CAB to TAR Converter
Convert CAB to TAR online for free. Fast, secure, and high-quality conversion with no sign-up or software required.
Maximum file size is 1GB
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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 CAB file?
The CAB (Cabinet) file format is a native compressed archive container developed by Microsoft, primarily utilized for the Windows Installer API, DirectX components, and device driver deployment. It supports lossless data compression algorithms including MSZIP (a DEFLATE variant), Quantum, and LZX, the latter providing high compression ratios essential for minimizing distribution media usage. The format structure is identified by the 'MSCF' signature in the file header and integrates with Microsoft Authenticode, allowing digital signatures to verify the integrity and origin of the archived binaries before execution or installation.
How to open a CAB file
Microsoft Windows operating systems provide native kernel-level support for CAB archives, enabling users to view contents via Windows Explorer or extract files using the built-in expand.exe command-line utility. For users requiring advanced extraction features or operating on non-Windows platforms, third-party software is necessary. 7-Zip and WinRAR are standard solutions for Windows, while Linux users typically employ the cabextract package, and macOS users utilize The Unarchiver to decode the specific MSZIP or LZX compression streams.
CAB Technical Info
- Full Name
- Windows Cabinet File
- Developed By
- Microsoft
- Initial Release
- 1992
- MIME Type
- application/vnd.ms-cab-compressed
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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Convert CAB to TAR in seconds
Every CAB to TAR conversion runs on our servers, so your device stays fast and the output quality stays intact.
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No queue, no waiting. Files are processed on high-performance servers and returned in seconds, even for large files.
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Encrypted in transit and never shared with anyone. Uploads are erased the moment your job completes, and results shortly after.
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Developer API
Convert CAB to TAR via API
Automate CAB 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": "cab-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 "$UPLOAD_URL" --upload-file input.cab
# 3. Poll for result
curl https://api.runconvert.com/v3/jobs/$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.