In other words, these are compressed files consisting of one or more documents. They serve to reduce the weight of the original files and help move the necessary documents from one device to another much faster than uncompressed ones.
How to open RAR file with WinRAR.
There are no pre-installed programs in Windows OS that could open these files.
However, there are many third-party software that can deal with this problem.
WinRAR is the most powerful utility for creating and managing various archives.
It is most popular among users, as it has a simple and understandable interface even for a beginner. Its installation does not require any skills, and its weight practically does not appear on the space of your hard drive.
You can use rar and zip archives to hide your data from prying eyes by .
1. Download the program from the official portal and install it.
2. After installation, you will see the "Settings" window, in which you should mark the file extensions opened by the utility and click on the "OK" button. In addition, you can create a shortcut to the program on the desktop by checking the "Add WinRAR icon to the desktop" option.
3. Now click on the required file. It will open and you will be able to see the files zipped in it and also extract them.
If necessary, you can create an archive and .
1. To do this, click on the desired folder with the left mouse button and select the "Add to archive" option.
2. Set the archive format and its name. Click on the "OK" button.
Now you know how to open a RAR file.
Reading 8 min. Views 11.3k. Published on 11.09.2017
Very often, users ask the question: "How to open a RAR file?". This file format is quite popular and is used in all versions of Windows, Linux, MacOS and even on Android, but for some reason it causes difficulties for users to open.
RAR is a special file compression format, in fact it is an archive that has a high compression ratio because of this, it has gained high popularity on the Internet.
To open RAR archives, the generally recognized WinRAR utility is most often used, which allows you to both create archives and extract files from them.
When working with the WinRAR application, the user can create composite and multi-volume archives, as well as set a password for them. At the moment, there are a huge number of different archivers that can work with the Rar compression format. I propose to consider the best programs for different operating systems.
How to open RAR file in Windows
If you have already paid attention, you probably noticed that by default there is a standard ability to open only Zip archives. Therefore, users often simply cannot open a RAR archive until they download a special utility. If you do not know what exactly you need, then consider several options.
WinRaR
Probably the most popular archiver for the Windows operating system. WinRar can not only open and extract files from an archive, but also allows the user to create archives on their own.
You can download the program as always from the official website of the developer - www.win-rar.ru/download/.
It is worth paying attention to the fact that the program is shareware. There is a 30 day trial which allows the user to get familiar with all the features.
With the WinRar program installed, in order to place a file in an archive, just right-click on it and select "Add to archive".
In order to unpack a compressed file, just click on it with the left mouse button and in the program window that opens, click on the "Extract" button, which is located in the toolbar. 
Main functions of WinRAR:
- Ability to create archives no more than 8GB;
- Yes, email attachment, archive blocking and more;
- Recovery of damaged archives;
- The presence of a file manager;
7zip
Another equally popular archiver, created in 1999. The main advantage of 7-zip is that it is completely free and open source. The program has two versions:
- GUI version;
- Command line version;
Like the previous archiver, 7-zip does an excellent job with Rar archives, and also supports working with file types such as: tar, gz, tb2, wim, 7z. By the way, the main compression format for this program is Zip. 
The user, at his discretion, can install several archivers on his PC at once, but by default the archives will be opened in WinRar.
The main advantages of the program:
- Excellent speed of creating and unpacking archives;
- Support for native 7z format, which has more advantages over zip;
- A simple and clear interface that allows users to quickly understand the functions.
free arc
Another absolutely free and open source archiver. If you have FreeArc installed in your arsenal, then you will have no questions about how to open a RAR file, since the program can work with all popular archive formats.
By the way, those who have already managed to work with this archiver probably noticed that it has an excellent speed of performing operations, so it is at least twice ahead of many of its competitors. 
By the way, this archiver can be easily connected to such popular file managers as Total Commander and Far.
Distinctive aspects of FreeArc:
- High speed of work;
- Ability to restore damaged archives;
- Automatic sorting of archives by date, size, etc.;
- A huge number of settings;
- Clear interface.
TUGZip
A less well-known free open source archiver that has proven itself not only when working with archives, but also with disk images.
If the standard functionality of the program does not suit you, you can easily supplement it with specially created plugins.
The main features of the program:
- Creation of self-extracting archives;
- Working with disk images: ISO, BIN, IMG and others;
- Support for installing third-party plugins;
- Recovery of damaged archives;
- Integration into Explorer's context menu;
I won't list all the features that TUGZip has. As you can see, there are plenty of them here, and probably even more than the most popular archivers have. By the way, the program is independently updated via the Internet and has support for the Russian language.
IZarc
A fairly versatile archiver that can also work with disk images.
The program is completely free, supports all modern formats of archives and disk images. The main advantages include the following:
- Ability to convert an archive to an image and vice versa;
- Automatic integration into the Windows context menu;
- Scanning archives for viruses using ;
- Russian language support;
Having this archiver on your computer, you will no longer have questions: “How to open a Rar file?”.
Hamster Free ZIP Archiver
Quite an interesting and at the same time advanced archiver that combines features that are not common to most archivers.
It has features like:
- Upload archives to popular cloud services: DropBox, Yandex Disc, Google Drive and others;
- Share links to created archives with friends and work colleagues;
- Supports all popular file compression methods;
- Has a high compression ratio.
Therefore, if you want to keep up with the times, then I advise you to take a closer look at this archiver.
PeaZip
Completes our list of archivers for Windows - PeaZip. This is a freely distributed free archiver that does not require installation on the device. It is enough to copy the program to disk.
PeaZip is also a graphical shell for other archivers. The program has support for creating archives of its own Pea format. 
The main functions of the program:
- Working with multi-volume archives;
- Support for all modern archives;
- Checking the integrity of archives;
- Creation of encrypted archives;
In general, a standard set of functions that many archivers have.
How to open RAR file on Android and iOS mobile devices
As a rule, various archivers and file managers that can work with RAR archives are already preinstalled on many mobile devices. Moreover, most file managers allow you to view archives, as if the user had opened a regular folder.
If your device does not have a program to open the archive, then you can use the options below.
Popular programs for opening RAR archives on Android
Total Commander is a popular file manager that has migrated from computers to mobile devices. With it, you can easily open archives on your smartphone, although the interface of the program is somewhat complicated, because of this, many users are looking for alternative programs.
ES File Explorer is another very popular file manager that, apart from its basic tasks, has a number of additional features that work great on rooted devices.
FX File Manager is one of the few file managers that can work in two window mode. The truth will not always be convenient for owners of gadgets with a small display.
Amaze File Manager is a less popular but fast enough file manager that works without freezing. I fell in love with users because of the interface, which is similar to Google services.
The best programs for iOS that can work with archives.
File Manager is probably one of the advanced managers that users of cloud storage will like. Since it can upload archives to the cloud.
USB Disk Pro - allows you to preview files, and also has a bunch of features that will appeal to both beginners and advanced users.
Documents 5 is the best file manager that allows you to search for files on your device, copy and move, and add to the archive.
How to open RAR file on Linux
If you are using a Linux operating system on your computer, then I can please you. You don't have to search and download anything, since the distributions of this operating system already have built-in software packages for working with Rar archives. True, this set of programs does not have the usual graphical interface.
To activate them, open a command prompt and type:
sudo apt-get install unrar p7zip-rar
After that, you can unpack any RAR archive by right-clicking on it and selecting "Unpack here".
Note! Very often, if the archive was created in the Windows operating system, and you unpack it in Linux (Ubuntu), then the encoding of the file names will go wrong. This happens when using unrar-free.
If you need a classic archiver for Linux with a graphical interface, then I recommend using p7Zip, an analogue of 7-Zip.
Let's summarize.
Today we have discussed in detail how to open a RAR file on different devices. I hope that after reading this article you will no longer have questions about which program to use when working with archives. As you can see, there are quite a few free and more advanced solutions that are superior to the popular WinRAR archiver in many ways. Therefore, you must decide which program to choose for yourself.
Rar is an archive format that supports the creation of multi-volume archives, divided into several compressed parts. They have the extension rxx (instead of the xx number from 00 to 99). Uses the same algorithm. Takes up little disk space thanks to a high compression algorithm. Developed by a domestic developer, named after his last name. He also wrote a program to work with him (WinRAR). Despite the fact that the format is closed, in addition to WinRAR it is supported by most free archivers.
How to open rar file
- - a free archiver with which you can view, edit, create and unpack archives. Provides full support for 10 formats (creation and unpacking) and partial (viewing and unpacking) about 15. Externally, the application is simple and clear, the appearance is easy to customize using themes.
- Power Archiver is a powerful free application, but in addition to the free edition, there are also paid ones. The free version provides a standard set of functions - unpacking, viewing, editing and creating archives. A large number of formats are supported.
- Zipx is a free application focused on working with zipx archives. In addition to zipx, many other formats are supported. The interface of the application is quite simple, it will not be difficult to understand it. Allows you to check archives for errors and generate their hash.
- - Free program for working with archives. Focused on working with archives of the zip family. It has a simple and intuitive interface, which consists of a menu at the top and basic control buttons below it. It works quickly even on weak computers, has a high speed of compression and decompression of archives.
Archives created by the WinRAR program have long been widely used among users, but they cannot be opened with the built-in Windows tools. For this purpose, specialized applications will be required.
Below is a guide detailing the steps on how to open a RAR archive file on a Windows 7 computer. It should be noted that the instructions below will effectively help you cope with this task in other modifications of Windows.
What is this file?
It has a ".rar" extension and in Windows 7 Explorer has a book packaging icon.
It stores files and directories compressed with a utility called "WinRar" in a compressed state. As a result, archived materials take up less disk space, and the chances of files being corrupted by malware are also greatly reduced.
WinRAR Application
This utility will ideally provide the convenience of working with the format in question, since it is with the use of it that they are created.
The main drawback of the utility is the lack of its free versions, there is only a demo modification, for which you still need to pay after 40 days of use (otherwise the application is blocked).
This is where the cons end. The functionality of this archiver will please even the most demanding user.
The main advantages of the utility include the following:
- It has the functionality of repairing damaged archive files;
- It has the ability to create packed files of a significant size (up to 8 Gb);
- A convenient procedure for effectively protecting archives, for example, dividing it into parts and setting an access code.
To install the application, open the page www.rarlab.com, where its official version is available. Further, after installing it on the computer, open the “.rar” file by simply double-clicking on it.
This will launch the utility window, in which all packaged materials will be available for viewing and editing. There is an "Extract" button in the toolbar, after clicking on it, the archived directories and files will be extracted.
If the user prefers a free unpacking method, then below is an effective program that will also allow you to quickly cope with the task.
"7-Zip"
This application unpacks not only "RAR", but also a huge number of archives with other extensions, such as ZIP, XAR, ARJ, UDF, TAR, CHM, NSIS, CPIO, GZ, RPM, CAB, LZH, TB2, DMG, MSI, HFS, LZMA, 7z, ISO, DEB, WIM and Z. It is recommended to install the utility from the official resource www.7-zip.org.
Main advantages:
- Outwardly, it is as close as possible to WinRAR (it has an intuitive interface;
- It has the ability to create archives with its own extension ".7z", which in some respects surpasses ".zip";
- High speed of work;
- Completely Russified.
To open "RAR" you need to perform just a few steps;
If your computer has antivirus program can scan all files on the computer, as well as each file individually. You can scan any file by right-clicking on the file and selecting the appropriate option to scan the file for viruses.
For example, in this figure, file my-file.rar, then you need to right-click on this file, and in the file menu select the option "scan with AVG". Selecting this option will open AVG Antivirus and scan the file for viruses.
Sometimes an error can result from incorrect software installation, which may be due to a problem that occurred during the installation process. It may interfere with your operating system associate your RAR file with the correct software application, influencing the so-called "file extension associations".
Sometimes simple reinstalling 7-Zip may solve your problem by properly linking RAR with 7-Zip. In other cases, file association problems may result from bad software programming developer, and you may need to contact the developer for further assistance.
Advice: Try updating 7-Zip to the latest version to make sure you have the latest fixes and updates.
This may seem too obvious, but often the RAR file itself may be causing the problem. If you received a file via an email attachment or downloaded it from a website and the download process was interrupted (for example, by a power outage or other reason), the file may be corrupted. If possible, try to get a fresh copy of the RAR file and try to open it again.
Carefully: A corrupted file can cause collateral damage to previous or existing malware on your PC, so it's important to keep your computer up to date with an up-to-date antivirus.
If your RAR file associated with the hardware on your computer to open the file you may need update device drivers associated with this equipment.
This problem usually associated with media file types, which depend on the successful opening of the hardware inside the computer, for example, sound card or video card. For example, if you are trying to open an audio file but cannot open it, you may need to update sound card drivers.
Advice: If when you try to open a RAR file you get .SYS file related error message, the problem could probably be associated with corrupted or outdated device drivers that need to be updated. This process can be facilitated by using driver update software such as DriverDoc.
If the steps didn't solve the problem and you are still having problems opening RAR files, this may be due to lack of available system resources. Some versions of RAR files may require a significant amount of resources (eg. memory/RAM, processing power) to open properly on your computer. This problem is quite common if you are using fairly old computer hardware and a much newer operating system at the same time.
This problem can occur when the computer is having a hard time completing a task because the operating system (and other services running in the background) can consume too many resources to open RAR file. Try closing all applications on your PC before opening WinRAR Compressed Archive. By freeing up all the available resources on your computer, you will provide the best conditions for trying to open the RAR file.
If you completed all the above steps and your RAR file still won't open, you may need to run hardware upgrade. In most cases, even with older hardware versions, the processing power can still be more than enough for most user applications (unless you're doing a lot of CPU-intensive work like 3D rendering, financial/science modeling, or media-intensive work) . In this way, it is likely that your computer does not have enough memory(more commonly referred to as "RAM", or RAM) to perform the task of opening a file.
