Guide: How to open a RAR file on Mac

Rar Extractor for Mac

Open and extract RAR files on macOS with a straightforward desktop app. No complicated commands. No monthly subscription.

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macOS 14+Apple silicon or Intel

  • Extracts on your Mac
  • One action, one folder
  • Pay once, no subscription
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The Rar Extractor window, waiting for an archive: a drop area reading “Drop a RAR, ZIP, 7z, or TAR file”, a Choose a file button, and a link to make it the default app for .rar files.

Quick answer

How Do You Open a RAR File on Mac?

macOS can unzip ZIP files on its own, but its built-in Archive Utility does not open RAR archives. You need an extractor that reads RAR — Rar Extractor is one, and the full guide covers the others too. With Rar Extractor, it takes three steps.

  1. Install Rar Extractor and activate it

    Move the app to Applications, open it, and paste the license key you received by email.

  2. Open the RAR file

    Drop it on the window or the Dock icon, double-click it, or use Choose a file… If the archive has a password, type it when asked. For a split archive, open the first part.

  3. Open the extracted folder

    The files appear in a new folder next to the archive. Click Show in Finder to go straight there.

Features

Every RAR you are likely to be sent

A dedicated RAR extractor for macOS that also handles the other archives you are likely to be sent.

Opens RAR and RAR5 archives

Built on RARLAB's own UnRAR code, so archives made by current and older versions of WinRAR open the same way.

Password-protected archives

When a RAR or ZIP needs a password, the app asks for it once. A wrong password says so and keeps what you typed, so a typo can be fixed rather than retyped.

Archives split into parts

Open the first part of a .part1.rar or .rar + .r00 set and every part is read in order. A missing part is named as missing, not reported as a broken file.

ZIP, 7z and TAR too

The same window extracts ZIP, 7z and TAR archives, including .tar.gz, .tar.bz2 and .tar.xz, using the archive library that ships with macOS.

One action, a folder next to the archive

Drop an archive on the window or the Dock icon, double-click it, or choose it with ⌘O. Its contents appear in a new folder beside it, with Show in Finder one click away — or look inside first.

Look inside before you extract

Open an archive to see every file and folder with its size and date. Search it, preview a file with Quick Look, drag files out to Finder, or extract only what you select into a folder you choose.

Real progress, and a Cancel that stops

The window shows how far an extract has got and roughly how long is left. Cancel stops it within a moment and removes the half-made folder.

Test an archive without extracting it

Test reads every file in the archive and checks it against the archive's own checksums, so a damaged download shows up before you rely on it.

Nothing escapes the folder

Paths that try to climb out of the destination, absolute paths and links inside the archive are never written, so an archive cannot place files elsewhere on your Mac.

Extraction stays on your Mac

Archives are opened and extracted locally. The app connects only for its license check, the current price, and update checks — never to send your files.

Pay once, use it on 3 Macs

A one-time license with no subscription, activated on up to 3 of your Macs, with updates delivered inside the app.

How it works

Drop it in. Get a folder.

One window. Drop an archive and get a folder — or look inside it first. No settings to get through.

The Rar Extractor window waiting for a file, with a dashed drop area, a Choose a file button, a link to make it the default app for .rar files, and a settings button.
  • Drop RAR, ZIP, 7z or TAR files
  • Or choose them with ⌘O
  • Or look inside first
  • Settings: updates, license
  • Open .rar files with a double-click
  1. Rar Extractor extracting an archive named Film.part1.rar, at 44 percent, writing Film.2026.mkv, with a Cancel button.

    It extracts

    A ring with the real percentage, the file being written and the time left. Cancel stops it and removes the half-made folder. If the archive needs a password, the app asks for it here.

  2. Rar Extractor after extracting, showing “Extracted”, the folder name Film, and buttons for Extract another and Show in Finder.

    A folder beside the archive

    The contents land in a new folder next to the archive. Show in Finder opens it; the original archive is left as it was.

  3. Rar Extractor showing the contents of Course Material.part1.rar: folders for each week, a syllabus and an encrypted answers file, with sizes, dates and two rows selected.

    Or look inside first

    Every file with its size and date. Search, preview with the Space bar, drag files to Finder, or extract only what you select.

Supported formats

Exactly what it opens

What the app extracts today, what it does not, and what has not been tried yet. It extracts only; it never creates archives.

  • RAR (RAR4 and RAR5)Extracts

    .rar

    Both the older RAR format and RAR5, the format current WinRAR creates by default.

  • Password-protected RARExtracts

    .rar

    Asks for the password, including archives whose file names are encrypted too.

  • Split RARExtracts

    .part1.rar, .part2.rar … or .rar, .r00, .r01 …

    Open the first part; the rest are read from the same folder.

  • ZIPExtracts

    .zip

    Including ZIP files protected with the classic ZIP password.

  • 7zExtracts

    .7z

    Unencrypted 7z archives.

  • TAR and compressed TARExtracts

    .tar, .tar.gz, .tgz, .tar.bz2, .tbz, .tar.xz, .txz

    Plain and compressed tarballs.

  • Encrypted 7zNot supported

    .7z

    The app says the archive is encrypted and cannot be opened, rather than calling it damaged.

  • Creating archivesNot supported

    any

    The app extracts only; it does not make RAR, ZIP or any other archive.

  • ZIP with AES encryptionNot yet tested

    .zip

    May be reported as a wrong password; not yet run through the app.

  • Single compressed filesNot yet tested

    .gz, .bz2, .xz (not tarballs)

    Not yet run through the app.

Compatibility · Privacy

Runs on your Mac. Stays on your Mac.

Where Rar Extractor runs, and what it does and does not send.

Compatibility

macOS
macOS 14 Sonoma or later
Processor
Apple silicon or Intel — one app, native on both
Distribution
Download from this site, not the Mac App Store
Updates
Inside the app, with a setting to check automatically
Language
English

Stays on your Mac

  • Opening and extracting every archive
  • Passwords you type — used once, never stored
  • File names and contents

Goes over the network

  • License activation and a check about once a week: your key and your Mac’s name
  • The current price, when the app opens, so the license screen can show it
  • Update checks: the list of releases and the app’s version

No analytics in the app, and nothing is uploaded. Payment is handled on the checkout page, never in the app. Details in the privacy policy.

Pricing

One price.
Lifetime access.

One-time payment. No subscription.
Get lifetime access to Rar Extractor on your Mac. Your license key arrives by email the moment you buy.

Rar Extractor for Mac

$4.99

  • One-time payment
  • 14-day money-back guarantee
  • Updates included, for as long as the app is maintained
  • Extraction runs on your Mac
  • 3 Macs license

3 Macs, $4.99, one-time payment.

We'll email you when sales open. No spam, and you can unsubscribe anytime.

Secure checkout by Dodo Payments. Prices in USD, excluding VAT and may vary by location.

FAQ

Questions, answered plainly

What it opens, what it sends, what it costs and what happens if it is not for you — answered in terms of what the app does, not in reassurance.

Still have a question?

Email hello@macrarextractor.com and the person who builds Rar Extractor will answer.

All questions →Compare with other apps →
Can a Mac open RAR files without another app?
No. Archive Utility, the extractor built into macOS, opens ZIP, 7z, TAR and a few other formats, but not RAR. You need a separate app that reads RAR, such as Rar Extractor or one of the other extractors compared in how to open RAR files on a Mac.
Can it open a password-protected RAR?
Yes, if you know the password. The app asks for it, and if it is wrong it says so and keeps what you typed so you can correct it. Archives that hide their file names behind the password are handled the same way. It cannot recover or guess a password you do not have.
I have part1, part2 and part3 files. What do I do?
Keep all the parts in the same folder and open the first one (the .part1.rar, or the .rar in a .rar + .r00 set). The app reads the rest in order. If you open a later part it tells you to open the first, and if a part is missing it says that a later part of the split archive is missing.
Where do the extracted files go?
Into a new folder next to the archive, named after it, or after the single folder the archive contains. If that name is taken, a number is added rather than anything being overwritten. Archives found inside are extracted too, up to three levels deep. When you look inside an archive first, Extract To… lets you pick another folder instead. The original archive is never changed or deleted.
Can I see what is inside an archive before extracting it?
Yes. Choose File › Browse Archive…, hold Option while you drop it, or set Settings › General to show what is inside every time. You see every file with its size and date, can search, preview with the Space bar, drag files to Finder, and extract just the ones you select.
Can it create RAR or ZIP archives?
No. It only extracts. To make a ZIP, Finder's Compress command does that already.
Which Macs does it work on?
Any Mac on macOS 14 Sonoma or later, Apple silicon or Intel. It is one app that runs natively on both.
How is Rar Extractor different from The Unarchiver or Keka?
Both are free and open RAR files too. The Unarchiver opens many more formats; Keka also creates archives. Rar Extractor only extracts RAR, ZIP, 7z and TAR, in one window, with plain messages for passwords and missing parts, and a person behind the support email. The comparisons set the facts side by side.
Is there a free trial?
No. The app asks for a license key when it opens. Instead, every purchase has a 14-day money-back guarantee: if it does not work for you, email support and you get a full refund.
Is Rar Extractor a subscription?
No. You pay once and own it, including future updates.
What does it send over the internet?
Three things: a license check about once a week (your key and your Mac's name, so you can tell activations apart), a request for the current price when the app opens, and a check for updates. Your archives are opened and extracted on your Mac. Rar Extractor never uploads your files, their names, or anything about what you do with it.
How do I get the app after buying?
Your license key is shown on the page you return to after checkout, with a button that opens the app and activates it, and it is emailed to the address you paid with.
What happens if I am offline?
It keeps working. The app checks your license about once a week, and if it cannot reach the server it carries on regardless, asking you to reconnect only after two weeks without a successful check. It never locks while you are using it.
Is there a money-back guarantee?
Yes. 14 days from the day you buy, no questions asked. Email hello@macrarextractor.com and you get a full refund.

Guides

RAR files on a Mac, explained

Answers to the questions people ask about RAR files on a Mac, whichever app you use.

All guides →

With love

Get it. Use it. Keep it if it helps.

I built Rar Extractor because opening a RAR file on a Mac should not need a Terminal tutorial. I hope it saves you those minutes every time an archive lands in your Downloads folder. If it is not for you, you have 14 days to ask for your money back.

Questions, feedback, a format it should open? Write to hello@macrarextractor.com or find me on X and LinkedIn. I read and answer everything myself, within three business days.

Sanii Verma

Sanii Verma

Maker of Rar Extractor

Open your next RAR file in one step

Drop it on the window and get a folder of its contents beside it. For macOS 14 Sonoma or later, Apple silicon or Intel.

Get launch updates
  • Native Mac app
  • Extracts on your Mac
  • One-time purchase
  • Lifetime updates
We'll email you when sales open. No spam, and you can unsubscribe anytime.