How to open RAR files on a Mac
Double-click a .rar file and macOS will usually tell you no app can open it. The built-in Archive Utility handles ZIP, tar and gz, but not RAR.
Why a Mac can't open RAR out of the box
RAR is a proprietary archive format that is common on Windows, so downloads, forum attachments and files from colleagues often arrive as .rar. macOS ships no RAR decoder, which means you need a tool that supports it.
Extracting RAR with Zip7zX
After installing Zip7zX, right-click a .rar file in Finder and choose one of these:
- Extract Here: into the folder that holds the archive.
- Extract to "name": into a new folder named after the archive, so files don't scatter.
- Extract Files…: pick a destination and decide how to handle name conflicts.
- Open in Zip7zX: browse, search and preview with Quick Look first, then extract only what you need.
Make Zip7zX the default app for .rar and a double-click is enough from then on. Extracting single-volume RAR and RAR5 archives is free forever, with no size or usage limits.
Password-protected RAR
Zip7zX asks for the password when you extract. Password-protected single-volume archives are free to extract too. Zip7zX Pro can keep frequently used passwords in a vault in your Mac's keychain and try them automatically.
Multi-part RAR (part1.rar, part2.rar…)
Keep every part in the same folder and extract from the first one. Zip7zX recognizes the whole set and names the exact part that is missing. Multi-volume extraction is part of Pro and fully available during the 14-day trial.
Details worth knowing
- No double folders: if the archive already contains a single top-level folder, Zip7zX doesn't wrap it in another one.
- Name conflicts: ask every time, overwrite, skip, or rename automatically.
- Failures: files are staged before being moved into place, so a failed extraction leaves nothing half-written, and free disk space is checked first.
FAQ
Can a Mac's built-in tools open RAR?
No. Archive Utility doesn't support RAR, so you need a tool that does.
Does extracting RAR on a Mac cost anything?
With Zip7zX, extracting single-volume RAR and RAR5 is free forever, including password-protected single-volume archives. Only multi-volume RAR requires Pro.
Can I create RAR archives on a Mac?
RAR compression is proprietary. Zip7zX creates ZIP and 7Z archives; choose 7Z when you want a higher compression ratio.
Single-volume RAR extraction free forever · Pro $3.99/yr or $8.99 lifetime · macOS 14+