# GZ Viewer

Free online GZ viewer. Open .gz and .gzip archives in your browser to list contents — no upload, no extraction.

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

- **Category:** Archives

- **Supported formats:** .gz, .gzip

## Overview

This GZ viewer reads GZip-compressed archives directly in your browser. GZip (.gz) is the most common compression on Unix systems and the web, used everywhere from .tar.gz source packages to HTTP content encoding. Pick a sample or choose your own .gz / .gzip file to browse its contents instantly, with no upload and no extraction software.

## When to use

- You received a .gz or .tar.gz file and want to see what is inside without extracting it.
- You need a private preview of a compressed download before opening it.
- You want to inspect a GZip archive on a machine without decompression tools.

## How it works

- Select a built-in sample archive or choose your own .gz / .gzip 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.gz source code distributions.
- Previewing GZip-compressed log files.
- Verifying compressed downloads before extraction.

## Samples

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

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the difference between .gz and .tar.gz?

GZip (.gz) compresses a single stream. The .tar.gz format combines TAR (which bundles multiple files) with GZip compression, which is why most source distributions use .tar.gz.

### Are my GZ 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.

### Can it decompress .gzip files?

Yes. .gzip is just an alternative extension for the same GZip format. The viewer handles both .gz and .gzip identically.

## 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.
- [BZ2 Viewer](https://elysiatools.com/en/viewers/bz2): Open and preview BZip2 archives (.bz2, .bzip2, .tbz, .tbz2) 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.