Extract rar Files on Mac: Are you facing trouble with the opening of rar files in your Mac? Well, you are not alone. There are many who have faced the same problems and lodged their complaints.
Often we share .rar files with each file because of their compactness and the security of this file type, but if the receiver fails to open it, the purpose remains unfulfilled.
How Do You Extract RAR Files On Mac?
We have surveyed out that this is one of the most common problems that Mac users experience and so in this blog we are going to discuss how to open or Extract rar Files on mac. Rather than directly jumping to the process, it is better to give brief introduction about the Extract .rar Files in Mac.
Read More: Tips Fix Mac FaceTime Camera not Working
RAR files are basically archive files similar to zip files, though there are differences between RAR files and Zip files but both of them belong to the same category of file.
RAR is capable of compressing large files into a single RAR format and initiate the convenient transfer.
While downloading any content from the internet, you may encounter RAR files reduce the download size and protect it with a password for security purpose.
Difference Between RAR and ZIP Files
Apparently, zip files and RAR files are very much similar to each other in terms of compressing the size, formatting into a single file and protection with password.
Among the existing differences, the relevant one is MacOS can extract ZIP files without any third-party software; only a double click is enough to open the file. Zip file is released to public domain but the RAR file is still licensed privately.
Read More: How to Download and Install MacOS Mojave
Can You Open RAR Files on a MAC?
Unlike the Zip format files RAR files cannot be opened with double click. The latter is more complicated and thus the process of opening and extracting in Mac is little different.
The Process to Extract RAR Files on Mac
MAC OS doesn’t incorporate built-in utility to work with RAR files. The existing utility support can help in many other formats of files that include TAR, ZIP, GZIP but not RAR. RAR is proprietary so it is included in the list.
This can be disappointing for many users, but don’t worry. There are many reliable third party software and archive utilities which can help in the RAR files’ activity in Mac. Let’s start with the process.
Extract RAR File With Unarchiver
Unarchiver is a free tool which is easier to use as well. It is a popular choice because it is capable of unarchive RAR format and the other different files with which you may face the same problem. Hence, one unarchiver can solve many of your problems at the same time. Now let’s look at how it works:
- You have to download and install unarchiver. You can get it from the App Store or the developer’s website directly. Opt for the way which is convenient for you.
- Now, open unarchiver from the folder o your downloaded applications.
- In the menu bar, you can see ‘file’. Go to ‘file’ click on the option ‘unarchive to’ and choose the RAR file and click on unarchive.
- At last, choose the location where you want your unarchived files to be saved and click ‘extract’. You can also drag and drop the unarchived file to location.
Using Keka to Extract rar Files on mac
As an alternative to Unarchiver, you can use Keka, which is an open-source platform. In addition, to open and Extract rar Files on mac, you can use Keka to create archive files for your own. It is free and available on the developer’s website.
Confirm that your Mac version supports Keka and install it. While installing Keka from the developer’s website you can open the disk image on Keka and drag it to the application folder. Ignoring the security alert you should click on open after the installation.
To use Keka for extracting and opening the RAR files you must follow some steps:
- Open Keka in your Mac.
- Just drag and drop the RAR file on the icon of Keka and Dock.
- It will automatically extract the files and store them to the default location.
Opening RAR Files With Terminal on Mac OS
Opening and Extract rar Files on mac is not a difficult job. It can be easier with Terminal in Mac OS. In order to do so, you need to install Homebrew at first. As everyone is not comfortable with the terminal commands, the experts don’t recommend this method to all.
In case Homebrew is already installed, you can follow the below-mentioned instructions to let it work.
Unarchive RAR files with Terminal
- Open Terminal from ‘Utilities’ folder
- ‘brew install unrar’ is the command that you need to use to install a RAR format extractor
- In case you need unrar to be built from the source use ‘Xcode-select –install’
- Use the command ‘unrar x filename.rar to navigate your rar file in terminal.
These steps will help you to Extract rar Files on mac
Opening RAR file Online
Extract and open RAR files online is feasible but in that case, you may have to cope with your privacy to some extent. On the internet, you can find several websites that can help you in it but before making any move, check the reviews to opt for the best one.
According to the surveys, extract.me is the site that appears as best archive extraction site. However, you can go with your favourite one.
Visit the site and upload the .rar file from Mac. Extract.me allows you to choose the RAR file from Dropbox and Google Drive as well.
Once the upload is completed, the site will begin to Extract rar Files on mac and download it to the system. Needless to say extracting the content needs you to have enough data bandwidth and space in your system as the file is no longer compressed. Also, it will take more time than usual RAR files.
In Wrap-up
I hope you find this guide useful for your purpose. Share your thoughts about how you pursue the content extraction in Mac.
