tar bundles files/folders preserving structure, then gzip compresses that bundle. This is why you often see .tar.gz — it's a tar archive that has been gzip -compressed. 2. Native Windows Tar Command (Built-in) Check if you have it Open Command Prompt , PowerShell , or Windows Terminal and type:
tar -xzvf file.txt.gz # extracts file.txt Or using gzip -d if available via third-party tools. .tgz is just a shorthand for .tar.gz . All commands above work identically: windows tar gzip
| Tool | Supports .tar.gz | Free | Notes | |------|----------------|------|-------| | | ✅ | Yes | Can create/extract .tar.gz (right-click → 7-Zip → Add to archive → choose tar → then gzip) | | WinRAR | ✅ | Trial (nagware) | Handles .tar.gz natively | | PeaZip | ✅ | Yes | Open source, many formats | | Bandizip | ✅ | Free (basic) | Fast and clean UI | Native Windows Tar Command (Built-in) Check if you