Rar Extractor vs Archive Utility: Can a Mac Open RAR?
Updated · Sanii Verma
Comparison · 1 min read · facts checked
Archive Utility, built into macOS, expands ZIP, 7z, TAR, gzip, bzip2 and xz but does not open RAR at all. For a .rar file you need a separate app; Rar Extractor opens RAR, including RAR5, password-protected and split archives.
Every Mac comes with Archive Utility, the app that runs when you double-click a
.zip. It is good at what it does, and for ZIP files you may never need
anything else. RAR is where it stops.
The format list below was read from the file types Archive Utility declares on macOS 27.2, checked on the date above. Apple's own help page covers ZIP only.
At a glance
| Rar Extractor | Archive Utility | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | One-time purchase (pricing) | Included with macOS |
| RAR and RAR5 | Yes | No |
| Password-protected RAR | Yes | No (no RAR at all) |
| Split RAR (part1, part2…) | Yes | No |
| ZIP | Yes | Yes |
| 7z, TAR, gzip, bzip2, xz | Yes (not encrypted 7z) | Yes |
| Creates archives | No | ZIP, through Finder's Compress command |
| Where files go | A folder next to the archive | Next to the archive |
When Archive Utility is enough
- Your files are ZIP. Double-click and it expands next to the archive. To make a ZIP, select files in Finder and choose Compress.
- You open 7z or TAR files. On current macOS it handles those too.
When you need Rar Extractor
- Your file ends in
.rar. Archive Utility cannot open it. - It is a password-protected or split RAR. Rar Extractor asks for the password
and reads every part of a
.part1.raror.r00set. - You want one app for all of it. The same window opens RAR, ZIP, 7z and TAR, so you do not have to remember which app handles which.
More on the format itself in RAR vs ZIP, and the step-by-step in how to open RAR files on a Mac.
Related
- How to Open RAR Files on Mac: Step-by-Step Guide
- Rar Extractor vs Keka: Opening RAR Files on Mac
- Rar Extractor vs The Unarchiver: RAR on Mac Compared