How to Open RAR Files on Mac: Step-by-Step Guide

Updated October 24, 2026 · Sanii Verma

Guide · 3 min read

A Mac cannot open a RAR file with its built-in Archive Utility, so you need an app that reads RAR. Install one, open the .rar with it, and the files are extracted into a folder — with Rar Extractor that is one drop or double-click.

Why a Mac will not open a RAR file

Double-click a .zip on a Mac and it opens: Archive Utility, the extractor built into macOS, expands it into a folder beside the archive. Double-click a .rar and nothing useful happens, because Archive Utility does not read RAR.

That is not a guess. On macOS 27.2 (checked on 24 October 2026), the list of file types Archive Utility declares includes ZIP, 7z, tar, gzip, bzip2 and xz, and no RAR type at all. Apple's own help page on archives only covers ZIP.

RAR is a format made by RARLAB, the company behind WinRAR, and it is common on Windows. Course materials, game mods and files from a friend on a PC can arrive as RAR, which is how many Mac users first meet one.

What you need: any app that reads RAR

Any extractor that understands RAR will do. When you choose one, check three things:

RAR5 support. Current WinRAR versions create the RAR5 format by default. An extractor that only knows the older format will call a RAR5 file damaged.
Passwords and split archives. If you are sent a password-protected archive, or one split into .part1.rar, .part2.rar and so on, make sure the app handles both.
Where the files go. Some apps ask for a destination; some always extract next to the archive.

Options people use on a Mac include:

App	How you use it	Notes
Rar Extractor	Drop, double-click or Choose a file	Paid once; extracts next to the archive (this site's app)
The Unarchiver	Double-click after installing	Free, from MacPaw
Keka	Drop on the app or its Dock icon	Free download; also sold on the App Store
`unar` (Homebrew)	`unar file.rar` in Terminal	Free, command line

If you are comfortable in Terminal, brew install unar and then unar with the archive's name extracts it. Most people want an app instead, which is what the rest of this guide covers.

How to open a RAR file with Rar Extractor

The Rar Extractor window waiting for an archive, with a dashed drop area reading “Drop a RAR, ZIP, 7z, or TAR file” and a Choose a file button.

Install and activate the app. Move it to Applications, open it, and paste the license key from your purchase email. The app opens on the activation screen until it has a key.
Open the RAR file. Drop it on the window, drop it on the app's Dock icon, double-click it (after choosing the app as the default for .rar), or click Choose a file…. You can drop several archives at once; they are extracted one after another.
Type the password if asked. Only password-protected archives ask. A wrong password says "Wrong password." and keeps what you typed.
Open the folder. The files appear in a new folder next to the archive. Click Show in Finder to go straight to it.

Rar Extractor after extracting an archive: “Extracted”, the folder name, and the Extract another and Show in Finder buttons.

The folder is named after the archive (or after the single folder inside it, if there is one). If a folder with that name already exists, a number is added, so nothing is overwritten. The original .rar is left as it was.

To make double-clicking work, click Make Rar Extractor the default for .rar files in the app's window once.

Common problems

"Open the first part of this archive (.part1.rar), not a later part." You opened part 2 or later of a split archive. See how to extract a multipart RAR.
"A later part of this split archive is missing." One of the parts is not in the same folder, or has a different name.
"Corrupted archive (CRC error)." The file is damaged, usually by an incomplete download. Download it again.
It asks for a password you do not have. Only the sender can give it to you. See password-protected RAR files.

More causes and fixes are in RAR file not opening on Mac.

Frequently asked

Is it safe to open a RAR file? The archive itself is just a container. What matters is what is inside it and where it came from. Rar Extractor never writes outside the folder it creates, even if an archive is built to try, and it skips links stored inside archives.

Can I create RAR files on a Mac? Not with Rar Extractor, The Unarchiver or Keka; they extract RAR but do not create it. RARLAB offers a command-line RAR for macOS, under a trial license, that does.

Does it work on Apple silicon? Rar Extractor runs natively on both Apple silicon and Intel Macs with macOS 14 Sonoma or later.