Compressed & Archive File Extensions List

Grab a clean, copy-ready list of compressed and archive file extensions with their full format names. Ideal for file type validators, upload filters, and developer reference.

Compressed & archive file extensions(35 extensions)

Includes widely used compressed and archive formats across Windows, Linux, and macOS; ordered roughly by prevalence, with multi-extension formats like .tar.gz listed alongside their single-extension equivalents.

How to use this list

Copy the extensions in seconds

Takes ~5 seconds
  1. 1
    Choose a format

    Pick text, JSON, or HTML depending on your project needs.

  2. 2
    Copy or download

    Use the copy button to grab the list or download it as a file.

  3. 3
    Paste into your workflow

    Drop the extensions into a validator allowlist, dropdown, or reference doc.

Need a file-type dropdown? Select HTML to generate ready-to-paste <option> tags with bare extensions as values.

Who should use this list?

  • Developers building file upload validators or MIME-type filters
  • DevOps engineers documenting or scripting archive handling pipelines
  • Technical writers creating file format reference guides or docs

Examples

Text output showing extension and format name.

Input
.zip - ZIP Archive
Output
.zip - ZIP Archive

JSON output with bare extension values for code use.

Input
".zip"
Output
[".zip", ".rar", ".7z", ".tar", ".gz", ...]

HTML output for a file-type dropdown menu.

Input
.zip - ZIP Archive
Output
<option value=".zip">.zip - ZIP Archive</option>

A clean list of compressed & archive file extensions

Use this list when you need a reliable, copy-ready reference of archive and compression format extensions for validators, dropdowns, or documentation.

Looking for a complete compressed and archive file extensions list to use in a file upload validator, a UI dropdown, or a developer reference document? This page provides common archive and compression formats — including .zip, .rar, .7z, .tar, .gz, .tar.gz, .bz2, .xz, .zst, and many more — in copy-ready text, JSON, and HTML formats. The text view gives you descriptive labels pairing the extension with its full format name, making it easy to scan or paste into docs. The JSON output emits a clean array of bare extension strings, ideal for allowlists, server-side validators, or front-end file-type checks. The HTML format generates ready-to-paste option tags for select menus. Coverage spans Windows-centric formats like .zip, .rar, and .cab; Linux staples like .tar, .gz, .bz2, .xz, and .zst; macOS formats like .dmg and .pkg; and package formats like .deb, .rpm, .jar, .apk, and .ipa. Whether you are writing a file upload component, configuring a storage policy, or building a reference table for a team wiki, this list gives you a consistent, well-labeled starting point without the need to research individual format names.

Label + value pairs

Each item pairs a human-readable label with the bare extension value for flexible use.

  • Full format name as label
  • Bare extension as value
  • Consistent dot prefix
Cross-platform coverage

Covers common archive formats used on Windows, Linux, and macOS environments.

  • ZIP, RAR, 7z for Windows
  • tar, gz, xz for Linux
  • dmg, pkg for macOS
Copy-ready formats

Switch between text, JSON, and HTML output with one click for any workflow.

  • Plain text list
  • JSON array of extensions
  • HTML <option> tags

Archive extension list best practices

Keep your extension list consistent and well-scoped for the context in which you use it.

  • Use the bare extension values (e.g. .zip) in code and keep the full labels only for UI display.
  • Document which extensions your system actually supports rather than allowing the entire list by default.
  • Account for multi-part extensions like .tar.gz and .tar.bz2 separately from single-part ones in validators.

Frequently asked questions

Why does the JSON output show bare extensions instead of full labels?>
The JSON format is set to emit the value field, which is the bare extension (e.g. .zip), making it immediately usable in code allowlists and validators without extra parsing.
Are multi-part extensions like .tar.gz included?>
Yes. Multi-part extensions like .tar.gz, .tar.bz2, .tar.xz, and .tar.zst are included alongside their single-part equivalents such as .gz and .bz2.
Does this list include package formats like .deb, .rpm, and .apk?>
Yes. Common package formats including .deb, .rpm, .apk, .ipa, .jar, .war, and .pkg are included because they are archive-based formats frequently handled alongside compressed files.

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