File type: WinRAR Compressed Archive.
RAR stands for Roshal Archive Compressed file. It is a data container or a compressed file holding one or more folders and files in it. rar file is like a regular folder on your computer. Most computer software is downloaded in the form of .rar files.
Even sharing websites make their software available in .rar files and this makes it easier to compress them. A compressed file can be downloaded in a smaller size so that it will not consume too much data during the downloading process. The compressed state of the files also helps to shorten the time it takes to download.
Also, .rar can help to protect your files using password and encryption. As a result, the content can stay hidden and no unauthorized third party can access it.
Rar files are created using WinRAR archiver. They are compressed files that can be split into archives of several volumes especially when you are dealing with a large set of files. The files need to be extracted just like Zip.
The RAR file extension is the extension used to refer to compressed archives proprietarily using this archiving format. This file extension supports error recovery, spanning, and data compression.
Though the files using the rar are less common, they are also used to refer to the Resource Adapter Archive, the standard format for deploying resource adapters and connectors on the WebSphere Application Server developed by IBM.
How to open rar files
Follow the steps below about:
- First of all, save the .rar directly to your desktop. If the file is not currently on your desktop, you can search for it and copy it to the desktop.
- Did you download the file from a website on the internet? Then you can simply check the Download folder of your computer for the .rar files. Click on My Computer, depending on the version of the operating system that you are using.
- Then look for “Download” and click on it. It will bring out the list of the folders that you have downloaded. Next, look for the .rar that you are interested in. Once you see it, left click on it and hold the left click in place and drag it from the download folder to an open space on your desktop. It will be automatically copied to your desktop.
- Next, download the WinZip program from the internet or from any other source. You can also use any other program that can be used to access or open the .rar file. The trial version of the WinZip is available for download online.
- You can also go for the premium version of the program, which will give you more option and benefits. The free version is also available for just a short period. Make sure that the WinZip file is downloaded on your desktop. If it is downloaded in the download folder, follow the steps given above to copy it to your desktop.
- However, WinZip gets downloaded to the desktop automatically. Click on the desktop shortcut to open it; you can do this by either double-clicking the shortcut using your left click of the mouse or you can right click on the shortcut or icon to open a drop-down menu. Look for Open on the drop-down menu and left click on it.
- Go to the file compressed .rar and double click to open it. Once it opens, press down the left clicks and drag the mouse to select all the folders and files in the compressed file. If you only need some of the compassed files, you can multi-select only the needed one by pressing the CTRL key on your keyboard plus the left click on your mouse at the same time to select each of the folders or files you are interested in.
- Next, click 1-click Unzip and then select Unzip to PC. You can also Unzip to Cloud; this feature can be found on the WinZip toolbar, which is located under the Unzip/Share tab.
- Next, you should select the destination to which you want to place the file or folder that you have extracted and then click on the Unzip button
- Search for the file you have extracted in the destination folder that you have chosen earlier.
Opening on Windows
You can use any of the windows-related programs below to open .rar files
- Internet Explorer 8 or older
- Windows XP
- Windows XP
- Windows Vista
- Windows 7
- Windows 8
- Windows 10
Windows include an specific app to extract these files.
Opening on Mac operating system
You can use any of the Mac-related programs below to open rar files:
- Mac OS X 10.8
- Mac OS 10.9
- Mac OS 10.10
- Intel 64-bit processor
- Apple Retina Displays
To UnRar files on a Mac computer, follow the steps below:
- First of all, click on the Unzip button
- A drop-down menu will come up. Look for unzip on the list of the menu and click on it to unzip the files to your Mac computer. You can also choose to unzip the files to Google Drive, Dropbox or iCloud Drive.
- Once you make your selection from the drop-down menu, a window that looks like “Finder style” will appear. You can then browse the window for the folder where to save the files.
- Afterward, click on Entire Zip to unzip the entire file. You can also click on Selected Items if you only want to unzip some of the files. You can equally decide to show unzipped items in the Finder. The options are endless.
- Conversely, you can get this done by clicking on the New Folder tab and then type the name of the file and click on Create.
To unrar from the Context menu to your Mac computer, right click on the .rar file you have saved on your computer or you can press CTRL plus left click. You can then use the Context Menu to unzip the files. Next, check the bottom of the Context menu for Services and click on it. Next, proceed to unzip.
Unzip a RAR file from an email attachment
From an email attachment, you can open it by double-clicking it.
RAR File Type
- Zipeg,
- Alpha ZIP,
- Corel WinZip,
- Smith Micro Stuffit Deluxe 12,
- Bitberry BitZipper,
- RARLAB
- WinRAR
- unrar