Open XAR files on Mac
Open a .xar on Mac with Kernir to browse its contents, or use the Mac's libarchive-based tar to list and extract supported XAR archives. Kernir reads XAR but does not write it. Reading a package container is separate from installing the software inside it.
What a XAR contains
XAR is an archive container with a table of contents and stored file data. Apple publishes the XAR implementation. The format is associated with package workflows, but a filename extension alone does not describe everything a package needs to do.
For example, a container can hold another archive as a payload. Extracting the outer layer may reveal that payload rather than the final application documents. Do not assume that every .pkg is interchangeable with a .xar, or that opening the outer container runs any package scripts.
List its entries first
For a XAR in Downloads, open Terminal and run:
cd ~/Downloads
tar -tf "Bundle.xar"
Replace the sample filename. On macOS, tar uses libarchive and can read supported XAR data. These commands target that implementation, not GNU tar on Linux. If your installed reader reports an unsupported compression method, use a compatible reader rather than changing the extension.
Look at the listed paths to decide whether you need a document, the whole directory or an additional nested archive. Listing an archive is a useful inspection step, but does not validate its publisher or establish that a software package is safe to install.
Extract a working copy
mkdir "XAR output"
tar -xvf "Bundle.xar" -C "XAR output"
Use a new empty folder; choose a different name if it already exists. Extraction can replace matching files. Keep the original archive until you have checked the output and any errors reported by the command.
If the output contains a file named Payload, it may itself need a compatible reader or decompression step. Its name is not enough to determine the encoding. Ask the package producer or inspect the format before trying another extraction operation.
Read it 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.
Choose File › Open… (⌘O), select the XAR, and browse the entries. Select the files you need and use File › Extract… (⌘E) to choose a destination. Kernir's archive workflow lets you copy readable files out without treating the container as an installer.
XAR is read-only in Kernir. Save As can write readable entries into a supported archive such as ZIP, but cannot rebuild the original XAR. A ZIP copy of package files is not a replacement installer and does not preserve the package's original signing relationship.
When the goal is installation
Use the software publisher's installation instructions and the appropriate installer. An archive viewer does not perform a package's installation steps or guarantee that manually copied files form a working application.
For an extraction problem, report the container format, the operation and the reader version. Avoid sending a private software package or personal files in a public support report; a small reproducible sample is more useful when you can provide one.
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 .
