Extract XZ Files Online — Open .xz & TAR.XZ in Browser
XZ compression (using the LZMA2 algorithm) is the modern standard for Linux software distribution. Fedora, Arch Linux, and most contemporary open-source projects ship as .tar.xz because it achieves the best compression ratios of any widely-supported format — typically 25–35% smaller than the equivalent TAR.BZ2 and 40–50% smaller than TAR.GZ.
If you've downloaded a Linux software package, kernel source, or open-source release and found a .xz or .tar.xz file, FastZip extracts it directly in your browser with no installation needed.
LZMA2 — same algorithm, different container — 7Z files also use LZMA2 compression internally, which is why FastZip's WebAssembly engine handles both 7Z and XZ efficiently. The difference is the container: 7Z uses its own archive format with file headers and directory indexes; XZ is a streamlined compression wrapper with minimal overhead, designed for use with TAR.
XZ compression levels — XZ files can be compressed at levels 0–9. Most Linux distributions use level 6 (the default) as a balance. Some projects use level 9 (extreme), which can be 5–15% smaller but takes much longer to compress. Decompression time is similar regardless of compression level.
Linux kernel source archives — kernel.org distributes Linux kernel releases as .tar.xz. A typical kernel release (kernel-6.x.tar.xz) is around 130–140 MB compressed, expanding to roughly 1.2 GB of source code. The free tier 200 MB limit covers the compressed archive download; the expanded size is what matters for your device storage.
Format & Feature Reference
| Format | Compression Ratio | vs TAR.GZ |
|---|---|---|
| TAR.XZ (.tar.xz) | Best (LZMA2) | 30–50% smaller |
| TAR.BZ2 (.tar.bz2) | Good (bzip2) | 10–20% smaller |
| TAR.GZ (.tar.gz) | Baseline (gzip) | Baseline |
| TAR (uncompressed) | None | 0% — no compression |
| Max size free tier | 200 MB | — |
| Encryption | Not supported | — |
| Streaming decompression | Yes | — |
Opening XZ Archives on Windows
Windows has no XZ support built in. 7-Zip supports .xz and .tar.xz, but if you don't have it installed, FastZip is a zero-install alternative. Open Edge or Chrome, navigate to fastzip.io, drop your .tar.xz file, and extract.
This is particularly useful for Windows developers who occasionally work with Linux source distributions — inspecting a package's README, checking a configuration file, or reviewing build scripts — without needing a full WSL environment.
Arch Linux and AUR Packages
Arch Linux packages (.pkg.tar.xz or newer .pkg.tar.zst) are XZ-compressed. If you're inspecting an AUR package's PKGBUILD or want to verify the contents of a binary package before installing, FastZip lets you browse the archive without installing anything or running tar -xJf in a terminal.
Note: .pkg.tar.xz Arch packages contain the package files in a structure similar to the installation path — usr/bin/, usr/lib/, usr/share/, etc. FastZip shows this structure in the file listing.