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tar Help and Syntax

Display usage, options, and built-in help for the Linux command tar.

Copy-ready commandtar Help and Syntax
tar --help
Production warning

Help and syntax commands are generally read-only. The original command shown for context may change systems or data; review it before execution.

Requirements and permissions

Requirements
Linux with the referenced utility installed
Permissions
No elevated permissions are normally required to view help; local policy and shell access still apply.
Last reviewed
2026-07-31

Examples

Display the full reference

Requests the command's built-in usage information without performing its normal operation.

tar --help

Original command context

The original tar example is included for context. Review all parameters before using it in production.

tar -czf backup.tar.gz /etc/app

Common errors

Unknown option --help

Try 'man tar' or 'info tar' because some Unix utilities use manual pages instead of a --help option.