Dec 03, 2025

Public workspaceOpening a *.tar.gz file on Windows

DOI
https://dx.doi.org/10.17504/protocols.io.3byl46n3ogo5/v1
  • Aaron Pennington1
  • 1University of Rochester Medical Center
Aaron Pennington
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DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.17504/protocols.io.3byl46n3ogo5/v1
Protocol Citation: Aaron Pennington 2025. Opening a *.tar.gz file on Windows. protocols.io https://dx.doi.org/10.17504/protocols.io.3byl46n3ogo5/v1
License: This is an open access protocol distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License,  which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited
Protocol status: Working
Created: November 19, 2025
Last Modified: December 03, 2025
Protocol Integer ID: 232989
Keywords: zip, window
Abstract
This protocol provides instructions on how to use 7-Zip to open a *.tar.gz file on Windows.
Troubleshooting
Download the *.tar.gz file
In order to open your data from our delivered *.tar.gz file, you will need to download the program 7-Zip. It is an open-source program that can open and create archived and compressed files. We will use it to open the *.tar.gz file. Use the standard parameters for installation.
https://www.7-zip.org/
With 7-Zip installed, you can click the FTP download link(s) provided in our delivery email to download your data. Downloading the file(s) can take hours to complete.



Open the *.tar.gz file in 7-Zip
Follow these steps to open the *.tar.gz file.
  1. Navigate to your Downloads folder in File explore
  2. Find the *.tar.gz file in your Downloads folder
  3. Right click the *.tar.gz file
  4. Select 7-Zip
  5. Click on the Open archive option at the top of the menu to open the *.tar.gz file in 7-Zip





Navigate to your data in 7-Zip
With the *.tar.gz file open in 7-Zip, we can access your data
  1. Double click on file icon (left of *.tar)
  2. Double click on folder icon (left of the folder name)
  3. See on screen the files for your data


Saving your data
Now that your data is open in 7-Zip, you can copy the files to a secure location. We recommend smdnas as a secure location to save your data.
You can follow the instructions at the following link to access smdnas.
https://www.protocols.io/view/delivery-via-smdnas02-261ge5d97g47/v3

  1. In another File explore window, open the folder that we will copy the data too
  2. In 7-Zip hold the "ctrl" key and press the "A" key on your keyboard to select all the files (now highlighted blue)
  3. Press on and hold left click while over any highlighted file
  4. While holding down left click move the cursor over to the secure location on the other File explore window and release left click

This will start the process of copying the files to the new folder. This will likely take about the same time as it did to download the *.tar.gz file. Once your data has been saved, we recommend keeping the original *.tar.gz file in a safe location so that it can be re-opened in the future.


Troubleshooting and solving errors
Checking for a successful download
In order to ensure the *.tar.gz did not fail to download check the following
  • Look in your browser's downloads to see the download progress of the file
  • Losing your internet connection or power while downloading the file will require the download to be restarted