Open a RAR file without WinRAR
For the RAR someone sent you and nothing on your computer will open.
- Nothing is uploaded
- Works offline after first use
- Open source
- No watermark · limit is your device’s memory; phones hold less
Open a RAR file without WinRAR: extract RAR and RAR5 archives right in your browser on a Mac, Chromebook, iPhone or Android. It is free, needs no account and adds no watermark, and your files are not uploaded: everything runs in your browser on your device. The size limit is your device’s memory, and phones hold less; give the page a short while after your first run to save itself for offline use, and then it works offline.
Done
Open the network tab. Your files never appear in it.
Add files and run the tool to see every request this tab makes.
Your files are processed on this device and never sent to a server. Reload the page to clear everything from memory.
RAR is a format from the makers of WinRAR, and many systems still cannot open it on their own: the Archive Utility on a Mac says it cannot expand it, Chromebooks and phones need an app, and Windows only added native RAR support in Windows 11 in 2023. This page opens RAR files in the browser with libarchive, the same open-source library Windows now uses for it.
A worked example: a photographer sends wedding-photos.rar, 800 MB, through a download link, and you are on a MacBook. Drop it here and press Extract RAR. The list shows every photo with its folder; press Download all as zip to get one ZIP that macOS opens with a double click, or download just the few pictures you need. Password-protected (encrypted) RAR archives are not supported yet, so if the photographer locked it, ask for a ZIP instead.
Very large archives are held in your device’s memory while they are unpacked, so on a phone keep to a few hundred megabytes at a time. RAR archives split into parts (photos.part1.rar, photos.part2.rar) are not supported yet.
How it works
- Drop the .rar file.
- Press Extract RAR and download the files, or all as one ZIP.
In your browser, not on a server
libarchive (BSD-2-Clause), the archive library behind bsdtar, compiled to WebAssembly by libarchive.js (MIT), runs in a background worker in your tab. It detects the format from the file itself, opens password-protected ZIP files when you give the password, and hands back each file. The worker and its WebAssembly, about 1 MB, are served from this site the first time you extract something, then cached. Downloading everything packs the files into one plain ZIP with fflate (MIT), keeping the folders.
Compared with upload-based tools: Online extractors upload the whole archive, including any password you type, to their servers, and many cap the size. Here nothing leaves your device, password-protected ZIPs stay private, and the limit is your device’s memory (phones hold less).
Verify it yourself. Give the page a short while after your first run to save itself for offline use, then turn off Wi-Fi or switch to airplane mode and run the tool again. Or open your browser's developer tools (F12, or Cmd-Option-I on a Mac), pick the Network tab, and watch it while you convert. The panel above does the same count for you.
Questions
Does it open RAR5?
Yes. RAR5, the format WinRAR has used by default since version 5, opens as well as the older RAR4.
Can it open a password-protected RAR?
Not yet. In our tests, encrypted RAR archives did not open here even with the correct password, so use WinRAR or 7-Zip for those. Ask the sender for a ZIP if they can: password-protected ZIP files do open here.
Can it make RAR files?
No. Creating RAR files needs WinRAR’s own licensed code. For sending files, a ZIP works everywhere without extra software.
Is it safe to open a RAR from someone I do not know?
Extracting only unpacks the files; nothing inside runs. The danger is opening what comes out, especially .exe, .scr, .js or Office files with macros from an unknown sender.
Is the RAR uploaded?
No. It is unpacked in this tab, on your device.
More PDF tools
Open ZIP, RAR and 7z
The files inside an archive, unpacked on your own device, without installing WinRAR or 7-Zip.
Protect PDF
Lock a PDF with a password and AES-256 encryption, without uploading the file you are trying to keep private.
Image to PDF
Turn photos, scans and screenshots into a single PDF. One image per page, in the order you choose.
PDF to Image
Export every page, or just some, as JPG or PNG at the resolution you need. Rendered on your device.
Other conversions
Guides
- How to open a RAR or 7z fileRAR and 7z are archive formats like ZIP, but not every device opens them. Here is what works on Windows, Mac and phones, and a way that needs no install.