MakeFileWork

Create a TAR archive without changing file contents

Bundle related files into one uncompressed TAR when a Unix workflow, backup tool or deployment process expects a .tar container. TAR is packaging, not compression.

What this tool actually does

Create TAR works with the real archive structure or creates a new container; it does not rename an extension. The workflow is designed for bounded local processing, with size and entry limits that prevent uncontrolled expansion or browser resource use.

How the result is verified

MakeFileWork validates the structure it creates or inspects and reports which entries could be processed. An archive operation is ready when the resulting container can be serialized and the expected entries are present, not simply because a file can be offered for download.

Limits and fidelity

TAR and TAR.GZ archives can contain traversal paths, symbolic links, colliding names and special entry types. Universal batch rejects those archives rather than offering falsely verified downloads. A valid GZIP stream alone does not prove that the claimed TAR is valid. Size and expansion limits also apply.

When to use this workflow

Use this workflow to package, inspect or extract supported archives. If a ZIP is damaged and the goal is content recovery, use the dedicated ZIP repair workflow instead because it distinguishes verified, partial and incomplete recovery.

Privacy and final verification

Keep the original file until the output has been reviewed in the destination application or portal. Supported workflows process locally in the browser and enforce bounded size and complexity limits. For Create TAR, verify that the generated format preserves the properties that matter for your use case. For important data, compare a representative sample and confirm that format, content and quality meet the actual requirement before replacing the source file. Also open the generated file in the destination application when compatibility, colour, transparency, layout or compression matters.

What the TAR writer checks

The browser builds POSIX ustar records, rejects unsafe or ambiguous filenames, verifies header checksums and reopens the archive. It compares each output filename, size and content byte with the selected source. Invalid or out-of-range file timestamps are rejected rather than silently shortened.

Limits and formatting

Choose up to 100 files, with at most 25 MiB per file and 60 MiB in total. Filenames must fit 100 UTF-8 bytes after normalization. Folder paths from your device are not preserved; files with equivalent names receive unique suffixes. Links and extended PAX metadata are not written.

TAR, TAR.GZ or ZIP?

Use TAR when a system needs an uncompressed POSIX archive. Use TAR.GZ for a compressed TAR stream. Use ZIP for broad desktop compatibility. None of these formats encrypts your files or scans them for malware.

After downloading

Inspect the archive before distributing it, especially if the receiving system has stricter naming rules. A successful local structural check does not prove that the original files are trustworthy.

Related archive tools

Convert an existing ZIP to TAR without losing file contents

Use the new ZIP import option to select one ZIP instead of separate files. MakeFileWork verifies the central directory, each local header, decompression size and CRC32 before creating a real TAR archive. The result is reopened and each regular-file payload is compared byte for byte. Directory paths are deliberately flattened and duplicate leaf names receive deterministic suffixes; review the evidence before using the TAR as a backup. Password-protected archives, symlinks, unsafe paths, unsupported compression and ZIP bombs are rejected. This is an archive-format conversion, not malware scanning.

Cancel a large archive job and verify its download

When a ZIP is imported, MakeFileWork checks each entry before conversion and allows cancellation between entries instead of waiting for the whole archive. After the TAR is assembled, a SHA-256 fingerprint of the output is stored locally and checked again when you press Download. A matching fingerprint confirms that the downloaded bytes have not changed since the completed conversion; it does not prove that the source files are harmless or that their folder structure was preserved.