What is a .rar file?

A .rar file is a compressed archive — a bundle of other files squeezed into one, a bit like a ZIP. You don't open it directly; you extract what's inside.

Only extract RAR files from sources you trust — archives are a common way to hide malware, and a password-protected RAR from a stranger is a red flag.

This extension has been used by more than one format

3 different formats have claimed .rar over the years, so two files with the same extension aren't necessarily the same kind of thing.

How to open a .rar file

Windows7-Zip (free)
WindowsWinRAR
WindowsNanaZip
MacThe Unarchiver (free)
MacKeka
Linuxunrar / unar in the terminal
LinuxArk or File Roller
Phone or tabletFiles app (iOS 16+ handles RAR)
Phone or tabletZArchiver (Android)

How to convert a .rar file

Extract it, then re-compress the contents as .zip if the person you're sending it to can't open RAR.
7-Zip can extract a RAR and repack it as .7z or .zip in two clicks.

MIME type

When a .rar file travels over the web, servers label it with this MIME type:

application/vnd.rar

What's a MIME type?

The technical record

For archivists, developers and the merely curious: these are the PRONOM registry entries for .rar.