How to Open RAR Files on Mac OS X

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RAR is a widely used file compression format that allows users to combine multiple files into one archive for easy storage and transfer. While it is commonly associated with Windows operating systems, many Mac users may also encounter RAR files in their day-to-day activities. However, Mac OS X does not have a built-in support for opening RAR files, which can be quite frustrating for Mac users. In this guide, we will explore different methods and tools that can help Mac users open and extract the contents of RAR files effortlessly. Whether you need to access important documents, software installations, or multimedia files, we will provide you with step-by-step instructions to unlock RAR files on Mac OS X.

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This article shows you how to decompress RAR files on your Mac using the free Unarchiver app. If you can’t install Unarchiver for some reason, you can use the free Stuffit Expander app.

Table of Contents

Steps

Using Unarchiver

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Download the Unarchiver app. This is an application that allows you to open RAR files on your Mac. To download the application, do the following:

• Open
  

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  App Store on Mac.

• Click the search bar in the upper-right corner of the App Store window.
• Type unarchiver in the search bar, then press ⏎ Return .
• Click Get under the “Unarchiver” heading.
• Click Install App under the “Unarchiver” heading when prompted.
• Enter your Apple ID password when prompted.

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Open Launchpad by clicking the app with the spaceship icon commonly found in the Dock at the bottom of the Mac screen.

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Click The Unarchiver to launch the application.

• When asked, you may have to choose whether to save all unzipped files in the same folder or to be asked again each time.

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Click the Archive Formats tab at the top of the window.

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Check the “RAR Archive” box to ensure that the Unarchiver program can extract RAR files in the future.

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Select the RAR file. Go to the folder containing the RAR file you want to open, and then click on it.

• If you want to decompress a RAR file that has been split into several pieces, you should start with a file ending in “.rar” or “.part001.rar”. All sections must be saved in the same folder.

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Click File at the top of your Mac screen to open a selection list.

• In some cases, you can also double-click the RAR file to open it in Unarchiver. This won’t work if you have multiple applications that open RAR files on your Mac.

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Choose Open With from the File menu. The screen will display another menu.

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Click The Unarchiver in the menu that appears. This will open the RAR file in Unarchiver and start extracting the RAR file into a RAR folder.

• If the RAR file is secured, you will have to enter the password before the file can be extracted.

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Open the unzipped file. By default, the Unarchiver program will extract the RAR file into the same folder where the original RAR file was saved. For example, if the RAR file is saved in the Desktop folder, you will see the extracted files here.

Using StuffIt Expander

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Open the StuffIt Expander website by visiting http://my.smithmicro.com/stuffit-expander-mac.html on your computer’s web browser. This is a free application that supports many types of compressed files, including RAR.

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Download StuffIt Expander in the following way:

• Enter an email address in the “Email*” field.
• Click FREE Download .
• Click Download .

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Install Stuffit Expander. Double-click the downloaded installation file, click Agree when prompted, and wait for the installation to take place.

• You will be asked to verify the software before installation.

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Open StuffIt Expander by double-clicking the application’s icon.

• When asked, you’ll click Open .

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Click Move to Applications Fpder . Here’s how to complete the installation and open StuffIt Expander; Now you can use this application to open RAR files.

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Click the StuffIt Expander menu in the upper-left corner of the screen to open the selection list.

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Click Preferences… in the StuffIt Expander selection list.

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Click the Advanced tab at the top of the Preferences window.

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Drag the scroll bar down and click the RAR selection in the center of the window.

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Click Assign to StuffIt Expander (Switch to StuffIt Expander) on the right side of the window. This allows StuffIt Expander to open the RAR file on the Mac.

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Close the window by clicking the red button in the upper left corner of the window.

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Double-click the RAR file to launch StuffIt Expander and start the process of extracting the RAR file.

• If StuffIt Expander doesn’t start, right-click or press the Ctrl key and click on the file, then select Open With and click StuffIt Expander .
• If you want to decompress a RAR file that has been split into several pieces, you should start with a file ending in “.rar” or “.part001.rar”. All sections must be saved in the same folder.
• If the RAR file is secured, you will have to enter the password before the file can be extracted.

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Open the unzipped file. By default, StuffIt Expander will extract the RAR file into the same folder where the original RAR file was saved. For example, if the RAR file is saved in the Desktop folder, you will see the extracted files here.

Advice

• The RAR folder is essentially the same as the ZIP folder, but with the only exception that both Windows and Mac computers come with a built-in program to decompress ZIP files.

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Warning

• The RAR folder doesn’t always contain files that you can open, but Unarchiver and StuffIt Expander still allow you to view those files.

X

This article is co-authored by a team of editors and trained researchers who confirm the accuracy and completeness of the article.

The wikiHow Content Management team carefully monitors the work of editors to ensure that every article is up to a high standard of quality.

This article has been viewed 20,159 times.

This article shows you how to decompress RAR files on your Mac using the free Unarchiver app. If you can’t install Unarchiver for some reason, you can use the free Stuffit Expander app.

In conclusion, opening RAR files on Mac OS X is not as straightforward as with other file formats. However, there are several options available to Mac users to successfully open RAR files. These options include using third-party software like The Unarchiver or Keka, or utilizing online extraction tools. By following the step-by-step methods mentioned above, users can easily access and extract the contents of RAR files on their Mac computers. Whether it’s downloading and installing a dedicated software or using online tools, Mac users can now access and enjoy the contents of RAR files without any hassle.

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