┌─ FILE ANALYSIS ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── ┐
│ DEVELOPER : Alexander Roshal (RARLAB)
│ CATEGORY : Archive
│ MIME TYPE : application/x-rar-compressed
│ MAGIC BYTES : 526172211A07
└ ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── ┘
What is a RAR file?
RAR (Roshal Archive) is a proprietary archive format created by Eugene Roshal. It typically achieves better compression ratios than ZIP and includes features like solid compression, error recovery records, and multi-volume archives.
How to open RAR files
- WinRAR (Windows) — Native support
- 7-Zip (Windows) — Free, open-source
- The Unarchiver (macOS) — Free
- PeaZip (Windows, Linux) — Free, open-source
- unrar (Linux) — Command-line tool
Technical specifications
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Compression | RAR proprietary algorithm |
| Encryption | AES-256 |
| Recovery | Error recovery records |
| Solid | Solid compression mode |
| Multi-volume | Split archive support |
Programs that open RAR files
- WinRAR — Official RAR tool
- 7-Zip — Free alternative (extract only)
- The Unarchiver — Free macOS extractor
- PeaZip — Free cross-platform archiver
Common use cases
- File sharing: Better compression for large files
- Game mods: Common format for game modifications
- Software distribution: Split archives for download