gz 

GZ File Extension

Have a problem opening a .GZ file? We collect information about file formats and can explain what GZ files are. Additionally we recommend software suitable for opening or converting such files.

What is the .GZ file type?

A file with the .gz extension represents a GNU Zipped Archive file. Introduced in 1992, GZ (or "Gzip") is an open-source binary compression format based on the DEFLATE algorithm. It is commonly used for archiving data on Unix and Linux based computers to reduce storage space and save time by uploading or downloading smaller files.

GZ compressed files are similar to ZIP archives, but they have a simpler structure and allow storing just a single file. That's why the Gzip format is often used in combination with TAR (Tape ARchive): first you aggregate a bundle of files into a single tar archive, and then compress it using GNU Zip. The final result is usually labeled with the .tar.gz or .tgz extension.



Since Windows-based computers don't provide built-in Gzip support, you may need to install additional software for opening or editing GZ compressed files on that platform. There are many useful file compression/decompression utilities available online that will help you expand your .gz archive and get access to its inner content.



Software to open or convert GZ files

You can open GZ files with the following programs:
WinRAR
WinRAR by win.rar GmbH
 
WinZip
WinZip by WinZip Computing, S.L.
 
7-Zip
 


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