What is WinRAR?
- RAR, an abbreviation for Roshal Archive Compressed, is a compressed file, or data container that contains some files and folders in it.
- Hi IsabelXW, I am an independent advisor and a Microsoft user like you, and I would be happy to help you out with this. You are correct that.rar files are not natively supported by Windows, and that another software is required to open them.
- Drag the Rar file into Item to Process. In the Context Menu right-click the imported Rar File and Highlight Set Output Folder Option. Hit the Go Button to extract the files. Once the files are extracted Save them at your desired location. If still, you are unable to open RAR file there is some problem with your RAR file.
- RAR files are a common archive file format, alongside ZIP files. Named after the Russian developer who created them, R oshal AR chive files compress large amounts of data into a single.rar format file for convenient transfer. You usually encounter RAR files when downloading content from the Internet.
WinRAR is a popular file compression and decompression tool that will enable you to extract files from compressed files (archive files) or create your own.
Minimalist code editor. A RAR file, same like ZIP files, is an extension used for compressed files. There is no way you've never opened at least once a zip file, and even if you didn't, all you have to do is double click the file and if you have an app like 'The Unarchiver' or anything else special for Zip files, you're good to go.
WinRAR is the only software to compress files and folders into .rar files natively, as the code for this is wholly owned by the WinRAR company and is held to be proprietary.
RAR archives can be read by most file extractors - it is only creation of RAR files that is proprietary to WinRAR.
WinRAR holds native and full support for all .rar files, and supports similar file formats such as ZIP, LZH, TAR, GZ, 7Z, Z, UUE, ACE, BZ2, JAR, and ARJ.
WinRAR uses multiple threads when compressing, meaning it can utilize multiple CPUs in your system if available. It also has the the ability to create multiple volumes (split files) and self-extracting archives.
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Free Rar Opener
File types supported by WinRAR
Our users primarily use WinRAR to open these file types:
Some users also use WinRAR to open these file types:
About file types supported by WinRAR
File.org aims to be the go-to resource for file type- and related software information. We spend countless hours researching various file formats and software that can open, convert, create or otherwise work with those files.
If you have additional information about which types of files WinRAR can process, please do get in touch - we would love hearing from you.
RAR is a format for compressed files just like ZIP. You need special types of tools to open RAR files on Mac. If you want to learn about that, this post is written specifically for you. After going through it, you will be able to open any RAR file on your Mac PC and access the files within it.
Here, I will guide you on how to open RAR files on Mac. I will present multiple methods to do that. So, if you have trouble with a single method, you can simply switch to the other. However, all of them are super-easy and you won't have any problem with them.
Contents
- 1 What is a RAR File?
- 3 Alternate Methods to Open RAR Files on Mac
What is a RAR File?
RAR is basically a compressed (archived) file format. If you know about ZIP files, you'd easily understand RAR files also. Both of them are very similar. The full name of RAR files is Roshal Archive files, which is named after the Russian developer who invented them These files compress large amounts of data or files into a single .rar format file. This single file is very convenient to transfer or move around.
You can find RAR files at a lot of places, especially on the web when you download any software or other files. The reason is that RAR files reduce the file size and bundles all the essential documents into a single folder. So, you can easily download them. There are even useful features like error recovery and password protection.
Can I Open RAR Files on Mac?
YES, you can easily open RAR files on Mac. But, you will need to use a special method to do that. RAR files function just like the ZIP files but have the file extension as .rar. So, you can't unpack them with the default tools available in Mac. You have to use a third-party extractor software to decompress the RAR file.
Doing that will unarchive the contents of the RAR file into a folder of the same name. There are many such tools available on the App Store, the most prominent one being The UnArchiver. I'll explain how you can use it to decompress .rar files on your Mac.
How to Open RAR Files on Mac?
The best method to open RAR files on Mac is to use The UnArchiver. It is a free, easy to use, and highly compatible tool to decompress RAR, ZIP, and many other file formats on Mac. If you want to learn how to use it, follow the simple steps mentioned below.
Step-1: Visit the Mac App Store and download The UnArchiver.
Step-2: Once it is installed, it will prompt you to run it. When you do that, a screen will open where you can choose the file types that you want The UnArchiver to open for you. The common ones, including RAR, will be selected by default.
Step-3: Next, switch to the Extraction tab, and set how the app handles the archives and the folders created after opening them.
Step-4: After that, go to the .rar file that you want to open. You will see that it is showing The Unarchiver icon by default. You can double-click on it to decompress the file. Or, if it isn't showing the icon, right-click on the file, click on ‘Open With,' and choose ‘The UnArchiver.'
Step-5: The UnArchiver will then allow you to choose the location where you want to unarchive the file. You can also create a new folder to unarchive the files into it.
Step-6: After choosing a destination, click on the ‘Extract' button and wait for the files to be extracted. When done, all the files will be placed in the folder that you opted for. You can access them by going to the folder.
That's it.
Alternate Methods to Open RAR Files on Mac
Apart from using The UnArchiver to open RAR files on Mac, there are several other methods available that you can use. I'm listing some of the most reliable ones here. You can use them to extract any .rar file on your Mac PC.
Method-1: Extract Files Online
You can open RAR files on your Mac online, but the method is not much efficient as you will risk your privacy and will have to download bigger files after extraction. Still, if you want to try it. Follow these simple steps:
- Open a browser, Safari or Chrome, and visit Extract.me.
- Click on the ‘Choose File' button and upload the .rar file.
- Once it is uploaded, click on ‘Extract.'
- Wait for the extraction to complete and then click on ‘Download' to download the extracted files.
That's it.
Method-2: Use Terminal
You can also open RAR files on Mac with Terminal. But, you will need a special package manager called Homebrew. Only use this method if you are comfortable with the Terminal in macOS. Follow these steps to learn more.
Step-1: Go to the ‘Utilities' folder and open ‘Terminal.'
Step-2: Now use the following command to install Homebrew:
Step-3: Next, use the following command to install the BrewRAR extractor:
brew install unrar
Step-4: If the Unrar tool has to be built from source, use this command as well:
xcode-select –install
What Is A Rar File For Mac
Step-5: After that, go to your .rar file in Terminal and use this command to extract it:
unrar x [file name].rar
That's it. The RAR file contents will be extracted to the same location where the file was located. You can easily access it.
Method-3: Use The UnArchiver Alternatives
What Is A .rar File Extension
If the only reason why you are looking for the alternate methods is that you aren't too fond of The UnArchiver. Then, you can simply use the best UnArchive alternatives on your Mac PC to open RAR files. Here are the apps that you can use instead of The UnArchiver:
These are some of the best The UnArchiver alternatives that you can use on Mac to open RAR files.
What Is A Rar File
Final Take
RAR is a common archived file format. It works in a similar manner to ZIP files. You can compress big amounts of data into .rar files and transfer them conveniently. This is how you open RAR files on Mac. I'd recommend using the UnArchiver to do that. But, if you want, you can try other methods that I have mentioned also.
Remember that decompressing RAR files online puts your privacy in a risk. That's all for this post. I hope you find it helpful. If you have any queries or suggestions about anything written here, feel free to use the comment box.
