How to Open a Tar File on Android

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Written by Darlene Antonelli, MA

Last Updated: March 10, 2025

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• Using RAR
|
• Using WinZip
|
• Using B1 Archiver

|Show more |Show less

This wikiHow teaches you how to open tar files on Android. Since tar files are compressed files, like zip and rar files, you’ll need to unpack the tar file before accessing what’s inside. There are a variety of apps to unpack compressed files, like RAR, WinZip, and B1 Archiver. RAR and the other apps are free to use, but have ads that appear and pop up sporadically as you use them; however, paying a fee will remove those ads or unlock more features.

Best Way to Open a TAR File on Android

1. Install the RAR app from the Play Store.
2. Open the RAR app.
3. Tap the TAR file to view its contents.

Steps

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Using RAR

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1. 
   1
   Open the Google Play Store

   

   app. You can find this app on your home screen, in the app drawer, or by searching.

   • RAR is an app created by the same team that made WinRAR. You can pay to remove ads in the ⋮ menu.
2. 
   2
   Type in “RAR”. The search box is along the top of your screen.

   • The author is RARLAB (published by win.rar GmbH).
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3. 
   3
   Tap Install.
4. 
   4
   Open RAR. This app icon looks like 3 books, blue, green, and red, tied together with a belt. You can find this app on either your home screen, in the app drawer, or by searching.

   • You will have to give the app permissions to access your storage to continue.
   • You’ll see a list of your phone’s internal storage.
5. 
   5
   Navigate to and tap on your tar file.

   • You'll see what is in the compressed file, such as a JPG and text files.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Using WinZip

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1. 
   1
   Open the Google Play Store

   

   app. You can find this app on your home screen, in the app drawer, or by searching.

   • WinZip is an app created by the same team that made WinZip for desktop. You can pay to remove ads in the ☰ menu.
2. 
   2
   Type in “WinZip”. The search box is along the top of your screen.

   • The author is WinZip Computing.
3. 
   3
   Tap Install.
4. 
   4
   Open WinZip. This app icon looks like a yellow file cabinet in a grey vice clamp. You can find this app on either your home screen, in the app drawer, or by searching.

   • You will have to give the app permissions to access your storage to continue.
5. 
   5
   Swipe left to proceed through the tutorial.
6. 
   6
   Tap Start.

   • You will see a list of your internal storage.
7. 
   7
   Navigate to and tap on your tar file. When you tap on a folder, you will go into that folder and see what’s inside.

   • Tapping on ☰ in the upper left corner of your screen will provide you with the option to upload your tar file from Google Drive and Dropbox.
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Using B1 Archiver

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1. 
   1
   Open the Google Play Store

   

   app. You can find this app on your home screen, in the app drawer, or by searching.

   • B1 Archiver is a popular free app that opens most file types. If you want to open more obscure file types and remove ads, you can pay for the app in the ⋮ menu.
2. 
   2
   Type in “B1 Archiver”. The search box is along the top of your screen.

   • The author is Catalina Group.
3. 
   3
   Tap Install.
4. 
   4
   Open B1 Archiver. This app icon looks like the alphanumeric “B1” in a minimalist vice clamp. You can find this app on either your home screen, in the app drawer, or by searching.

   • You will have to give the app permissions to access your storage to continue.
   • You’ll see a list of your phone’s internal storage.
5. 
   5
   Navigate to and tap on your tar file. A menu with options like View Archive, Extract here, and Extract to another folder… will appear.
6. 
   6
   Tap View archive.

   • You will see what is in the compressed file, such as a JPG and text files.
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