How to Convert CBT to CBZ for Comics and Manga (2026 Guide)

CBT is the tar-based comic archive format. It is open and works well in Unix-friendly readers, but it is also the least widely supported of the three main comic formats (CBZ, CBR, CBT). Converting CBT to CBZ gives you a file that opens in nearly every comic reader on every platform.

The conversion is lossless: extract the page images from the TAR archive, then re-pack them into a ZIP archive renamed with a .cbz extension. No re-encoding happens.

Watch: Comic format conversion in How to Convert

Method 1: How to Convert (Easiest, Local, Cross-Platform)

How to Convert handles CBT to CBZ locally. Drop the CBT in, pick CBZ, click Convert. Pages are extracted from the TAR and re-packed as ZIP.

Steps

• Open How to Convert (desktop or browser).
• Drag your CBT onto the window.
• Pick CBZ as the output format.
• Click Convert. The CBZ saves next to the original.

Method 2: Command Line

With tar (built in) and zip:

mkdir pages
tar -xf input.cbt -C pages
cd pages && zip -r ../output.cbz . && cd ..

If your CBT was compressed with gzip (try file input.cbt to check), use tar -xzf instead. tar is built into every Mac and Linux machine.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is CBZ better than CBT?

More readers support it. CBZ uses ZIP, which is built into every operating system and supported by virtually every comic reader. CBT uses TAR, which is excellent for Unix workflows but less universal in consumer comic apps.

Will image quality drop?

No. Both formats are just archive containers. The page images inside are byte-for-byte identical after conversion.

Can I batch convert a folder of CBT files?

Yes. The How to Convert desktop app accepts whole folders. The command-line method works in a shell loop: for f in *.cbt; do ...; done.

Final Thoughts

For one-off conversions, our free in-browser CBT to CBZ converter is the fastest. For batches, the desktop app or shell loops scale well. Once converted, your comic library will open in essentially every comic reader you might ever use.