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Comic Book RAR (CBR) to Comic Book ZIP (CBZ) converter

CBR → CBZ changes the box, not the pictures: RAR needs extra software on many systems, while ZIP opens in every comic reader and on every computer.

  • Converted with Image engine · input deleted within 24 h
  • Free: 5 conversions a day · 5 MB each
  • Higher limits →

From real runs

What you get — and what changes

  • Page images Kept

    We compared every image in four RAR comics after repacking, and each one was byte-identical to its copy inside the RAR.

  • File and folder names Kept

    Names such as Terrors of the Jungle 21/terrors2101.jpg are kept, so tools that read issue and page numbers from names keep working.

  • Order inside the archive Changed

    Pages are written in reading order, so even a reader that lists entries as stored shows the cover first; the Terrors #21 RAR had stored page 3 first.

  • ComicInfo.xml Kept

    Series, issue and credits metadata in ComicInfo.xml is copied to the root of the CBZ, where comic library apps look for it.

  • Checksum files and system clutter Lost

    .SFV checksum lists, Thumbs.db, .DS_Store and __MACOSX folders are dropped; an SFV would no longer match once the container changes anyway.

  • Archive size Changed

    JPEG pages are stored as they are, so a JPEG comic stays about the same size; RAR squeezes PNG pages harder than ZIP does, so the PNG picture book grew from 36.8 MB to 38.3 MB.

Sample conversions

RAR4 comic

Input
Planet Comics #35, an 18,571,883-byte .cbr of 52 JPEG pages.
Output
19,438,759-byte .cbz in 0.36 s with the 52 JPEGs unchanged.

RAR5 picture book

Input
The Travels of Timmy Toodles, a 36,845,574-byte RAR5 .cbr of 28 PNG pages.
Output
38,290,871-byte .cbz in 3.7 s; PNG pages are compressed inside the ZIP, JPEG pages would be stored.

Small one-story issue

Input
Terrors of the Jungle #6, a 5,092,885-byte RAR4 .cbr of 7 JPEG pages in a folder.
Output
5,093,601-byte .cbz in 10 ms.

A real Comic Book RAR (CBR) → Comic Book ZIP (CBZ) run

We converted our Comic Book RAR (CBR) sample (4.9 MB) with Image engine on 2026-10-20. It took 55 ms and produced a 4.9 MB Comic Book ZIP (CBZ) file, about the same size as the input. The engine raised no warnings.

Input · sample.cbr · 4.9 MB

5,092,885 bytes

Output · sample.zip · 4.9 MB

ZIP with 7 parts

Archive parts
7
first
Terrors of the Jungle 06(one story)/01_terrorsjungle_6_cole_cv.jpg

Do it yourself

bsdtar

bash
mkdir pages && bsdtar -xf comic.cbr -C pages && bsdtar --format zip --options zip:compression=store -cf comic.cbz -C pages .

Keeps pages unchanged but also keeps any Thumbs.db or SFV files, and stores entries in whatever order the folder lists them.

Comic Book RAR (CBR) to Comic Book ZIP (CBZ) by API or MCP

The HTTP API and the MCP server run the exact engine this page uses (Image engine); the response carries the same warnings the web converter shows. Check support first with GET /api/v1/pairs?from=cbr&to=cbz.

curl
curl -X POST https://filetypeconverters.com/api/v1/convert \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $FTC_API_KEY" \
  -F "file=@input.cbr" -F "from=cbr" -F "to=cbz" \
  --output output.cbz
API reference

When this is the wrong conversion

  • If the end goal is a PDF for a phone or printer, convert CBR → PDF directly.
  • If your comic app already opens the CBR, repacking gains nothing.

Comic Book RAR (CBR) to Comic Book ZIP (CBZ) questions

Can I convert CBZ back to CBR?

We do not offer it. Creating RAR archives needs RARLAB's licensed rar program, and any reader that opens CBR also opens CBZ, so there is no reading reason to go back.

Does repacking lower the image quality?

No. The pictures are copied, not decoded, so the pages in the CBZ are bit-for-bit the pages that were in the CBR.

Why is my CBZ slightly bigger than the CBR?

RAR squeezes already-compressed images a little further than ZIP does. The CBZ came out about 5 percent larger for the JPEG issue and 4 percent larger for the PNG picture book.

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