How to Open a TAR File on PC or Mac

A TAR file is compressed files with the extension .tar.gz. Opening TAR files with a Mac is easy, but the process is a little more complicated on a Windows-based computer, which requires you to download a third-party program like WinRar or...
Method 1 of 2:

Using a Mac

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    Open Finder
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    . You can find this in your Dock.
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    Navigate to your TAR file.
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    Double-Click the file. The file will decompress automatically.
Method 2 of 2:

Using a Windows-based PC

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    Open a web browser. Popular ones include Firefox and Chrome.
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    Navigate to https://www.7-zip.org/.
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    Click Download either the 32-bit X84 or 64-bit x64 file.
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    Choose a download location in the pop-up window. A pop-up box will appear asking you to choose a download location once you click Download.
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    Click Save. The .exe file will save in the location you picked in the previous step, which is most likely the Downloads folder.
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    Click the downloaded .exe file. Your browser will alert you when the download is finished.
    1. Click Allow changes if prompted.
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    Click Install. You will see a progress bar as the installation progresses.
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    Click Close.
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    Open 7-Zip File Manager.
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    Navigate to the TAR file. This program works just like the native file manager on your computer.
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    Click your TAR file. It will highlight in blue.
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    Click the extract button. This is at the top of the window and looks like a blue minus button.
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    Choose an extraction location. A window will pop up with options such as extraction location.
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    Click Ok. The files inside the TAR file will extract into the location you specified in the previous step, and you'll be able to open it from there.
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