4 Ways to Open a RAR File

2024 Author: Samantha Chapman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-15 13:47

This article shows you how to unzip a RAR archive to have access to the files it contains. RAR archives are in effect files that contain within them multiple folders and files that have been compressed to reduce disk space. Using special free software it is possible to decompress a RAR file and thus have access to its content using an iPhone, an Android device, Windows and Mac computers.

Steps

Method 1 of 4: iPhone

Step 1. Download and install iZip

It is a free application that allows you to decompress RAR files as well as being equipped with other useful features. Follow these instructions to proceed:

• Login to App Store Apple;
• Select the tab Search for;
• Tap the search bar of the App Store.
• Type in the keyword izip, then press the button Search for;
• Push the button Get;
• Complete the process by providing your Apple ID password or use the Touch ID feature.

Step 2. Open the RAR file under consideration

Launch the app where the RAR file to be processed is stored, then select its archive icon. A gray screen will appear with the selected file name visible in the center of the screen.

Since on the iPhone it is not allowed to use a file manager with which to manage the data in the device memory, it is very likely that the RAR file is accessible through the email client or an app related to a clouding service

Step 3. Tap the following icon

It is characterized by a square from which an arrow pointing upwards comes out. It is located in the lower left corner of the screen. A small menu will appear in the form of a pop-up window.

Step 4. Scroll the appeared menu all the way to the right

Swipe the screen from right to left by selecting the app list at the top of the menu. The iZip application icon should appear.

Step 5. Choose the Copy to iZip option

It features a compressed yellow folder icon. In this way the RAR file in question will be opened within the iZip program.

If the indicated option is not visible, press the button ⋯, activates the cursor on the right of the item iZip, then press the button end.

Step 6. Press the OK button when prompted

In this way the files and folders contained in the RAR archive will be decompressed and become accessible for normal consultation.

• If you are not asked to unzip the file contained in the RAR archive, follow these instructions:

  • Touch the circular icon on the left of each item in the RAR archive;
  • Push the button Extract located at the bottom of the screen.

  Method 2 of 4: Android devices

  

  Step 1. Download the RAR file to be processed on your Android device

  If the latter is not yet present in the memory of the device, as a first step you will have to download it. Start the app that contains the RAR archive in question (for example Gmail or Google Drive), locate it and save it locally on the Android device.

  If the RAR file is already present in the device memory, skip this step

  

  Step 2. Download and install the WinZip app

  It is a completely free program that allows you to access different compressed archive formats, including RAR files. To install WinZip follow these instructions:

  • Log in to Play Store Google by tapping the following icon

    

    ;

  • Tap the search bar;
  • Type in the keyword winzip;
  • Select the item WinZip - Zip UnZip Tool;
  • Push the button Install;
  • Push the button I accept.

  

  Step 3. Press the Open button

  It is green in color and will appear at the top of the Play Store page dedicated to the WinZip app at the end of the installation. This will bring up the application user interface.

  

  Step 4. Press the Start button

  It is located at the bottom of the main page of the program.

  But first you'll have to slide your finger across the screen to the left to view some advertisements

  

  Step 5. Navigate to the folder where the RAR file to be processed is stored

  Select the item SD or Internal, then navigate to the directory that contains the RAR archive to unpack.

  For example, if you have downloaded the RAR file to your device, you will need to select the folder Download and then, if necessary, the application folder you used to download it.

  

  Step 6. Press and hold your finger on the icon of the RAR file in question

  A new menu will appear after a few seconds.

  

  Step 7. Choose the Unzip to… option

  It is one of the items listed at the top of the context menu that appeared.

  

  Step 8. Select the folder where you want to save the data contained within the RAR archive

  Choose one of the following options:

  • Storage - the RAR archive will be unzipped inside the folder of the Android device you choose to use.
  • My Files - the RAR archive will be unzipped inside the folder My files of the device.
  • Google Drive - the RAR archive will be unzipped inside the folder of Google Drive.
  • Dropbox - the RAR archive will be unzipped and the content will be transferred to your Dropbox account. If you don't already have a Dropbox profile, you'll need to create one before you can use this option.

  

  Step 9. Press the UNZIP HERE button

  It is located in the lower right corner of the screen. This way the RAR archive will be unzipped and the contents will be saved inside the specified folder. At this point you should be able to view the contents of the files that made up the RAR archive in question.

  Method 3 of 4: Windows

  

  Step 1. Determine the hardware architecture of your computer

  Depending on the version of Windows you are using (32 or 64 bit), the installation file you will need to download from the web will be different.

  

  Step 2. Go to the web page to download WinRAR from

  Use the internet browser of your choice and the following URL https://www.rarlab.com/download.htm/. WinRAR is a very powerful and completely free program that you can use on any Windows system to manage RAR archives.

  If the indicated link does not work, go to the website https://www.rarlab.com/ and select the link Downloads located on the left side of the page.

  

  Step 3. Select the link to download the version of WinRAR compatible with your computer

  If the latter has 64-bit hardware architecture, you will need to select the link WinRAR x64 (64 bit) 5.60 visible at the top of the page, while if it is a 32-bit system, you will need to select the link WinRAR x86 (32 bit) 5.60 placed under the first. If you wish, you can also choose to download the localized version of WinRAR in Italian. The program installation file will be downloaded to your computer.

  Depending on the settings of the internet browser you are using, you will have to press the button Save or confirm your willingness to download the selected file to your computer.

  

  Step 4. Double click on the WinRAR installation file

  You should find it inside your computer's "Downloads" folder or inside the directory you have chosen. The WinRAR installation wizard screen will appear.

  

  Step 5. Install WinRAR

  Follow these instructions:

  • When prompted, press the button Yup;
  • Push the button Install;
  • Make sure the tick button RAR is selected (it is placed in the upper left corner);
  • Push the button OK;
  • Push the button end.

  

  Step 6. Navigate to the folder where you saved the RAR file

  If you downloaded it directly to your desktop, you are ready to continue. If not, follow these instructions:

  • Access the menu Start by clicking the following icon

    

    ;

  • Open the window File Explorer selecting the icon

    

    ;

  • Use the left sidebar of the "File Explorer" window to select the folder where the RAR file is stored. Depending on where the archive is stored, you may need to select additional folders.

  

  Step 7. Select the RAR file with a double click of the mouse

  WinRAR should start automatically.

  • In some cases, to start WinRAR, you may need to select the option WinRAR from the displayed program list and press the button OK.
  • When you first start WinRAR, you may be asked to purchase the full version. In this case, click the icon in the shape of X located in the upper right corner of the dialog box that appeared.

  

  Step 8. Select the file to unzip

  Click the name of the RAR archive visible in the center of the WinRAR window to select it.

  

  Step 9. Choose the Extract to option

  It features a folder icon and is located in the upper left of the program window. A new dialog will appear.

  

  Step 10. Select where to extract the contents of the RAR archive

  Choose the destination folder you want to use to store the files that will be extracted (for example the Desktop).

  

  Step 11. Press the OK button

  It is located in the lower right part of the window. In this way WinRAR will proceed to extract the contents of the chosen RAR archive and save it in the indicated folder. After the extraction process is complete, you will be able to access the contents of the compressed archive as you would any other folder.

  Method 4 of 4: Mac

  

  Step 1. Download and install The Unarchiver application

  Follow these instructions:

  • Login to App Store of the Mac;
  • Select the search bar located in the upper right corner of the window;
  • Type in your keywords the unarchiver within the search field and press the Enter key;
  • Push the button Install located under the application The Unarchiver.

  

  Step 2. Open the Spotlight search field by clicking the icon

  

  It features a magnifying glass and is positioned at the top right of the screen. A small search bar will appear.

  

  Step 3. Type the keyword unarchiver into the Spotlight search field

  This will perform a search for The Unarchiver program within the Mac.

  

  Step 4. Select The Unarchiver item

  It should have appeared at the top of the results list. A pop-up window will appear.

  

  Step 5. When prompted press the Ask every time button

  This way you can be sure that The Unarchiver program will ask you at each start where you want to extract the contents of the RAR archive to be processed.

  

  Step 6. Navigate to the folder that contains the RAR file

  Open a Finder window by clicking the blue stylized face icon on the Mac Dock. At this point, use the left sidebar of the window that appeared to select the folder where the RAR file to be processed resides.

  Depending on where the archive is stored, you may need to select additional folders

  

  Step 7. Select the RAR file to unzip

  Click the RAR archive icon visible within the Finder window.

  

  Step 8. Access the File menu

  It is located in the upper left corner of the Mac screen.

  

  Step 9. Choose the Open With option

  It is one of the items listed in the menu File. A submenu will appear next to the first one.

  

  Step 10. Choose The Unarchiver app

  It is one of the options present in the second menu that appeared. The selected RAR file will open within The Unarchiver window.

  

  Step 11. Select the folder in which to save the RAR archive contents

  Click one of the directories listed in the left sidebar of the window. This is the place on the Mac hard drive where all the data extracted from the RAR file under consideration will be stored.

  

  Step 12. Press the Extract button

  It is located at the bottom right of The Unarchiver window. In this way the selected RAR archive will be unzipped and the resulting folder will be stored inside the indicated directory. Once the extraction process is complete, you will be able to access the data as you would any other file or folder on your Mac.