# BZ2 Viewer

Free online BZ2 viewer. Open .bz2, .bzip2, .tbz and .tbz2 archives in your browser to list contents — no upload, no extraction.

> Canonical page: https://elysiatools.com/en/viewers/bz2

- **Category:** Archives

- **Supported formats:** .bz2, .bzip2, .tbz, .tbz2

## Overview

This BZ2 viewer reads BZip2-compressed archives directly in your browser. BZip2 (.bz2) uses the Burrows-Wheeler transform to achieve better compression than GZip, at the cost of slower compression. It is common on Unix systems and in .tar.bz2 source packages. Pick a sample or choose your own .bz2 file to browse its contents instantly, with no upload.

## When to use

- You received a .bz2 or .tar.bz2 file and want to inspect it without extracting.
- You need a private preview of a BZip2-compressed download.
- You want to check a .tbz archive on a machine without bzip2 installed.

## How it works

- Select a built-in sample archive or choose your own .bz2 / .bzip2 / .tbz file.
- The viewer reads the archive's contents in your browser — nothing is uploaded.
- Browse the file list and inspect entry names and sizes.

## Use cases

- Checking .tar.bz2 source distributions.
- Previewing BZip2-compressed data dumps.
- Verifying .tbz archives before extraction.

## Samples

- **Sample Archive**: A BZip2 compressed archive sample for in-browser preview

## Frequently asked questions

### Is BZip2 better than GZip?

BZip2 typically produces smaller files than GZip but compresses more slowly. For distribution where download size matters more than compression speed, .bz2 is often preferred.

### What are .tbz and .tbz2?

.tbz and .tbz2 are shorthand for .tar.bz2 — a TAR archive compressed with BZip2. The viewer treats them identically and lists the bundled files.

### Are my BZ2 files uploaded?

No. Files you open from your device stay on your device and are read locally. Only the public sample archive is requested from the server.

## Related content

- [ZIP Viewer](https://elysiatools.com/en/viewers/zip): Open and preview ZIP archives (.zip, .zipx) directly in your browser — list contents without uploading or extracting.
- [7Z Viewer](https://elysiatools.com/en/viewers/7z): Open and preview 7Z archives (.7z) directly in your browser — list contents without uploading or extracting.
- [RAR Viewer](https://elysiatools.com/en/viewers/rar): Open and preview RAR archives (.rar, .cbr) directly in your browser — list contents without uploading or extracting.
- [TAR Viewer](https://elysiatools.com/en/viewers/tar): Open and preview TAR archives (.tar, .tgz) directly in your browser — list contents without uploading or extracting.
- [GZ Viewer](https://elysiatools.com/en/viewers/gz): Open and preview GZip archives (.gz, .gzip) directly in your browser — list contents without uploading or extracting.
- [XZ Viewer](https://elysiatools.com/en/viewers/xz): Open and preview XZ archives (.xz, .txz) directly in your browser — list contents without uploading or extracting.