GZ to RAR Converter
Convert GZ to RAR 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
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What is a GZ file?
A GZ file is a compressed archive generated by the gzip (GNU zip) utility, originally developed by Jean-loup Gailly and Mark Adler in 1992 as a free software replacement for the LZW-patented Unix compress program. The format utilizes the DEFLATE algorithm, which combines LZ77 compression and Huffman coding to reduce file size losslessly. Defined by IETF RFC 1952, the GZ file structure includes a 10-byte header containing a magic number (0x1F 0x8B), compression method flags, and the original filename, followed by the compressed data stream and a CRC-32 checksum footer for error detection. Unlike ZIP archives, GZ is typically used to compress a single file or stream; multiple files are usually archived into a TAR file before compression, resulting in a .tar.gz extension.
How to open a GZ file
GZ files enjoy native support on Unix-like operating systems, including Linux and macOS, where they can be decompressed via the terminal using the gunzip command or opened with the built-in Archive Utility. On Microsoft Windows, native support is limited, necessitating third-party file archivers such as 7-Zip, WinRAR, or PeaZip to extract contents. Since GZ compresses a single bitstream, if the contained file is a TAR archive, users must perform a second extraction step to access the individual files within the resulting directory.
GZ Technical Info
- Full Name
- Gnu Zip
- Developed By
- The GNU Project (Jean-loup Gailly & Mark Adler)
- Initial Release
- 1992
- MIME Type
- application/gzip
What is a RAR file?
RAR (Roshal Archive) is a proprietary archive file format developed by Eugene Roshal that supports data compression, error recovery, and file spanning. It utilizes a variation of the LZSS algorithm with a sliding window size of up to 4 MB (in RAR4) or 1 GB (in RAR5), combined with Huffman coding. Key technical features include support for AES-256 encryption, BLAKE2sp hash algorithms for file integrity, and specialized recovery records that allow for the reconstruction of damaged data. The format structure supports solid archiving, where multiple files are treated as a single continuous data stream to improve compression ratios.
How to open a RAR file
Due to the proprietary nature of the RAR licensing, creating RAR files requires licensed software (WinRAR), though extraction is supported by various free tools. Windows users typically use WinRAR or 7-Zip to extract contents. macOS users can utilize The Unarchiver or Keka. On Linux, the non-free unrar package or the open-source 7z (p7zip-full) package provides extraction capabilities via the command line.
RAR Technical Info
- Full Name
- Roshal Archive
- Developed By
- Eugene Roshal
- Initial Release
- 1993
- MIME Type
- application/vnd.rar
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Developer API
Convert GZ to RAR via API
Automate GZ to RAR 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": "gz-to-rar",
"tasks": {
"upload-file": {
"operation": "import/upload"
},
"convert": {
"operation": "convert",
"input": "upload-file",
"output_format": "rar"
},
"export-result": {
"operation": "export/url",
"input": "convert"
}
}
}'
# 2. Upload your file (use upload_url from the response)
curl -X PUT "$UPLOAD_URL" --upload-file input.gz
# 3. Poll for result
curl https://api.runconvert.com/v3/jobs/$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.