Unix-based archiving tool tar. TAR files cane store multiple files in an uncompressed archive format. The format was originally designed for archiving data on magnetic tapes, but is still used today for archiving digital data on any storage devices.

TAR archives may be compressed with external tools, which can use gzip, lzma, bzip2, or compress methods. A compressed archive is given an additional suffix that informs which compression method was used, for example, a gzip archive is given an additional GZ suffix.

Program(s) that can open the .TAR file

How to open TAR files

If you cannot open the TAR file on your computer - there may be several reasons. The first and most important reason (the most common) is the lack of a suitable software that supports TAR among those that are installed on your device.

A very simple way to solve this problem is to find and download the appropriate application. The first part of the task has already been done – the software supporting the TAR file can be found in the table. Now just download and install the appropriate application.

Possible problems with the TAR format files

The inability to open and operate the TAR file does not necessarily mean that you do not have an appropriate software installed on your computer. There may be other problems that also block our ability to operate the Unix Standard Archive Format, Tape Archive file. Below is a list of possible problems.

  • Corruption of a TAR file which is being opened
  • Incorrect links to the TAR file in registry entries.
  • Accidental deletion of the description of the TAR from the Windows registry
  • Incomplete installation of an application that supports the TAR format
  • The TAR file which is being opened is infected with an undesirable malware.
  • The computer does not have enough hardware resources to cope with the opening of the TAR file.
  • Drivers of equipment used by the computer to open a TAR file are out of date.

If you are sure that all of these reasons do not exist in your case (or have already been eliminated), the TAR file should operate with your programs without any problem. If the problem with the TAR file has not been solved, it may be due to the fact that in this case there is also another rare problem with the TAR file. In this case, the only you can do is to ask for assistance of a professional staff.

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How to associate the file with an installed software?

If you want to associate a file with a new program (e.g. my-file.TAR) you have two ways to do it. The first and the easiest one is to right-click on the selected TAR file. From the drop-down menu select "Choose default program", then click "Browse" and find the desired program. The whole operation must be confirmed by clicking OK. The second and more difficult to do is associate the TAR file extension to the corresponding software in the Windows Registry.

Is there one way to open unknown files?

Many files contain only simple text data. It is possible that while opening unknown files (e.g. TAR) with a simple text editor like Windows Notepad will allow us to see some of the data encoded in the file. This method allows you to preview the contents of many files, but probably not in such a structure as a program dedicated to support them.

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