A RAR file (.rar) is a compressed archive: one file that holds other files and folders in a smaller package. The format was created by Eugene Roshal in 1993 and is the native format of WinRAR. RAR supports solid compression, password encryption, split volumes and recovery records. It is proprietary, so free tools can extract RAR but only RARLAB's WinRAR and RAR command-line tools can create it.

The format itself is just a container, but RAR archives are a common way to deliver malware because email scanners sometimes skip them, especially when they are password protected. Never run an .exe, .scr, .js or .lnk you find inside a RAR from an unknown sender, and keep WinRAR updated: it has no automatic updater, and actively exploited flaws were patched in 2023 (CVE-2023-38831) and 2025 (CVE-2025-8088).

What Is a RAR File? How to Open It, and RAR vs ZIP Explained

Q: How do I open a RAR file?

On Windows 11 (23H2 and later), double-click it and use Extract All in File Explorer. On older Windows, install 7-Zip or WinRAR. On a Mac, install The Unarchiver or Keka, because Finder's Archive Utility does not open RAR reliably. On Linux, use unar, 7z, or unrar from your package manager.

Q: Is RAR better than ZIP?

RAR usually produces slightly smaller archives and has recovery records that can repair a damaged archive. ZIP opens on every operating system without extra software. For sending files to other people, ZIP is the safer choice. For long-term archives that might get damaged, RAR's recovery record is a real advantage. 7z often matches RAR on size and is free to create.

Q: How do I convert a RAR file to ZIP?

Extract the RAR, then compress the extracted folder as ZIP. On a Mac, open the RAR with The Unarchiver or Keka, then right-click the folder and choose Compress. On Windows, extract with File Explorer or 7-Zip, then right-click and choose Compress to ZIP file. Online converters also work, but they upload your files to a third-party server.

Q: Can a RAR file make my videos smaller?

Not meaningfully. MP4, MOV, JPEG, HEIC and most PDFs are already compressed, so packing them into a RAR saves a few percent at most. To shrink media you need to re-encode it with a video or image compressor.

By Hieu DinhPublished October 20, 2026

What Is a RAR File?

A RAR file is a compressed archive: a single .rar file that contains other files and folders, usually packed smaller than the originals. If you asked "what is a RAR file" because one just landed in your Downloads folder, the short answer is that it is a box of files, and you need an extractor to open the box.

RAR stands for Roshal ARchive, after Eugene Roshal, who created the format in 1993. It is the native format of WinRAR, the Windows archiver that has been around since 1995, and is maintained today by RARLAB.

Three facts explain almost every RAR question:

Anyone can extract a RAR for free. 7-Zip, The Unarchiver, Keka, and Windows 11 itself all open RAR files.
Only RARLAB can create one. The compression algorithm is proprietary. WinRAR (Windows) and the RAR command-line tool (Mac, Linux) are the only official ways to make a .rar.
RAR is not magic compression. On documents and code it beats ZIP by a small margin. On videos and photos it barely does anything.

What's Inside a RAR File

A RAR archive bundles files the way a ZIP does, but it adds a few features that ZIP either lacks or handles differently:

Feature	What it does	Why people use RAR for it
Solid compression	Compresses all files as one continuous stream	Many similar small files (logs, source code, save games) shrink more
Recovery record	Stores extra parity data inside the archive	A partly corrupted archive can be repaired with WinRAR's Repair command
Split volumes	Breaks one archive into `name.part1.rar`, `name.part2.rar`...	Fits uploads and old media with size caps
Encryption	AES-256 in RAR5 (AES-128 in older RAR4)	Password-protected archives, optionally with encrypted file names
Large dictionary	Up to 64 GB in WinRAR 7	Finds repeated data across very large file sets

RAR4 vs RAR5

There are two RAR formats in circulation. RAR4 is the legacy version. RAR5 arrived with WinRAR 5.0 in 2013 and brought AES-256, larger dictionaries, and stronger recovery records. Old extractors sometimes fail on RAR5 with an "unknown format" or "unsupported compression method" error. If that happens, update the extractor: current versions of 7-Zip, The Unarchiver, Keka, and Windows 11 all handle RAR5.

Multi-part RAR files

If you see movie.part1.rar, movie.part2.rar, movie.part3.rar (or the older movie.rar, movie.r00, movie.r01 pattern), you have a split archive. Put every part in the same folder and open only the first one. The extractor walks through the rest. A missing part means the extraction stops at the gap, unless the archive was made with a recovery volume (.rev files).

How to Open a RAR File on Any Computer

Windows 11

Windows 11 version 23H2 and later opens RAR natively. Double-click the file to browse it in File Explorer, or right-click and choose Extract All. Windows still cannot create RAR files; it can make ZIP, 7z, and TAR.

Windows 10 and older

Install 7-Zip (free, open source) or WinRAR (trial). Right-click the RAR, choose 7-Zip → Extract Here or Extract files..., and you're done. 7-Zip is the simpler choice if you only ever extract.

Mac

Finder's built-in Archive Utility handles ZIP well and RAR poorly. Install one of these instead:

The Unarchiver (free, Mac App Store): extract-only, the quickest fix.
Keka (free from keka.io): extracts RAR and also creates 7z, ZIP, and TAR.

There is no official graphical WinRAR for Mac. We cover why, and which download sites to avoid, in WinRAR for Mac. For a full comparison of the two Mac extractors, see Keka vs The Unarchiver.

Linux

Use whichever your distribution packages:

# The Unarchiver's CLI (open source)
unar archive.rar

# 7-Zip
7z x archive.rar

# RARLAB's own extractor (non-free repos on some distros)
unrar x archive.rar

Phones

On iPhone and iPad, the Files app opens ZIP but not RAR; a free extractor app from the App Store fills the gap. On Android, most file manager apps (including ZArchiver and RAR by RARLAB) extract RAR.

RAR vs ZIP: Which Is Better?

This is the comparison most people actually want after learning what a RAR file is. The honest answer: RAR wins on features, ZIP wins on reach.

	RAR	ZIP
Opens without extra software	Windows 11 only	Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android
Create for free	No (WinRAR/RAR are shareware)	Yes, built into every OS
Compression ratio	Usually a few % smaller	Baseline
Solid compression	Yes	No, each file compressed separately
Damage repair	Recovery records	No built-in recovery
Encryption	AES-256 (RAR5)	AES-256 with 7-Zip/WinZip; legacy ZipCrypto is weak
Split archives	Yes	Yes, but support is uneven

When you send files to someone else, ZIP is almost always the right call, because the recipient can open it without installing anything. RAR makes sense when you need recovery records for an archive that will sit on ageing storage or travel over unreliable connections, or when a Windows workflow has already standardised on it.

If you want RAR-level compression without the licence, 7z is the third option. It often matches or beats RAR on size, uses AES-256, and is free to create with 7-Zip or Keka. Our 7-Zip vs WinRAR test covers the numbers, and 7z vs ZIP covers the trade-off with ZIP.

You will also meet .tar.gz files, especially from developers and Linux software downloads. Those are a different family of archive, and how to extract tar.gz files walks through them.

How to Convert a RAR File to ZIP

There is no direct "RAR to ZIP" switch. Every converter does the same two steps: extract, then re-compress.

On a Mac

Open the RAR with The Unarchiver or Keka. You get a normal folder.
Right-click the folder in Finder and choose Compress "folder name".
Finder creates folder name.zip next to it.

From Terminal, the same job takes two commands:

unar archive.rar                # extracts to ./archive
zip -r -X archive.zip archive   # -X leaves out Mac-only metadata

The -X flag keeps the ZIP free of Mac extended attributes, so it opens cleanly on Windows. For more on Finder's ZIP behaviour, see zip files on Mac.

On Windows

Extract the RAR with File Explorer (Windows 11) or 7-Zip.
Right-click the extracted folder and choose Compress to → ZIP File (Windows 11) or Send to → Compressed (zipped) folder (Windows 10).

Online converters

Sites like CloudConvert and ezyZip will convert RAR to ZIP in the browser. They are convenient for small, non-sensitive files. Remember that the archive is uploaded to someone else's server, and that password-protected RARs will need the password typed into that site. For contracts, client work, or anything personal, convert locally.

Are RAR Files Safe to Open?

The RAR format is just a container, so a RAR file is as safe as what's inside it. The practical risk is that RAR archives are a favourite way to deliver malware:

Password-protected RARs hide their contents from email scanners. An attachment with the password in the email body is a classic phishing pattern.
Look at file extensions inside the archive. A "document" that is actually invoice.pdf.exe, .scr, .js, .vbs, or .lnk is a program, not a document.
Keep your extractor updated. WinRAR has no automatic updater, and real attacks have exploited outdated copies: CVE-2023-38831 (fixed in WinRAR 6.23) and CVE-2025-8088 (fixed in 7.13) were both used in the wild. 7-Zip and The Unarchiver also ship security fixes, so update them like any other app.

If a RAR came from a source you trust, opening it is routine. If it came from a stranger and needs a password, delete it.

Why RAR Won't Shrink Your Videos

Archivers like WinRAR look for repeated patterns in data. Text, spreadsheets, and code are full of repetition, so they shrink well. Video, photos, and audio have already been through a much smarter compressor (H.264, HEVC, JPEG, AAC), so there is almost nothing left for RAR to find.

Pack a 2 GB MP4 into a RAR and you typically get a 1.97 GB archive. That's why "compress it with WinRAR" fails when a video is too big for email or a chat app. The benefits of file compression are real, but for media they come from re-encoding, not archiving.

Compresto does the re-encoding side on macOS: it shrinks video, images, GIFs, and PDFs locally, in batches, and can aim each file at a target size you type in. Use an archiver for the .rar someone sent you. Use a media compressor when the files inside are what's too big.

FAQ

What is a RAR file?

A compressed archive in WinRAR's proprietary format. It bundles files and folders into one smaller .rar file, with optional encryption, split volumes, and recovery records.

How do I open a RAR file?

Windows 11: double-click it. Older Windows: 7-Zip. Mac: The Unarchiver or Keka. Linux: unar, 7z x, or unrar x.

Is RAR better than ZIP?

RAR compresses slightly better and can repair itself. ZIP opens everywhere without extra software. Use ZIP for sharing, RAR or 7z for archives you need to protect.

How do I convert a RAR file to ZIP?

Extract it, then compress the folder as ZIP. On a Mac, use The Unarchiver and then Finder's Compress command.

Are RAR files safe?

The format is safe; the contents might not be. Be wary of password-protected RARs from unknown senders and anything inside that is an executable. Keep WinRAR updated.

Can a RAR file make my videos smaller?

No. Media is already compressed. Re-encode video and images with a media compressor instead.

The Short Version

A RAR file is WinRAR's archive format: free to open, licensed to create, slightly smaller than ZIP, and the only common format with built-in repair. Open it with your OS or a free extractor, convert it to ZIP if you need to share it widely, and don't expect it to shrink media.

Download Compresto for Mac →