Corrupt a TAR Archive Online
Corrupt a .tar, .tar.gz or .tgz archive online for free. Destroys the ustar block headers so extraction fails instead of yielding partial files.
- No upload
- No size limit
- No sign-up
Corrupt your TAR file
Tuned for .tar, .tar.gz, .tgz, .gz, and works with every other format too.
Why TAR files are hard to corrupt properly
TAR is the most recoverable archive format in existence. It has no central index at all. Every file is preceded by its own 512-byte header, so tar can simply scan forward and extract whatever it finds. Breaking a TAR means destroying those headers wherever they appear.
What this tool destroys
- ustar block headers. The
ustarmagic in each 512-byte file header is destroyed, so no entry can be identified. - Header checksums. The checksum field that
tarvalidates before trusting a header is overwritten. - The end-of-archive marker. The two zero blocks that terminate a valid archive are destroyed, so it also reads as truncated.
- Gzip wrapper. For
.tar.gzthe gzip member header and the trailing CRC32/ISIZE are destroyed as well.
What you will see afterwards
| Application | Behaviour |
|---|---|
tar -xf | "This does not look like a tar archive" followed by "Exiting with failure status." |
gzip -d | "not in gzip format" or "invalid compressed data, crc error." |
| 7-Zip / The Unarchiver | Reports an unsupported or damaged archive. |
| Docker image loads | Layer extraction fails and the import is aborted. |
Common reasons people do this
- Testing that a deployment pipeline validates artifacts before extracting them.
- Verifying a container image load fails cleanly on a damaged layer.
- Simulating an interrupted backup transfer for a restore rehearsal.
- Checking that extraction errors are surfaced rather than swallowed.
How to corrupt a TAR file
- Drop your .tar file onto the box above, or click to browse.
- Leave the level on Standard unless you want partial damage (Light) or need to defeat recovery software (Heavy).
- Press Corrupt file. Processing happens on your device, so it finishes almost immediately.
- Download the result. It keeps the original filename and byte length by default.
TAR FAQ
Why is TAR usually so recoverable?
Because it has no index. Each file carries its own header, so tar can scan forward and extract whatever it can identify. Destroying every ustar header is what removes that fallback.
Does it work on .tar.gz and .tgz?
Yes. The gzip wrapper is broken first, which alone prevents extraction, and the tar headers underneath are damaged too.
Can any files be extracted partially?
No. Without a valid header and checksum, tar cannot determine where any file starts or how long it is.
What about .tar.bz2 or .tar.xz?
Those fall back to the generic binary profile, which still breaks the compression wrapper reliably.