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Have you ever downloaded a file that has a strange .rar file extension? RAR is a compressed file format, similar to a ZIP file. This article will show you how to open RAR files on Windows or macOS X.
How to open a .RAR files for Free on Windows and Mac?
On Windows
There is a wide range of applications on Windows that have the ability to open RAR files. The default choice is WinRAR, made by the developers of the RAR file format, however, it has to be kept in mind that it’s not a free app. If you wish to create RAR files, WinRAR is the best option. However, if you just have to extract a RAR file, the free, as well as the open-source 7-Zip app, comes as a better choice.
After you download and install 7-Zip from their website, you’re good to start. Double-click on any RAR file to open it in 7-ZIP, then you can either view or extract the files.
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If you know you wish to extract the files; you can do so without even having to open 7-Zip. Right-click on any RAR file, point to the “7-Zip” menu, then click on one of the “Extract” options, depending on where you want the files to be extracted. Note – If you have got a multi-part set of. RAR files, you would want to extract the first file in the set. As 7-Zip will handle the other files in the set automatically.
Other Windows apps support extracting RAR files, however, 7-Zip is open source, free, as well as reliable.
On MAC OS.
Sadly, there are not as many choices for opening RAR files on macOSX as on Windows. From the few, we recommend you use the free app “The Unarchiver.” This has great support for multi-part archive files. After you finish the installation, you can launch The Unarchiver to associate file types with the app.
After associating file types, you can then extract a RAR archive by simply double-clicking on that file. The Unarchiver will create a folder with the same name as the archive, it will then extract its contents to this new folder. Note – If you’re working with a multi-part RAR archive, you will have to open the first file in the set. The Unarchiver will then handle the additional files in the set automatically.
If you liked this article (or if it helped at all), leave a comment below or share it with friends, so they can also know How to Extract .RAR Files for Free on Windows as well as the Mac? We insist that you rather check on what OS is your mac running on. We have added the OS checker link in the article, just open it and follow the simple steps to find out what OS is your mac running on as it will give you a proper understanding of your situation and whether you have the ability to extract ‘.rar’ files.
