Decompress .xz Files Online
Turn a .xz file back into the original: a disk image, a database dump, a log. For .tar.xz archives with many files, use the TAR.XZ extractor.
How to decompress an XZ file online
- Drop the
.xzfile onto the box above, or click to choose it. - The file inside is listed under its name without the
.xzending. Click it if you want a preview. - Download the decompressed file.
A .xz file holds exactly one file
XZ is a compressor, not an archiver. It takes one file and makes it smaller, and the result carries no folder structure and no stored file name. Decompressing backup.sql.xz gives you backup.sql; the name comes from the compressed file’s own name.
You see the format wherever size matters more than compression time: operating system images for single-board computers and installers (.img.xz, .iso.xz), database dumps, rotated logs, firmware downloads. Windows and macOS have no obvious built-in way to open one, and the xz command is a Unix tool.
XZ or TAR.XZ?
If the name ends in .tar.xz or .txz, the file inside is a tar archive with many files. You can drop it here as well, since compressed tarballs are unwrapped automatically, but the TAR.XZ page is written for that case. Old-style .lzma files, the predecessor of XZ, are decompressed the same way.
Large files
XZ compresses hard, so a 1 GB download can expand to many times that. The output is written to the browser’s temporary storage on disk rather than held in memory, so there is no fixed size cap, but you need enough free disk space for the expanded file. Decompression runs on your computer and the file is not uploaded, which also means there is no transfer to wait for.
Frequently asked questions
How do I open a .xz file on Windows?
Drop it on this page in a current desktop browser and download the decompressed file. No extra program is needed.
What is the difference between .xz and .tar.xz?
A .xz is one compressed file. A .tar.xz is a tar archive of many files that was then compressed with XZ. For the second kind see the TAR.XZ extractor.
What name does the decompressed file get?
The name of the compressed file with .xz removed. The XZ format does not store the original file name.
Can I decompress a multi-gigabyte .img.xz?
Yes, as long as the browser’s temporary storage has room for the expanded image. That storage is normally a share of your free disk space.
Can I create .xz files here?
Not single .xz files. The archive creator can make .tar.xz archives.