RAR is a patented archive file format which supports data compression, error recovery and file spanning. The RAR was developed by a Russian software engineer, Eugene Roshal (and so the name RAR stands for Roshal Archive) and the RAR software is licensed by win.rar GmbH.
The filename extensions indicate a characteristic of the file contents or its intended use. It is used in place of a suffix. For RAR the extension used is .rar for the data volume set and .rev for the recovery volume set. They both are different terminologies and should not be confused. The minimum size o RAR file is about 20 Bytes. The supreme size of a RAR file is 9,223,372,036,854,775,807 (263-1) bytes, which is eight exbibytes minus 1 byte. Yes, it is quite a big value which cannot be easily imagined.
Advantages of RAR file format:
RAR will store classification system attributes of NTFS (like streams, full ACL permissions, modification/access/etc. time, unsure regarding UNIX system) and so makes it a pleasant, complete backup tool with good compression ability. ZIP files will store none of those except plain previous easy DOS attributes (read-only, hidden, system). Additionally, RAR supports solid archiving (one compression lexicon for all files) that improves compression magnitude relation if having plenty of little files within the archive. There also are information redundancy and error correction techniques which might be accustomed fix broken archives (e.g., broken by transmission errors or unhealthy sectors).
Jun 26, 2019 RAR is a proprietary archive format, so you need third-party software to open and extract it on your Mac. In this post, we show you our favorite software to use for this, as well as some alternative ways to open.rar files in macOS. Oct 04, 2018 Rar files possess a slight edge over the other compressed archive files. However, unlike Zip and other formats, Rar files require a third-party software to get extracted on Mac. So, these were the 5 Best Rar Files Extractors available for Mac. You can use whichever you like and whichever suits your demands. Whether you choose Archiver or BetterZip, how to open RAR files on Mac, or in fact any files, won’t be a problem anymore. Best of all, both Archiver and BetterZip are available for you to try free on Setapp, a platform of more than 150 top Mac apps that solve any problem you happen to come across. Pack your files and send them away! Best RAR Extractor For Mac. The first software in the best RAR Extractors is Entropy. Entropy is free for 15 days but later the user needs to buy the full package for using it perfectly. This Mac unzipper app supports OS X specific technologies like extended file attributes and resource forks, and it also comfortably reads. Apr 14, 2011 For example, when I receive zip files with file names in Korean or Japanese, standard unarchiving utility in Mac makes all the file names illegible. This utility can detect and guess (often correctly) what names of those files should have been. I have used this app for many years and this app still remains the best.
Also, RAR has the amazing interface with customizable icons as compared to ZIP and other files. RAR files also have the feature of splitting into multifarious pieces.
Best RAR Extractor For Windows
1. WinZip
WinZip is basically a data compression tool. The extractor can fruitfully extract, compress and is a perfect archive manager. It is thus one of the best RAR extractors.It is well compatible in Windows 10 / Windows 8 / Windows 7 / Vista. Winzip works nicely with multimedia documents as well. This extractor zip files to reduce email attachment size. WinZip can easily link to Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive and other storage apps. The tool can even open big compression formats such as Zip, RAR, 7Z, TAR., Zipx, XZ, GZIP, POSIX TAR, and many more extracts though you will have to foot the bill for installing WinZip. Still, it is cost effective. The extractor not only extracts the files but also protects your files with banking-level encryption.
2. Ultra File Opener
The second in the list is Ultra File Opener which supports a lot of archive files including RAR files. It supports above 500 various file types all in one application. Not only will it open renown images, text, and archive files immediately but you can also edit, transform, and print them from your Window. If you wish to use every function of the app, then you must have Product license and activation of it. Ultra File Opener saves the uppermost image data stored in your photos and images. It also provides you with the versatile and amazing viewing experience for your photos. The extractor is well compatible with Supports Windows XP SP3, Windows Vista SP2, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10 (32 & 64 bit).
3. Zipware
Zipware is considered as one of the best RAR extractors due to the compatibility of the extractor which also supports archive formats RAR, RAR5, Zip, Zipx, 7zip, ISO, Gzip, Tar and many more. Zipware provides each feature one would look for in an archiver like drag and drop files, integrated Windows Explorer over context menu, the creation of self-extracting archives and also the ability to transform archives between formats. Zipware uses WinRAR’s free UnRAR utility to extract Rar files for the most effective activity and compatibility potential. The best thing about Zipware is that it is totally free and considered as the best RAR extractors and can invariably be software with no boundaries to its options. And it always keeps on developing and upgrading to higher levels.
4. WinRAR
Coming to WinRAR software which has the ability to compress, encrypt, package and backup. It is free of charge for 40 days. After that, you need to purchase it for use. This software supports every famous compression formats (RAR, ZIP, CAB, ARJ, LZH, ACE, TAR, GZip, UUE, ISO, BZIP2, and 7-Zip). WinRAR is additionally ideal if you’re sending information through the net. Its 25-bit positive identification coding and its genuine signature technology can provide you with the peace of mind you’ve got been searching for. The licenses of WinRAR is available in all languages and at all platform versions. The best thing about WinRAR is that it comes with antivirus property so that you don’t need to worry about the corrupted files.
5. 7-Zip
It is one of the Best RAR Extractoravailable in the market due to the high compression ratio and open architecture. It has Strong AES-256 encryption which ultimately enables it for any compression or encryption method. It is a very strong file manager. The most of the code of 7-Zip is under the GNU LGPL license. Few parts of the code are under the BSD 3-clause License. The software also has the feature of self-extracting capability for 7z format. The compression method includes Deflate, PPMD, LZMA2, LZMA, and more. Comes with better compression ratio for ZIP and GZIP formats which is 2-10 % better than famous software WinZip and PKZip. 7-Zip extractor works almost in every windows version. Starting from Windows 10 / 8 / 7 / Vista / XP / 2016 / 2012 / 2008 / 2003 / 2000 to Windows NT.
6. IZArc
IZArc is the best free file compression utility supporting many archive formats like 7-ZIP, A, ACE, ARC, ARJ, B64, BH, BIN, BZ2, BZA, C2D, CAB, CDI, CPIO, DEB, ENC, GCA etc. The software has a customizable user-friendly interface. The best RAR extractor is free even for commercial purposes. This software also runs on all versions of Windows beginning from Vista and ending at Windows 10. It has also the feature of archives support. With IZArc the user can open CD image files like ISO, BIN, CDI, and NRG. It is also feasible to transform such files from one type of file to another (BIN to ISO, NRG to ISO). IZArc can be arranged to run the preferred Anti-Virus scanner when you start any archives.
Best RAR Extractor For Mac
7. Entropy
The first software in the best RAR Extractorsis Entropy. Entropy is free for 15 days but later the user needs to buy the full package for using it perfectly. This Mac unzipper app supports OS X specific technologies like extended file attributes and resource forks, and it also comfortably reads and writes archives. The amazing feature available in Entropy is that it has password protection with AES-256. What else the user needs? The user can easily View contents without Extract. Not only this but existing archives can also be modified using Entropy. As the number of archive increases, it is tough to find the perfect archive. So entropy lets you search within the archives. The software can easily filter out unnecessary files that clutter archives.
8. Better Zip
BetterZip 2 could be a powerful archive manager for MAC. If you simply want many files or folders from a bigger archive like RAR MAC file or the other compressed file format, you don’t got to extract the complete issue. Simply drag the files you would like from the BetterZip window to any Finder window or the desktop. The better zip also allows protecting the files with a password with AES-256. The existing archives can also be modified. If you have mistakenly saved a file in the archive then you can easily remove it from archive via this app. Also, drag and drop archive option is available. There is a presence of Integrated QL generator. BetterZip 4, a further version, also includes Automator actions for compressing and extracting archives.
9. Archiver
The Archiver is one of the best RAR extractorsavailable in the digital world. You can easily extract archives via this software. If your device has less space then you can freely reduce the file size. And for this function, Archiver lets you choose from a palette of high-yielding compression formats. Last but not the least archiver also lets you preview the file after you extracted it. It has the additional feature of split and combines. Along with it, the archiver has cloud support to Google Drive, OneDrive, DropBox, Box, Yandex Disk. It is not free of cost. But it is worth buying.
10. Izip
The name is short but the features are long. It doesn’t require any special skills for working in Izip. The app is totally free-of-cost. There are no advertisements, spyware, limitations, time limits or anything. The app currently supports ZIP, ZIPX, RAR, TAR, TAR.GZ and 7ZIP files with more to come. The user can easily zip and unzip files. Your confidential data can be easily secured by Izip because of the AES encryption. iZip features up to 256 bit AES zip encryption so you can rest assured that unauthorized users will not be able to view any of your secret information. The developers continuously develop their software which is the best thing. Lastly, you can also share the files without facing any bugs.
11. Keka
Keka can conveniently compress your files by just dragging and dropping the desired files and folders to Keka in the Dock. You can drop an uncountable number of files and they will turn into one compressed file. The software usually allows archiving to extensions like 7z, Zip, Tar, Gzip, Bzip2, DMG, ISO. You can make archives that look clear in non-Mac systems, like Linux or Windows. If the files are huge and they do not compensate to fit in your mail or server, just split them into pieces. You don’t need to worry, they will still expand to produce your original file. Beta features are also available. It also provides users with proper privacy.
12. iPack
The name says everything. It generally packs your large unzipped files into a zipped one. The user can compress file extensions like 7z, zip, jar, and RAR archives. While it can decompress file extensions like 7z, zip, jar, rar, cab, deb, iso, arj, gz, and bz2 archives. It has full security so you don’t need to worry about it. It has multi-volumed archives support. You can quickly view any file without extracting the files. So it is speed and time efficient. The iPack also allows searching file names inside archives with fancy highlight effect. iPack is a archives manager integrated with Finder that can conveniently compress and decompress files in Finder immediately.
Final Words!
Coming to conclusion, we have seen various types of RAR extractors. They all are almost the same with a slight difference. It is you to identify that difference and make a proper choice as per your requirement before installing it. The Mac and Windows have a vast list of best RAR extractors. We have listed the top ones in our content. So stop worrying and start unzipping files for having a look at them.
So you tried to open a .rar file you downloaded on the Internet, or received from a colleague/friend via email. Then you get a weird error on your Mac, because the file couldn’t be opened.
It’s really disappointing. I’ve been there many times, since I use my MacBook Pro to communicate with others who are probably on a PC. In fact, I also ran into the same problem when I switched from PC to Mac a few years ago.
Luckily, I managed to fix it with an amazing app called The Unarchiver, the best RAR extractor app for Mac. Plus, it’s still free. Meanwhile, I also tested dozens of other applications on my Mac, and filtered those that are 100% free and easy to use and you can read more below.
NEW UPDATE
Hi there, Thanks for reading this article. It’s been two years since I first published this post. Things have changed a lot when it comes to unrar apps for Mac. I was hoping Apple macOS could add this feature to its built-in Archive Utility app, unfortunately, it seems that Apple macOS team doesn’t plan to do this. My MacBook Pro is now with the latest 10.13 High Sierra, and I have to rely on third-party apps to extract RAR files.
As for the best rar extractor app for Mac, the recommendation stays the same — The Unarchiver. It’s still free to download and use. However, it’s worth noting that the app has been acquired by MacPaw (the maker of CleanMyMac, an awesome Mac cleaning app) and is now part of the MacPaw family. You can read more from this press release.
Also, I just found a more powerful app called BetterZip 4 — which allows Mac users to not only extract many types of archives, but you can also use it to create archives or preview content of an archive without extracting. Those additional features are not available in The Unarchiver or Archive Utility. I recommend BetterZip to those of you who often need to handle a different kind of files on a PC and Mac. Note: BetterZip isn’t freeware ($24.95 for the paid version), but a free trial is offered. You can get BetterZip 4 from Setapp here.
What about the other apps listed below? I tried to check them now and then, just to make sure they’re usable and the information is accurate. But I find it so time-consuming because every year or so Apple releases a new version of macOS (to date, it’s High Sierra 10.13.2), those apps that fail to be updated often can’t run or malfunction. Therefore, I’d discourage you to check them out unless you are interested. That said, I’ll try my best to keep the content on this post as fresh as possible.
What is an RAR File?
RAR is a compressed file short for Roshal Archive; it’s a proprietary file format developed by Eugene Roshal, a genius software engineer. Simply put, a .rar file is like a big data container that holds a set of individual files and folders inside.
Why use RAR? Because it reduces the size of your files and folders while keeping all the content 100% intact. With a RAR, it’s much easier to store on removable media or transferred over the Internet.
According to this comparison image provided by Compression Ratings, RAR files achieve much higher compression, especially on multimedia files. They are also easier to split or to recover once corrupted than other alternatives like ZIP or 7Zip files.
How to Open an RAR Archive on Mac?
Unlike other archive files, for example, a ZIP archive can be directly created or extracted by using the default function on Mac (here’s a tutorial), a RAR file can only be opened using third-party software…which, unfortunately, Apple hasn’t built into the Archive Utility, yet.
That’s why there are plenty of third-party applications available on the Internet that claim to be able to do that. Some are dated, while some require you to pay.
Thanks to those smart, yet kind developers, we have quite a lot of free options to get the job done without taking a penny out of the pocket. I’ve tested many and here are the 10 best free apps that still work.
10 Free RAR Extractor Apps That Work on Mac
Note: Some of the apps below are open source, and the authors accept donations. If you find the one you use is really awesome, kindly show your appreciation. Hundreds of hours were spent to make that product work well.
1. The Unarchiver
The Unarchiver is my favorite. Like the name indicates, it unpacks almost any archive instantly without launching the app. The app is very powerful, even does what the built-in Archive Utility can’t — extracts RAR archives. It also supports handling filenames in foreign character sets.
2. B1 Free Archiever
Another great open source app, the B1 Free Archiver serves as an all-in-one program for managing file archives. As you can see from the screenshot above, this tool allows you to create, open and extract archives. It opens .rar, .zip, and 35 other file formats. Besides Mac, there are also versions for Windows, Linux, and Android.
3. UnRarX
UnRarX is a simple utility designed to expand .rar files and restore corrupted or missing archives with .par and .par2 files. It has an extraction function as well. To do this, simply open the program, drag your archive files into the interface, and UnRarX will unpack the content to the specified destination.
4. StuffIt Expander Mac
StuffIt Expander for Mac allows you to uncompress both Zip and RAR archives. I found the app very easy to use. Once the program is installed, you should see an icon (as shown on the top of the above screenshot). Click on it. Next select the file, specify the destination to store your extracted files, and you’re done.
5. MacPar deLuxe
Another great tool that can open RAR files, and do a lot beyond! Originally developed to recover missing or corrupted information by processing “par” and “par2” files, MacPAR deLuxe is able to unpack the data with its built-in unrar engine. If you are a Macintosh user who frequently downloads or uploads binary files, then most likely you’ll love this utility program. You can get it from its official site here.
6. iZip for Mac
Best App For Rar Files Mac Os
iZip is another powerful yet effective tool built from the ground up for Mac users to compress/decompress, secure, and share files easily. It supports all kinds of archive formats including RAR, ZIP, ZIPX, TAR, and 7ZIP. To unzip a file, just drag and drop it into the software main interface. Another window will pop up with the extracted files. Super fast!
7. RAR Extractor Free
RAR Extractor Free is an app that specializes in extracting Rar, Zip, Tar, 7-zip, Gzip, Bzip2 files conveniently and safely. Once you download and launch the app, you’ll see a pop-up window that asks you to specify an “unarchive” location. To load your files, you’ll need to move to the top left and click “Open.”
8. SimplyRAR (Mac)
SimplyRAR is another awesome archiving app for Mac OS. As its name suggests, SimplyRAR is a simple to use program that makes archiving and unarchiving files a breeze. Open it by dropping the file into the application, choosing a compression method, and pulling the trigger. The downside of the app is that it will be difficult to get support from the developer, as it appears they’re no longer in business.
9. RAR Expander
RAR Expander (Mac) is a clean GUI utility for creating and expanding RAR archives. It supports single, multi-part or password-protected archives. It also features AppleScript support and includes example scripts to help you handle multiple archives at once.
10. Zipeg
Zipeg is also handy yet free. What I really like is its ability to preview an entire file before extracting it. It also supports password protected and multipart files. Note: To open the software, you’ll need to install the legacy Java SE 6 runtime (see this Apple support article).
Best App For Rar Files Mac Reddit
What’s Your Favorite UnRAR Tool?
Open Rar Files Mac
Does the recommended one help you extract or unzip your RAR files? Or do you find a better unarchiver app for Mac than the ones listed above? Let me know by leaving a quick comment below.