Open TAR.BZ2 on Mac
To open a .tar.bz2 on Mac, use tar to read the archive directly or open it in Kernir. The file combines a TAR directory tree with bzip2 compression. Kernir supports both reading and writing TAR.BZ2.
Recognize the archive
A name such as Source.tar.bz2 describes two operations: TAR collects the files, then bzip2 compresses that collection. You may also encounter shortened names such as .tbz2. The full extension is easier to recognize when sharing an archive with someone else.
A file called notes.txt.bz2 is usually just one compressed document. Extracting it produces the document, not a TAR. If that matches your download, use the standalone BZ2 instructions.
Inspect its directory tree
In Terminal, go to Downloads and list your archive:
cd ~/Downloads
tar -tf "Source.tar.bz2"
Substitute the actual filename. The Mac's tar detects supported compression when reading, so a separate decompression step is unnecessary. Check for the folder you expected and note its exact path before trying to extract a specific file.
For a large source tree, the listing can be long. Kernir provides a browsable tree when that is more convenient than reading Terminal output. Neither a list of names nor a filename extension guarantees that all file data is intact.
Extract to a separate folder
mkdir "BZ2 archive output"
tar -xvf "Source.tar.bz2" -C "BZ2 archive output"
Use an empty directory and stop if the mkdir command says it already exists; choose a new name instead. Extraction can replace matching paths. The archive itself remains available for another attempt or for comparison with the extracted result.
Keep all project files together if you intend to use a source release. Pulling out one executable-looking item may leave behind the data or libraries it needs. If you only want a license or README, extracting one selected entry is enough; the archive does not have to be installed.
Make a compressed copy
From the directory containing Project, choose a new output filename:
tar -cjf "Project-copy.tar.bz2" "Project"
tar -tf "Project-copy.tar.bz2"
Here -j selects bzip2 for creation. Do not confuse it with -z for gzip or -J for xz. The extension should match the compression you requested. A successful listing checks the directory layout; extracting the copy and opening the required documents is a stronger check of your intended result.
Open and edit in Kernir
The Mac download is coming soon. You can view the source and build instructions on GitHub. These steps describe the current app workflow.
Open the archive with File › Open… (⌘O). Select files or folders and use File › Extract… (⌘E) to copy them to a chosen location. You can add or remove entries and save, or use File › Save As… (⇧⌘S) to write a separate TAR.BZ2 copy.
Standalone BZ2 and TAR.BZ2 have different capabilities in Kernir: BZ2 is read-only; TAR.BZ2 is writable. This compression is not encryption, and Kernir does not offer a password-protected TAR.BZ2 output. Do not assume a password survives conversion from ZIP.
To try a small file with known contents, use the sample archive library. Substitute the downloaded sample's filename in the commands above.
Kernir.dmg, signed and notarized. Requires macOS 14 or later.
Related guides
App steps were checked against Kernir source code. Command examples were checked with test archives on Linux using libarchive and the named utilities, not in a new macOS session. Updated .
