Extract .Z files.
Ancient unix .Z archives, opened right in your browser.
Drop .Z files here
or browse your files
Paste with ⌘V · or drop files anywhere on the page
Files never leave your device. Everything runs in your browser, nothing touches a server — tools you've used even work offline.
Decompress unix .Z files right in your browser — the 1980s compress format, opened with nothing installed and nothing uploaded. Old distribution archives, university mirrors and legacy backups come back as their original files; a .tar.Z unwraps all the way through.
How it works
- Drop files anywhere on the page, click to browse, or paste with ⌘V.
- Pick a quality or preset — or set an exact target size and let the tool find it.
- Compress, compare before/after, and download — individually or as a ZIP.
A format older than the web
.Z predates gzip: it is the output of compress(1), built on 1984-vintage LZW, and modern systems often ship without the tool that reads it — exactly why a browser page is the convenient way in. Chains like source.tar.Z unwrap both layers automatically, first the .Z stream, then the tar bundle. Newer single-file cousins live on Extract GZ, and everything else archive-shaped opens on Zip & Unzip.
.Z and .gz, side by side
gzip was written specifically to replace compress — LZW was patent-encumbered in the early 90s, and the free replacement also happened to compress better. The family resemblance comes with clear tells:
| Trait | .Z (compress) | .gz (gzip) |
|---|---|---|
| Era | 1984 to the early 90s | 1992 onward |
| Algorithm | LZW — the patent that started it all | DEFLATE, patent-free by design |
| Natural habitat | FTP mirrors, tape backups, SunOS-era sources | Everything since |
| Compression | Modest | Noticeably tighter on the same input |
Frequently asked questions
What created these .Z files?
The unix compress utility, standard through the eighties and nineties — FTP mirrors, tape backups and source distributions of that era are full of them.
What about .tar.Z files?
Recognized and unwrapped in one pass — the .Z layer is decompressed, then the tar bundle inside unpacks to its files automatically.
Can I create .Z files here?
No — the format is obsolete for new archives. Make .gz or .xz instead; every system that reads .Z also reads those.
Is it private?
Yes. The archive is opened and unpacked on your own device — its contents are never uploaded, and a password, if one is needed, is used locally and never transmitted. The server does nothing but deliver this page. Want proof? Run one file through, switch your connection off, and run another — it still works.