Dropvert

Archive Converter

Convert between ZIP, TAR, and TAR.GZ — browser-based.

Drop files anywhere or click to browse

Up to 200 MB

Convert between the three most common archive formats — ZIP, TAR, and TAR.GZ — without uploading. Drop the archive, browse its contents, optionally pick which files to keep, then repack to a different format. Common use case: extracting a ZIP and re-compressing as TAR.GZ for a Linux deployment, or unpacking a TAR.GZ from GitHub and saving as a ZIP for someone on Windows.

How it works

4-step walkthrough

  1. 1

    Drop the archive

    Supports .zip, .tar, .tar.gz, and .tgz. Dropvert detects the format from the filename, reads the entire archive into memory, and lists every entry.

  2. 2

    Browse and pick

    Every file and folder in the archive is shown with its size and full path. By default everything is selected; uncheck rows to exclude them from the output. Useful for stripping README / .DS_Store / node_modules / .git directories before resharing.

  3. 3

    Pick the output format

    ZIP (universal compatibility), TAR (uncompressed, common on Unix), or TAR.GZ (compressed, the de facto standard for Linux releases).

  4. 4

    Convert and download

    Selected entries are repacked into the new format. The output filename is the source name with the new extension.

Why use Dropvert

Local-first, free, no upload required

  • Three formats cover ~95% of real-world archive needs: ZIP (Windows / mail attachments), TAR (Unix raw), TAR.GZ (Linux releases).
  • Browser-side conversion. Works on private archives — no upload, no third-party server.
  • Selective re-packing — strip unwanted directories before resharing.
  • Live entry list with file sizes so you can see what's in the archive before converting.
  • No watermark, no signup, no per-day quota.

Frequently asked questions

6 answered

Why not 7Z and RAR?
7Z and RAR require dedicated WASM modules (7-Zip is open-source but heavy; RAR is proprietary and read-only without licensing). They're tracked for v2 of this tool. For now, ZIP / TAR / TAR.GZ covers most cross-platform sharing needs.
How big an archive can I handle?
Practically: a few hundred MB. The archive is read into memory once, so the limit is your browser's heap. Modern browsers comfortably handle 500 MB. Beyond that, expect slowdowns or out-of-memory errors. Single-file archives benefit from streaming, which we don't do today; for very large archives use 7-Zip / unar / tar on the command line.
Are passwords supported?
Reading password-protected ZIPs isn't supported in v1. The library we use (JSZip) supports password-protected reads in some modes but not reliably across all encryption types. If you have a password-protected archive, decrypt it with another tool first, then run it through Dropvert.
Will the file names with non-ASCII characters work?
Yes — the underlying libraries handle UTF-8 paths. ZIP archives without proper UTF-8 metadata may show garbled names; in that case, the names are interpreted as best-effort UTF-8.
Are my files uploaded?
No. Reading and writing happen in your browser. The archive contents never leave your device.
Can I add files to the archive?
Not in v1. The current flow is: drop archive → pick subset of contents → repack. Adding new files requires a richer "build an archive from scratch" UX which is on the roadmap.

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