How to Open TAR Files on Android
TAR (Tape ARchive) is the standard archive format in Linux and Unix systems. Unlike ZIP or RAR, TAR doesn't compress — it only bundles files together. Compression is usually added separately (.tar.gz, .tar.bz2, .tar.xz). A raw .tar file is uncompressed.
AnExplorer opens TAR files natively — browse contents or extract to folder.
Quick Answer
Open AnExplorer → tap the .tar file → browse the contents. Long-press → Extract to extract all files to a folder.
Step-by-Step: Open and Extract a TAR File
- Navigate to the
.tarfile in AnExplorer - Tap the file — it opens in the archive viewer
- You see all files and directories inside the TAR bundle
- Tap files to preview them (if a supported format)
- To extract: long-press the
.tarfile → Extract → choose folder → OK
TAR vs TAR.GZ vs TAR.BZ2
| Format | Extension | Compression | Speed | Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TAR | .tar | None | Fastest | Same as original |
| TAR + GZIP | .tar.gz or .tgz | GZIP (fast) | Fast | ~30–60% smaller |
| TAR + BZIP2 | .tar.bz2 or .tbz2 | BZIP2 (slow) | Slow | ~35–65% smaller |
| TAR + XZ | .tar.xz | XZ/LZMA (slow) | Slowest | ~40–70% smaller |
All variants are supported by AnExplorer.
Common TAR Use Cases on Android
| Source | What you get |
|---|---|
| Linux software download | Source code archive — .tar.gz usually |
| NAS backup | TAR backup files (Synology, QNAP export) |
| Android full backup | Some backup tools create .tar per-app |
| Docker/container image | Layers stored as TAR |
| GitHub source code | repository-main.tar.gz |
Permissions in TAR Files
TAR archives preserve Unix file permissions (chmod) and ownership. When extracting on Android:
- Android's file system doesn't enforce Unix permissions the same way
- Files are extracted with standard Android read/write permissions
- Executable scripts won't run on Android even if the TAR marks them as executable
Troubleshooting
TAR extraction takes a long time
Uncompressed TAR extraction is fast (no decompression). But .tar.gz and .tar.bz2 are CPU-intensive. A 1 GB .tar.bz2 can take 2–5 minutes to extract on a mid-range phone.
"Insufficient storage" error during extraction
TAR files don't show the uncompressed size easily before extraction. Compressed variants can expand 2–5×. Estimate needed space as 3× the TAR file size and ensure that's available.
Related Guides
- Open TAR.GZ Files — compressed TAR variant
- Open ZIP Files — ZIP archive guide
- Open 7Z Files — high-compression archive