Z Converter
Convert files to and from Z online for free. Fast, secure, and high-quality file 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 Z file?
The .Z file extension refers to data compressed with the original Unix compress command, implementing the Lempel-Ziv-Welch (LZW) adaptive compression algorithm. It is a legacy format defined by a specific magic number header (0x1F 0x9D) and was the standard compression method on early BSD and System V Unix releases before the advent of the patent-free DEFLATE algorithm.
How to open a Z file
Due to its age, .Z files are rarely supported by default OS file explorers. Users on Unix-like systems can use uncompress or gunzip (which maintains backward compatibility). Windows users should utilize 7-Zip, which retains the necessary LZW decoders to expand these archives.
Z Technical Info
- Full Name
- Unix Compressed File
- Developed By
- Spencer Thomas et al.
- Initial Release
- 1984
- MIME Type
- application/x-compress
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