TAR - Compress and Extract

Maintained on October 26, 2026

You can zip a folder or extract a downloaded ZIP file from the right-click menu in File Explorer. But when you want to automate backups in a batch file, it is handy to do the same thing from a command.

Windows 10 (version 1803) and later include the TAR command out of the box. You can create and extract ZIP files without installing any extra software.

TAR Command Basics

Syntax

tar {-c|-x|-t} [options] -f archive_file [files_or_folders]

The main options are as follows.

Option	Description
`-c`	Create an archive (create)
`-x`	Extract an archive (extract)
`-t`	List the contents of an archive (list)
`-f`	Specify the archive file to work with (file)
`-a`	Choose the compression format from the file extension (create only)
`-v`	Display the names of the files processed (verbose)
`-C`	Switch the working folder (used for the extraction and source folders)
`-z`	Compress with gzip (`.tar.gz`). Not needed when extracting

The "-" before options

In Windows TAR, options are written with a leading -, as in tar -cf. You can combine several options, such as -cvf. Because -f takes the file name that follows it, put it last when combining options.

Compress a Folder into a ZIP File

With the -a option, the compression format is chosen from the extension of the output file. Give it a .zip extension to create a ZIP file.

Compress

tar -a -c -f backup.zip docs

－ □ ×

Command Prompt

Microsoft Windows [Version xx.x.xxxxx.xxx]

C:\users\user>tar -a -c -f backup.zip docs

The docs folder in the current directory is compressed into backup.zip. For details on the current directory, see

Display Current Folder

Use the cd command to display the current directory in Command Prompt or a batch file. Learn the difference between %cd%

Without -a, you do not get a ZIP

If you run tar -c -f backup.zip docs without -a, the result is an uncompressed tar file even though it has a .zip extension. Always add -a when you want a real ZIP file.

Bundle Multiple Files

You can specify several files and folders separated by spaces.

tar -a -c -f report.zip report.txt data.csv images

Watch the File Names as They Are Added

With -v, the names of the files added to the archive are displayed one by one.

tar -a -c -v -f backup.zip docs

－ □ ×

Command Prompt

Microsoft Windows [Version xx.x.xxxxx.xxx]

C:\users\user>tar -a -c -v -f backup.zip docs

a docs

a docs/readme.txt

a docs/memo.txt

C:\users\user>

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Extract a ZIP File

Use -x to extract.

Extract

tar -x -f backup.zip

－ □ ×

Command Prompt

Microsoft Windows [Version xx.x.xxxxx.xxx]

C:\users\user>tar -x -f backup.zip

Specify the Extraction Folder

Use -C to specify the folder to extract into.

Extract

tar -x -f backup.zip -C D:\Work\restore

Create the destination folder first

If the folder specified with -C does not exist, TAR does not create it and fails with an error. Create it beforehand, as described in

Create a New Folder

Learn how to create folders from Command Prompt or a batch file with the mkdir (md) command: nested folder structures, n

Create

if not exist D:\Work\restore mkdir D:\Work\restore
tar -x -f backup.zip -C D:\Work\restore

Files with the same name are overwritten

If the destination already contains a file with the same name, it is overwritten without confirmation. When extracting into a folder that holds important files, we recommend extracting into a separate folder first and checking the contents. If you do not want to overwrite files, add the -k option to keep existing files.

Extract Only Specific Files

Specify a path inside the archive at the end to extract only that file. Check the archive contents first, then specify the path.

tar -x -f backup.zip docs/readme.txt

Check the Contents of an Archive

To check the contents before extracting, use -t.

tar -t -f backup.zip

－ □ ×

Command Prompt

Microsoft Windows [Version xx.x.xxxxx.xxx]

C:\users\user>tar -t -f backup.zip

docs/

docs/readme.txt

docs/memo.txt

C:\users\user>

チェック

When there are many files, pipe the output to

more - Control the Text Displayed at Once

Learn how to use the `more` command in Command Prompt to view long output or text files one screen at a time: piping wit

find - Search for Text in Files

Learn how to search for text in files and command output with the find command. Covers case-insensitive search, line num

to make it easier to read. For details on pipes, see

Pipes and Filters

Learn how to use the pipe (|) in Command Prompt to pass one command output to another. Covers find, findstr, sort, and m

List

tar -t -f backup.zip | find ".txt"

Exclude Files from the Archive

Use --exclude to leave files that match a pattern out of the archive. Specify the pattern right after --exclude; wildcards such as * are supported.

Compress

tar -a -c -f backup.zip --exclude "*.tmp" --exclude "*.log" docs

By convention, write --exclude before the name of the folder to compress. The pattern is interpreted by TAR rather than by Command Prompt, so enclose it in quotation marks, as in "*.tmp".

Compress Files in Another Folder

When you use -C while compressing, TAR switches to the specified folder and then adds the files and folders that follow. This keeps extra folder levels such as C:\Users\... out of the archive. Write -C before the files or folders it applies to.

Compress

tar -a -c -f D:\Backup\docs.zip -C C:\Users\user\Documents docs

The structure inside the archive starts with docs/.... The folder specified with -C, C:\Users\user\Documents, is not included in the archive itself.

Keep the archive out of the folder you are compressing

If you create the output ZIP file inside the folder you are compressing, the archive being created ends up among the files to add, which can cause errors or unexpected results. As in the example above, specify an output location outside the folder you are compressing.

Work with tar.gz Files

The .tar.gz format is commonly used when exchanging files with Linux and other environments. With -a, gzip compression is chosen automatically from the .tar.gz extension.

Create

tar -a -c -f backup.tar.gz docs

Extract

tar -x -f backup.tar.gz

The format is detected automatically when extracting, so you do not need -z.

Create a Backup with a Date in the Name

Combine this with the date techniques introduced in

Getting Date and Time

Learn how to get and format the date and time in batch files. Covers the %DATE% and %TIME% variables, using them in file

to create backups whose names include the date.

backup.bat

@echo off
setlocal

set "stamp=%date:~0,4%%date:~5,2%%date:~8,2%"
tar -a -c -f "D:\Backup\docs_%stamp%.zip" -C "C:\Users\user\Documents" docs

if %errorlevel% neq 0 (
  echo The backup failed.
  exit /b 1
)
echo The backup is complete.

The format of %date% depends on your regional settings. The example above assumes the 2026/10/26 format. To make it work reliably, see the methods in

Getting Date and Time

Learn how to get and format the date and time in batch files. Covers the %DATE% and %TIME% variables, using them in file

. For details on exit codes, see

ERRORLEVEL

Learn how to handle errors in batch files with ERRORLEVEL (exit codes): checking results, branching on errors, setting c

Differences from PowerShell’s Compress-Archive

PowerShell also has the Compress-Archive and Expand-Archive cmdlets for ZIP files. You can call PowerShell from Command Prompt, but it takes a little longer to start and the syntax is longer.

Item	TAR	Compress-Archive
Where to run	Command Prompt and PowerShell	PowerShell
Supported formats	zip, tar, tar.gz, and more	zip only
Length of syntax	Short	Longer

For simple compression and extraction, TAR is convenient because you can run it directly from Command Prompt.

Not Available on Older Versions of Windows

The TAR command is included in Windows 10 version 1803 (April 2018) and later. On older systems, you will see an error like 'tar' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.

You can check whether TAR is available with the following command.

tar --version

－ □ ×

Command Prompt

Microsoft Windows [Version xx.x.xxxxx.xxx]

C:\users\user>tar --version

bsdtar 3.7.7 - libarchive 3.7.7 zlib/1.3.1 liblzma/5.4.3 bz2lib/1.0.8

C:\users\user>

If a version number is displayed, you can use it (the number shown varies by environment).

Summary

Task	Command
Compress a folder to ZIP	`tar -a -c -f output.zip folder`
Extract a ZIP	`tar -x -f input.zip`
Specify the extraction folder	`tar -x -f input.zip -C destination`
List the contents	`tar -t -f input.zip`
Exclude files	`--exclude "pattern"`
Compress as tar.gz	`tar -a -c -f output.tar.gz folder`