Convert ZIP to TAR.BZ2 Online — Maximum Compression
Bzip2 Compression. Smaller Files. Linux/Unix Native.
Drop up to 50 archives at once — no install, no sign-up required.
Drop ZIP Files Here
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How it works
- 1 · Drop your archives
Drag & drop .zip files. No account required—paid plans unlock bigger batches.
- 2 · We convert securely
Archives are extracted and repacked as TAR.BZ2 with bzip2 compression. Zip bomb protection enabled.
- 3 · Download & auto-delete
Grab your TAR.BZ2 files in seconds. Files delete automatically after 1 hour.
ZIP is the most universally supported archive format, created by Phil Katz in 1989. Unlike TAR, ZIP combines archiving and compression in one format, with each file compressed individually using Deflate. This allows extraction of single files without decompressing the entire archive. ZIP has been natively supported by Windows since XP (2001), macOS, and all Linux distributions.
Learn more: ZIP on Wikipedia
ZIP's universal compatibility makes it the default choice for software distribution, email attachments, and cross-platform file sharing. While 7z and RAR achieve better compression ratios, ZIP requires no additional software on any modern operating system. The format supports AES-256 encryption, large files over 4GB (ZIP64), and stores file metadata including timestamps and permissions.
TAR.BZ2 combines TAR archiving with bzip2 compression, using the Burrows-Wheeler algorithm for higher compression ratios than gzip. Files are typically 10-20% smaller than TAR.GZ equivalents, at the cost of slower compression and decompression speeds. The .tbz2 extension is equivalent to .tar.bz2.
Learn more: Bzip2 on Wikipedia
TAR.BZ2 is preferred when minimizing file size matters more than speed-common for archival, bandwidth-limited transfers, and large software distributions. Linux source code releases often provide both .tar.gz (faster) and .tar.bz2 (smaller) options. Like TAR.GZ, Windows has no native support and requires third-party tools.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why choose TAR.BZ2 over TAR.GZ?
Is TAR.BZ2 widely supported?
When should I use TAR.BZ2?
What are the limits for this converter?
| Tier | Max File Size | Max Files/Batch | Parallel Processing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guest/Free | 200 MB | 50 files | 3 at once |
| Pro | 2048 MB | 1000 files | 6 at once |
Note: File size limits are specific to this converter. Batch and parallel processing limits apply to all images converters site-wide. See all converter limits →
How are credits calculated for this conversion?
Cost: 1 credit per 5 MB
How it works:
- Files up to 5 MB: 1 credit
- 6-10 MB: 2 credits
- 11-15 MB: 3 credits
- 16-20 MB: 4 credits
Example: A 5 MB file = 1 credit. A 95 MB file = 19 credits.
Why per-megabyte? Larger files require more resources (processing, bandwidth, storage).
What are my daily and monthly credit limits?
Credit allocations vary by account tier:
| Tier | Daily Limit | Monthly Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Guest | 100 credits/day | — |
| Free | 100 credits/day | — |
| Pro | — | 12,000 credits/month |
Daily credits (Guest & Free tiers) reset every day at midnight UTC. Monthly credits (Pro) reset on your billing cycle date.
Note: With 1 credit per 5 MB, archive files under 5 MB cost 1 credit each. Pro users can convert 12,000 archive files per month.
Answers at a Glance
Quick answers to common questions.
- Are my files secure?
- How long do you keep my files?
- What metadata do you keep?
- What happens after I drop a file?
- Why are conversions so fast?
- How do you measure performance?
- What are the exact limits for each plan?
- Can I process files in bulk?
- Why did my file fail to convert?
- Do you use my files to train AI?
What's New in ZIP to TAR.BZ2
Latest improvements to this converter
Initial release of ZIP to TAR.BZ2 converter with bzip2 compression and batch support.
Need to get more done? Pro starts from $5.
No subscription required.