Compressed files are a great way of sharing a lot of content in a small packet. These packets are of .zip and .rar formats. Most of the computers are designedly able to deal with the Zip files. However, to extract Rar files, they need a specialized catalyst. So, in this article, I'm going to tell you how to open RAR files on Mac PC.
This article will tell you how to install rar format file decompress application in Mac OS. It will also tell you how to add unrar file shortcut menu item in finder file popup menu list. Install Unrar Command Software In Mac OS. Open a web browser and go to rarlab download page. Download the MacOS How To Unrar Rar File On Mac Read More ». 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. RAR Expander for Mac is a utility to create and uncompress files in RAR archives. Supposedly fully compatible with WinRAR, RAR Expander for Mac is a clean, simple app that installs in a few seconds. Add a RAR file by dragging and dropping. Once the file is completely loaded, the online RAR to Zip converter will automatically start the conversion. It may take a while. When the process is finished, a Download button will appear. Click the button to save the Zip file to your Mac. Above are two common ways to convert RAR to.
Contents
- 2 How to Open Rar Files on Mac?
All You Need to Know About Rar Files
RAR basically stands for Roshal Archive Compressed. Rar files are the second most common archive file formats, after Zip files. These are used in abundance on the Internet for high data transmission and sharing. People use these rar files to lower the overall size and pack together several files and also folders into a single file. A single RAR file is hence small enough to transfer via mail or other sharing means. Just like other compressed archive files, you need to decompress or unzip the rar files after downloading or receiving them.
The file extension of a rar file is .rar (For example, MacMetric.rar)
The most beneficial aspect of RAR files is that they feature strong AES-128 encryption and have higher compression ratios.
Mac can easily decompress the Zip files while it requires a different software to decompress the Rar files.
How to Open Rar Files on Mac?
Mac operating systems are specifically designed to decompress the compressed file formats. They have Apple's Archive Utility tool that is able to decompress a number of formats like ZIP, GZIP, TAR, etc but, it is not able to decompress RAR. Consequently, you must acquire help from another software in order to open RAR files on Mac.
So I'm presenting you a list of best software available for Mac OS to open RAR Files.
1. Unarchiver
If you are looking for a solution on how to open rar files on mac, then this tool is the best answer to all your problems.
Unarchiver is a free, small and simple to use software that unarchives several different kinds of archive files. Also, it is an open source program and supports formats such as Zip, RAR (including v5), 7-zip, Tar, Gzip, and Bzip2. One added advantage is that it can also open ISO, BIN disk images and some Windows.EXE installers also. If you are a newbie for using Mac or even if you are not but you just want guidance, follow these steps in order to learn how to use Unarchiver:
Step-1: Download and install Unarchiver from Mac App Store.
Step-2: Firstly, open Unarchiver. Once opened, make sure that the box beside 'RAR Archive' is check marked, along with all the other archive types you want to open with the Unarchiver. Afterwards, switch to the 'Extraction' tab located at the top of the application window and then, select your save location for the resulting file.
Step-3: Now just drag & drop your RAR or any other compressed file onto the Unarchiver's icon, or right-click the RAR file on your Mac then select Open With and choose The Unarchiver, or double click the RAR file.
The Unarchiver will extract the files in that same folder. You can easily access them anytime you want.
2. UnRarX
UnRarX is a Mac OS X Cocoa software that allows you to decompress rar archives. It can also restore corrupted or missing archives using par2. It is a simple and easy software developed for people who like simplicity. Follow these steps in order to use UnRarX to extract your rar files:
Step-1: Download and install UnRarX from here.
Step-2: Launch the application and drag the rar files you want to extract to the application window. Or, right-click the RAR file on your Mac then select Open With and choose UnRarX.
UnRarX will then extract the rar file in the same folder and you can use them however you desire.
3. iZip
iZip is the best alternative for Unarchiver and UnRarX. It is a free, secure and simple to use program that can easily extract the rar. When you open an archive with iZip it appears as a removable disk in your OS X Finder. You can then easily manage your compressed files using Finder just like all the other files you manage. All view modes including cover-flow work fine. iZip also provides 256-bit AES ZIP encryption for extra security. One added advantage is that iZip has partnered with Files.com to provide secure free file sharing. You simply have to click the Share button to upload and share your files over the Internet. To learn how to use iZip, follow these steps:
Step-1: Download and install iZip from here.
Step-2: Launch the application. Now just drag the rar files you want to extract to the application window and let it decompress it in the same folder. Or, right-click the RAR file on your Mac then select Open With and choose iZip. Play mw2 on mac.
iZip treats the archived files as removable storage and makes the task hassle free.
4. StuffIt Expander
StuffIt Expander is a free and amazing program to unzip rar files and several other file formats like Zip, GZIP, BZIP on Mac. It has a simple and easily understandable interface which makes the application loved by everyone. You can either download this application free separately or as an included feature with StuffIt Deluxe pack. To use StuffIt Expander, follow these simple steps:
Step-1: Download and install StuffIt Expander from here.
Step-2: Launch the application and then just drag the rar file you want to extract to application window, or right-click the RAR file on your Mac then select Open With and choose StuffIt Expander.
StuffIt Expander will then extract the files in the same folder. Afterwards, you can enjoy using the files anytime.
5. BetterZip 4
BetterZip 4 is yet another powerful tool to open the compressed archive files including the rar files. With BetterZip 4, you can also create archives and you can even view the content of an archive file without extracting it. The major drawback about this application is that it is not completely free to use but it offers a free-trial period. However, the app is worth every penny for people who need to handle different kinds of files on PC. Follow these steps to learn how to use BetterZip 4:
Rar File Format Mac Download
Mac operating systems are specifically designed to decompress the compressed file formats. They have Apple's Archive Utility tool that is able to decompress a number of formats like ZIP, GZIP, TAR, etc but, it is not able to decompress RAR. Consequently, you must acquire help from another software in order to open RAR files on Mac.
So I'm presenting you a list of best software available for Mac OS to open RAR Files.
1. Unarchiver
If you are looking for a solution on how to open rar files on mac, then this tool is the best answer to all your problems.
Unarchiver is a free, small and simple to use software that unarchives several different kinds of archive files. Also, it is an open source program and supports formats such as Zip, RAR (including v5), 7-zip, Tar, Gzip, and Bzip2. One added advantage is that it can also open ISO, BIN disk images and some Windows.EXE installers also. If you are a newbie for using Mac or even if you are not but you just want guidance, follow these steps in order to learn how to use Unarchiver:
Step-1: Download and install Unarchiver from Mac App Store.
Step-2: Firstly, open Unarchiver. Once opened, make sure that the box beside 'RAR Archive' is check marked, along with all the other archive types you want to open with the Unarchiver. Afterwards, switch to the 'Extraction' tab located at the top of the application window and then, select your save location for the resulting file.
Step-3: Now just drag & drop your RAR or any other compressed file onto the Unarchiver's icon, or right-click the RAR file on your Mac then select Open With and choose The Unarchiver, or double click the RAR file.
The Unarchiver will extract the files in that same folder. You can easily access them anytime you want.
2. UnRarX
UnRarX is a Mac OS X Cocoa software that allows you to decompress rar archives. It can also restore corrupted or missing archives using par2. It is a simple and easy software developed for people who like simplicity. Follow these steps in order to use UnRarX to extract your rar files:
Step-1: Download and install UnRarX from here.
Step-2: Launch the application and drag the rar files you want to extract to the application window. Or, right-click the RAR file on your Mac then select Open With and choose UnRarX.
UnRarX will then extract the rar file in the same folder and you can use them however you desire.
3. iZip
iZip is the best alternative for Unarchiver and UnRarX. It is a free, secure and simple to use program that can easily extract the rar. When you open an archive with iZip it appears as a removable disk in your OS X Finder. You can then easily manage your compressed files using Finder just like all the other files you manage. All view modes including cover-flow work fine. iZip also provides 256-bit AES ZIP encryption for extra security. One added advantage is that iZip has partnered with Files.com to provide secure free file sharing. You simply have to click the Share button to upload and share your files over the Internet. To learn how to use iZip, follow these steps:
Step-1: Download and install iZip from here.
Step-2: Launch the application. Now just drag the rar files you want to extract to the application window and let it decompress it in the same folder. Or, right-click the RAR file on your Mac then select Open With and choose iZip. Play mw2 on mac.
iZip treats the archived files as removable storage and makes the task hassle free.
4. StuffIt Expander
StuffIt Expander is a free and amazing program to unzip rar files and several other file formats like Zip, GZIP, BZIP on Mac. It has a simple and easily understandable interface which makes the application loved by everyone. You can either download this application free separately or as an included feature with StuffIt Deluxe pack. To use StuffIt Expander, follow these simple steps:
Step-1: Download and install StuffIt Expander from here.
Step-2: Launch the application and then just drag the rar file you want to extract to application window, or right-click the RAR file on your Mac then select Open With and choose StuffIt Expander.
StuffIt Expander will then extract the files in the same folder. Afterwards, you can enjoy using the files anytime.
5. BetterZip 4
BetterZip 4 is yet another powerful tool to open the compressed archive files including the rar files. With BetterZip 4, you can also create archives and you can even view the content of an archive file without extracting it. The major drawback about this application is that it is not completely free to use but it offers a free-trial period. However, the app is worth every penny for people who need to handle different kinds of files on PC. Follow these steps to learn how to use BetterZip 4:
Rar File Format Mac Download
Step-1: Download and install BetterZip 4 from here.
Step-2: Launch the application and the drag the rar files you want to extract to the application window. You can also right-click the RAR file on your Mac then select Open With and choose BetterZip 4.
BetterZip 4 will then comfortably decompress the archived files within the same folder and you can use the files anytime you wish. Sims trial on mac.
Conclusion
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. Media classic for mac. You can use whichever you like and whichever suits your demands.
As a bonus, I'll present you some other good apps and software to open RAR files on Mac:
- MacPar Deluxe
- B1 Free Archiver
- RAR Extractor Free
- Simply Rar (Mac)
- Zipeg
That's all. Start using any one of the tools to extract or open RAR files on Mac OS for free. Let us know if you are facing any issues with any of the tools mentioned in the article.
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If your work revolves around a desktop, you come across many files knowingly or unknowingly. You might've encountered RAR files on your Mac, and you just can't open them because there's no simple way to do so. RAR is a compressed file format, it carries a bunch of more than one file together in one place in the reduced file size format. Also, RAR files are mostly used for downloading or sending a copious amount of data.
In this article, we'll be discussing, how to open and extract .rar files on macOS. Unlike ZIP format files that open easily on macOS, there's no native way to open RAR files directly. Here's how you can do that, just follow the explanatory guide that we've managed to provide you to open .rar files and extract them on macOS. Without further delay, let's get started.
How to open .rar files on macOS
We are going to open .rar files on macOS with the help of third-party software. We need to extract the .rar file first and then open it in order to access the files. Following are some useful third-party software that will help you to open and extract .rar files on Mac.
1. How to extract .rar files on macOS using Keka
Keka is a macOS file archiver that is free to use from the developer's websites, but you can support the software by downloading it from App Stores. You just need to access the software In order to access the .rar files on Mac. Here's how you can do that:
- Download and install Keka on your Mac.
- Open the Keka through Application.
- Now, just drag the .rar files in the Dock of Keka's icon.
- The .rar files will extract automatically according to the location set by default.
To set Keka your default application for RAR files on Mac, users need to do the following:
- Search any .rar file in Finder on your Mac.
- Select Get Info, by doing a control-click on the .rar file.
- Now open the Open With drop-down menu.
- Search and select Keka.
- Now, to make Keka your default app for the .rar file, click on Change All…
2. How to extract .rar files on macOS using The Unarchiver
The Unarchiver is free use program that can easily let you unarchive .rar files on your Mac. It also supports more archive formats for macOS 10.7 and above. Follow the steps to open and extract the .rar files on macOS:
Rar File Format Mac Pro
- Download and install The Unarchiver on your Mac.
- Visit Applications to open The Unarchiver.
- Go to menu bar >select Files > Unarchiove to…
- Click on Unarchive by selecting your .rar file.
- Choose the location for extracting the file to save it.
- Click on Extract.
You can also just drag the .rar file to the Dock of The Unarchiver's icon, to extract the .rar file to the location set by default.
To set The Unarchiver your default application for RAR files on Mac, users need to do the following:
Unzip Rar Files On Mac
- Search any .rar file in Finder on your Mac.
- Select Get Info, by doing a control-click on the .rar file.
- Now open the Open With drop-down menu.
- Search and select The Unarchiver.
- Now, to make The Unarchiver your default app for the .rar file, click on Change All…
3. Extract .rar files online on macOS
You can also unarchive or extract .rar files online as there are few websites available to let you do so. While unarchiving or extracting .rar files online you might compromise privacy. Extract.me is a good website where you can extract .rar files freely. You just need to upload the particular file that you want to extract, once done the file will start downloading on your Mac.
The file might take some time ddepending upon its size as its no longer remained compressed.
Not able to open the extracted .rar files on Mac?
Rar File Format Mac Os
If you're unable to open the extracted files, then it's possible that your macOS is not updated on its latest version. You can ensure that by visiting System Preferences > Sofware Updates if any update is available then it's recommended to update the firmware.
The possibility might exist that the third-party software you are using to extract the .rar files has stopped working. Just uninstall the program from the scratch, reboot your Mac and start a fresh download of the program on the latest version from the developer's website.
Your firewall could be the culprit, it could interfere with the third-party program to not work as it supposes to be. Here's how to allow third-party apps to work through Firewall.
- Visit System Prederence >Security & Privacy > Firewall.
- Now, click on the padlock and enter your administrator password to make changes.
- Select Firewall Options… > click on '+' button.
- Locate and select the required third-party app > click on Add.
- Click on OK, close the lock icon.
Now, you are ready to use the third-party programs to open and extract the .rar file once you allow the firewall to use third-party apps.
If you have any queries, you can drop it in the comment section below.
