Convert Archives to Any Format
15+ archive formats including ZIP, RAR, 7Z, TAR, GZ, BZ2, XZ, and ISO
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How much each archive format actually saves
We packed the same two folders into every format this tool offers and measured the results. The headline is that what you are archiving matters far more than which format you choose.
Tested on two payloads: 2.3 MB of source code, logs and CSV data, and 3.9 MB of photographs and audio. Packed with 7-Zip 26.02.
| Format | Algorithm | Text folder | Saved | Photo folder | Speed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7Z | LZMA2 | 0.3 MB | 86.3% | 15.3% | Fast | Smallest result, open format |
| XZ | LZMA2 | 0.3 MB | 86.7% | 15.3% | Fast | Ties 7Z, standard on Linux |
| BZ2 | Burrows-Wheeler | 0.4 MB | 83.5% | 15% | Slower | Between gzip and LZMA2 |
| GZ | DEFLATE | 0.4 MB | 81.9% | 14% | Slower | Universally supported tarball |
| ZIP-9 | DEFLATE level 9 | 0.4 MB | 81.4% | 14% | Medium | Opens everywhere, no extra software |
| ZIP | DEFLATE level 6 | 0.4 MB | 80.8% | 13.6% | Medium | What this tool produces in your browser |
| TAR | None | 2.4 MB | -1.1% | -0.3% | Instant | A container only, it does not compress |
- On text and code the gains are large. XZ and 7Z both cut the 2.3 MB folder to 0.3 MB, saving about 86.3%, while ZIP saved 80.8%. Logs, source code and spreadsheets are full of repetition that compressors exploit.
- On photographs and audio almost nothing is left to gain. The same formats saved only 13.6% to 15.3%, because JPEG and MP3 files are already compressed. Zipping a folder of photos will not make it meaningfully smaller.
- TAR on its own saves nothing at all, -1.1% in our test. It is a container that joins files together, which is why you almost always see it paired with gzip, bzip2 or xz as .tar.gz, .tar.bz2 or .tar.xz.
- The gap between formats is smaller than the gap between file types. Choosing 7Z over ZIP gained about 5.5 percentage points on text, whereas switching from text to photos changed the outcome by more than sixty.
What runs in your browser
ZIP and TAR are built directly in your browser, so those files never leave your device. The other formats are processed on our servers because browsers cannot unpack them natively.
Measured on two representative folders with 7-Zip at maximum settings. Your own results depend heavily on what is inside the archive. Files that are already compressed will barely shrink in any format.
Supported Archive Formats
Convert between all major archive and compression formats
Common Archives
The universal archive format, supported everywhere.
Best for sharing with anyone on any system.
Compresses well and opens without extra software.
A proprietary format from RARLAB with strong compression.
Best for opening archives someone sent you.
Creating RAR needs licensed software; convert to ZIP or 7Z.
The open 7-Zip format, using LZMA2 compression.
Best when you want the smallest possible archive.
Beat ZIP by a clear margin on text in our test.
Unix/Linux Archives
A Unix container that bundles files without compressing them.
Best as a wrapper before applying gzip, bzip2 or xz.
On its own it saves nothing; it only joins files together.
A TAR archive compressed with gzip.
Best for Unix and Linux distribution of source code.
The most common compressed tarball you will meet.
A TAR archive compressed with bzip2.
Best when you want more compression than gzip.
Slower than gzip, smaller output.
Specialized Formats
A complete disc image, sector for sector.
Best for archiving CDs, DVDs and bootable media.
A container rather than a compressor.
Microsoft's cabinet format, used by Windows installers.
Best for opening Windows setup and driver packages.
Convert to ZIP for everyday sharing.
The classic Unix archive format.
Best for static libraries and Debian package internals.
Rarely used directly these days.
A Debian and Ubuntu software package.
Best for inspecting what an installer contains.
An ar archive holding compressed tarballs.
A Red Hat, Fedora and SUSE software package.
Best for inspecting package contents.
Convert to extract the files inside.
A Java archive, structurally a ZIP file.
Best for Java libraries and applications.
Any ZIP tool can open it.
A DOS-era archive format from the early 1990s.
Best for recovering files from old backups.
Largely historical; convert it forward.
A Japanese archive format popular in the 1990s.
Best for old Amiga and DOS archives.
Convert to ZIP or 7Z to keep the contents usable.
A Unix archive used by system tools and initramfs images.
Best for Linux boot images and RPM internals.
A container format like TAR.
Burrows-Wheeler compression for a single file.
Best paired with TAR as a .tar.bz2 tarball.
Smaller than gzip but slower to pack.
The gzip format, compressing one file at a time.
Best paired with TAR, or for web content.
Fast and universally supported.
LZMA2 compression for a single file.
Best where the smallest size matters most.
Excellent ratio, higher memory use.
The original LZMA compression format.
Best for legacy archives that predate XZ.
XZ superseded it and is the better target.
A compressor built for speed over ratio.
Best where decompression speed matters most.
Saves less than gzip but runs very fast.
A TAR archive compressed with xz.
Best for the smallest tarballs, used by many Linux distros.
Matched 7Z for the best ratio in our test.
The original Unix compress format.
Best for very old Unix archives.
Obsolete; convert to gzip or xz.
References
- APPNOTE.TXT: .ZIP File Format Specification - PKWARE
- RFC 1951: DEFLATE Compressed Data Format Specification version 1.3 - RFC Editor
- RFC 1952: GZIP file format specification version 4.3 - RFC Editor
- 7z Format - 7-Zip
- The .xz File Format - Tukaani Project
- pax, including the tar archive format - POSIX.1-2017, The Open Group
- bzip2 Manual - Sourceware
- Compression Streams API - MDN Web Docs, Mozilla