BZ to TAR Converter

Convert BZ to TAR online for free. Fast, secure, and high-quality conversion with no sign-up or software required.

Free to useNo file stored beyond 1 hourEncrypted over TLS 1.2/1.3No watermarks

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Maximum file size is 1GB

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How it works

Three steps to your converted file

Everything happens in your browser tab - upload, pick a format, download. The heavy lifting runs on our servers.

Upload your file

Drag and drop, click to browse, or paste a URL. Batches take up to 20 files at once - 230+ input formats across video, audio, image, document, and archive types.

Choose an output format

Pick from over a hundred output formats. Filter by category or search by name - every option is open to everyone, no account needed.

Convert & download

Hit Convert and grab your download link moments later. Originals are erased when the job completes; results are cleared within about an hour.

What is a BZ file?

The BZ file extension represents a compressed archive created by the original bzip utility, developed by Julian Seward in 1996. This format utilizes the Burrows-Wheeler Transform (BWT) for block-sorting text permutation, followed by Move-to-Front (MTF) transforms and arithmetic coding to achieve high-density lossless compression. The BZ format is the predecessor to the more standard bzip2 (.bz2); it was deprecated and superseded shortly after release due to patent concerns surrounding the use of arithmetic coding, which was subsequently replaced by Huffman coding in bzip2. Unlike ZIP archives, BZ files typically compress a single stream or file and do not natively support directory archiving without a container format like TAR.

How to open a BZ file

Modern operating systems do not provide native decoding support for the legacy BZ format due to its obsolescence and the prevalence of bzip2. To extract data from a BZ file, users require third-party file compression software capable of handling legacy block-sorting algorithms. 7-Zip is the recommended utility for Windows environments due to its comprehensive backward compatibility, while macOS users should utilize The Unarchiver. In Linux and Unix-like environments, the standard bzip2 command-line utility often retains backward compatibility to decompress these files using the -d flag.

BZ Technical Info

Full Name: Bzip Compressed File
Developed By: Julian Seward
Initial Release: 1996
MIME Type: application/x-bzip

What is a TAR file?

The TAR (Tape Archive) format is a file format standardized by POSIX.1-1988 and later POSIX.1-2001 (pax), originally developed for writing data to sequential I/O devices like magnetic tape drives. Unlike modern archive formats, TAR is purely a container format that concatenates multiple files into a single archive without native compression, preserving file system attributes such as user/group permissions, dates, and directory structures. It is frequently paired with compression utilities like Gzip or Bzip2 in Unix-like environments.

How to open a TAR file

Most Unix-based systems (Linux, macOS, BSD) include native support via the GNU Tar command-line utility. Windows does not natively support TAR extraction in versions prior to Windows 10 (Build 17063), requiring third-party tools. For cross-platform compatibility, 7-Zip and WinRAR are standard utilities for inspecting and extracting TAR containers.

TAR Technical Info

Full Name: Tape Archive
Developed By: AT&T Bell Laboratories
Initial Release: 1979
MIME Type: application/x-tar

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Why RunConvert

The fastest way to convert any file

Purpose-built for speed, privacy, and breadth of format support.

Convert BZ to TAR in seconds

Every BZ to TAR conversion runs on our servers, so your device stays fast and the output quality stays intact.

Fast, cloud-powered

No queue, no waiting. Files are processed on high-performance servers and returned in seconds, even for large files.

Secure & private

Encrypted in transit and never shared with anyone. Uploads are erased the moment your job completes, and results shortly after.

Free - no account needed

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Developer API

Convert BZ to TAR via API

Automate BZ to TAR conversions in three steps: create a job, upload your file, then poll for the result.

# 1. Create job
curl -X POST https://api.runconvert.com/v3/jobs \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "tag": "bz-to-tar",
    "tasks": {
      "upload-file": {
        "operation": "import/upload"
      },
      "convert": {
        "operation": "convert",
        "input": "upload-file",
        "output_format": "tar"
      },
      "export-result": {
        "operation": "export/url",
        "input": "convert"
      }
    }
  }'

# 2. Upload your file (use upload_url from the response)
curl -X PUT "$UPLOAD_URL" --upload-file input.bz

# 3. Poll for result
curl https://api.runconvert.com/v3/jobs/$JOB_ID?include=tasks \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your RunConvert API key. Get your free API key at runconvert.com/api.