Natively, a lot of computers don’t support all file formats, and even the best Macs are no different. At some point, you might receive a collection of compressed files that you don’t know how to open. If it’s a ZIP file, macOS Sonoma will allow you to open it natively. You can’t say the same for RAR files. Both formats are used for file compression, but RAR is more efficient and provides better compression. To open this file type on a Mac, you’ll need to employ the help of a third-party app.
Related
How to use Quick Share on a Mac
Use Quick Share to send files from an Android phone to a macOS computer.
How to open RAR files on MAC using The Unarchiver app
There are various file management programs that can handle RAR files these days, but The Unarchiver is your best bet. It’s lightweight, free, and officially available from the Mac App Store. Here’s how you can use it to open RAR files:
- Launch the App Store on your Mac and search for The Unarchiver. Click the Get button to download it.
- You may be asked to enter your Apple ID and password. If asked, enter your credentials (or use Touch ID if available) and the download will start.
- Open The Unarchiver app and make sure that you select the RAR Archive format in the Archive Formats section. After doing so, close the app.
- Find the RAR file that you want to open, and click it to open it. The Unarchiver app should automatically extract the file’s contents to the same folder. You should get a pop-up message telling you the extraction was successful.
- If you want to set the extraction destination manually, open The Unarchiver app, go to the Extraction section, and select Ask for a destination folder for the Extract archives to setting.
That’s all there is to it. The Unarchiver works flawlessly, and it doesn’t hog system memory much, even if you’re extracting relatively large files.
Mastering file management on Mac
Dealing with ZIP files was already easy on Mac thanks to the native support, but The Unarchiver makes the process simple for RAR apps as well. Like this app, there are a bunch of other great programs that every Mac user should take advantage of.