Format at a glance
- Full name
- Roshal Archive
- File extensions
- .rar
- MIME types
- application/octet-stream
- Category
- Archives
- Compression
- Lossless
- Transparency
- Not applicable
- Animation
- Not applicable
- Properties
- Format can be encrypted
Suitable tools
What is this format?
RAR was created by Eugene Roshal and is commonly produced by WinRAR. The format supports lossless compression, solid archives, recovery information, multiple volumes and optional encryption.
Reading and creating RAR are different capabilities. Many tools can extract RAR, while producing new RAR archives is more restricted and is not offered by LocalFileLab.
What is it used for?
- Distributing groups of files as one archive
- Splitting large archives into numbered volumes
- Solid compression for collections of related files
- Archives with optional recovery records or passwords
Which programs can open it?
- WinRAR
- 7-Zip for extraction of supported RAR versions
- The Unarchiver on macOS
- unrar and compatible archive managers on Linux
Support across devices and browsers
WinRAR and 7-Zip are common choices.
The Unarchiver, Keka and other archive tools extract RAR.
unrar, 7-Zip and archive managers can extract supported RAR files.
RAR and compatible archive apps can extract files.
Files or third-party archive apps handle supported archives; behavior varies by version.
Browsers do not natively extract RAR; a local WebAssembly archive engine is required.
Advantages
- Effective lossless compression for many file sets
- Supports multi-volume and recovery-oriented features
- Widely recognized by desktop archive utilities
Disadvantages
- Archive creation is tied to proprietary RAR tooling
- Password-protected archives require credentials and are rejected by LocalFileLab's conversion path
- Damaged or incomplete multi-volume sets may not extract
Comparison with alternatives
ZIP has broader built-in operating-system support and can be created by LocalFileLab; RAR offers proprietary advanced archive features.
7Z is open and offers strong compression; RAR is common in WinRAR-centered workflows.
TAR primarily bundles files and is often paired with a separate compressor; RAR combines archiving and compression.
LocalFileLab support
The bundled 7-Zip WebAssembly engine can list and extract supported RAR archives locally.
RAR output is not implemented.
RAR contents can be extracted and repackaged to a supported output such as ZIP or 7Z.
Archive contents are processed as entries; there is no document-style preview.
Archive timestamps and attributes are not guaranteed to survive repackaging.
Related formats
Frequently asked questions
Can LocalFileLab create a RAR archive?
No. RAR is accepted as an input archive, but output is limited to the archive formats implemented by the project.
Why is my password-protected RAR rejected?
The local conversion path performs a safety preflight and does not request or process archive passwords.
Do I need every part of a multi-volume RAR?
Yes. Extraction normally requires the complete correctly named volume set; selecting only one incomplete part cannot reconstruct missing data.