How to Extract .tar.zst Backup Files (Windows, Mac, and Linux)

How to Extract .tar.zst Backup Files (Windows, Mac, and Linux)

Overview

Our server backups are generated in .tar.zst format — a tar archive compressed with Zstandard (zstd). This format offers significantly better compression and faster decompression than the older .tar.gz, which is why we use it for account backups.

However, .tar.zst isn't natively supported by Windows Explorer or the default archive tools on macOS. This article explains how to extract these files on any operating system.

What Is .tar.zst?

• .tar is an archive format that bundles multiple files and folders into a single file.
• .zst (Zstandard) is a modern compression algorithm developed by Facebook, offering excellent compression ratios and very fast decompression.

Together, .tar.zst means the files were bundled into a tar archive, then compressed with zstd. Extracting requires two steps (decompress, then un-tar) — or a single command with a modern tool.

Extracting on Linux

Most Linux distributions include tar with zstd support built in. A single command handles extraction.

Install zstd (If Not Already Installed)

Debian / Ubuntu:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install zstd

CentOS / RHEL / AlmaLinux / Rocky:

sudo dnf install zstd

Or on older versions:

sudo yum install zstd

Arch:

sudo pacman -S zstd

Extract the Archive

Navigate to the folder containing the backup and run:

tar --zstd -xvf backup.tar.zst

Flag breakdown:

• --zstd — Tells tar to use zstd for decompression.
• -x — Extract.
• -v — Verbose (shows each file as it extracts).
• -f — Specifies the filename.

Alternative: Two-Step Extraction

If your tar version doesn't support --zstd (very old distributions):

zstd -d backup.tar.zst
tar -xvf backup.tar

This first decompresses to backup.tar, then extracts. Slower but universally compatible.

Extract to a Specific Folder

mkdir extracted
tar --zstd -xvf backup.tar.zst -C extracted/

The -C flag changes the destination directory before extracting.

List Contents Without Extracting

tar --zstd -tvf backup.tar.zst

Useful for checking what's inside the archive before extracting (especially for large backups).

Extracting on macOS

macOS doesn't include zstd by default, but it's easy to install via Homebrew.

Install Homebrew (If Not Already Installed)

Open Terminal and run:

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

Follow the prompts.

Install zstd

brew install zstd

Extract the Archive

macOS tar supports zstd directly after installation:

tar --zstd -xvf backup.tar.zst

Or the two-step method:

zstd -d backup.tar.zst
tar -xvf backup.tar

Extract via Finder (GUI Option)

macOS Finder doesn't natively extract .tar.zst, but third-party apps can:

• The Unarchiver (free, Mac App Store) — Handles most archive formats including .tar.zst once zstd is installed.
• Keka (free/paid, keka.io) — A powerful archive utility with .tar.zst support.

Install either, right-click the .tar.zst file, and choose the app from the Open With menu.

Extracting on Windows

Windows doesn't natively support .tar.zst, but there are several free tools that do.

Option 1: 7-Zip (Recommended)

Modern versions of 7-Zip (21.07 and newer, released 2021+) support zstd natively.

1. Download 7-Zip from 7-zip.org and install it.
2. Right-click your backup.tar.zst file.
3. Choose 7-Zip → Extract Here (or Extract to "backup").
4. This extracts backup.tar.
5. Right-click backup.tar and repeat: 7-Zip → Extract Here.
6. You now have the fully extracted files.

Note: 7-Zip requires two extraction passes because it handles the .zst and .tar layers separately. This is normal.

Option 2: PeaZip

PeaZip is an open-source archive manager with full .tar.zst support in one step.

1. Download from peazip.org.
2. Install and open.
3. Navigate to your backup.tar.zst file.
4. Right-click and choose Extract, or drag the file into PeaZip.
5. Choose your destination folder and click OK.

PeaZip handles both the zstd decompression and tar extraction in a single operation.

Option 3: WinRAR

WinRAR 6.10+ supports .tar.zst:

1. Right-click the file.
2. Choose Extract Here or **Extract to backup**.
3. As with 7-Zip, you may need two passes depending on the version.

Option 4: Command Line (Windows 10/11)

Modern Windows 10 and Windows 11 include tar built into the command prompt, but without zstd support. You'll need to install zstd separately.

1. Install zstd from github.com/facebook/zstd/releases — download the Windows binary and add it to your PATH, or place zstd.exe in the same folder as your backup.
2. Open Command Prompt or PowerShell in that folder.
3. Run:

zstd -d backup.tar.zst
tar -xvf backup.tar

Option 5: Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)

If you have WSL installed, you can use the Linux method directly:

sudo apt install zstd
tar --zstd -xvf backup.tar.zst

This is often the fastest option for large backups on Windows.

Troubleshooting

"tar: unrecognized option '--zstd'"

Your tar version is too old. Use the two-step method (zstd -d then tar -xvf) or update tar.

"zstd: command not found"

zstd isn't installed. See the installation instructions for your OS above.

"Cannot open: No such file or directory"

Check the filename exactly. On Linux and macOS, filenames are case-sensitive — Backup.tar.zst and backup.tar.zst are different files.

Extraction Fails Partway Through

This usually means:

• Disk space exhausted — The extracted files are much larger than the archive. Check available space.
• Corrupted download — Re-download the backup file. Compare file sizes with what's shown in your account.
• Archive was interrupted during creation — Contact support to regenerate the backup.

The Archive Extracts but Files Seem Wrong

• Check if the archive actually extracted completely (look at the last file listed during extraction).
• Verify the backup is recent and matches what you expect.
• If your backup is a full cPanel or DirectAdmin account backup, the structure will include folders like homedir/, mysql/, mail/, etc. — this is normal.

Very Slow Extraction on Windows

• 7-Zip's two-pass extraction is slower than single-pass tools.
• For large backups (10GB+), PeaZip or WSL are noticeably faster.
• Ensure you have plenty of free disk space — typically 3–5x the archive size is needed temporarily.

Inspecting a Backup Without Full Extraction

If you only need specific files from a large backup, you can list the contents first and then extract only what you need.

Linux / macOS

tar --zstd -tvf backup.tar.zst | grep filename

Then extract just that file:

tar --zstd -xvf backup.tar.zst path/to/specific/file

Windows (via 7-Zip)

7-Zip can browse inside .tar.zst files without full extraction:

1. Right-click the file and choose 7-Zip → Open archive.
2. Navigate through the archive like a folder.
3. Drag specific files out to your computer.

Why DirectAdmin Uses .tar.zst

For reference, compared to .tar.gz:

• Compression ratio: zstd typically produces 10–20% smaller files than gzip at equivalent settings.
• Compression speed: zstd is 2–5x faster at compressing.
• Decompression speed: zstd is 3–8x faster at decompressing.
• Server load: Faster compression means backups complete quickly with less impact on your site.

The tradeoff is slightly lower tool compatibility — but as you can see above, every major OS handles it easily with free tools.

When to Contact Support

The steps above handle virtually all extraction scenarios. Open a ticket if:

• You've downloaded the backup but it appears corrupted (fails to extract with multiple tools).
• The backup file is incomplete or much smaller than expected.
• You need a backup in a different format (e.g., .tar.gz or .zip) for compatibility with a specific tool — we can usually regenerate in an alternative format on request.

When opening a ticket, please include:

• The backup filename and approximate size.
• The exact error message from your extraction tool.
• Which OS and tool you're using.