Need To Open, Create, Or Convert A RAR File? - WinZip

WinZip's RAR Opener Functionality

Need to open, create, or convert a RAR file?

Have you encountered a RAR file that you need to open? Or has someone requested you send them a RAR file? If you haven’t used one before you’ll likely be wondering what it is, but rest assured it’s not complex. Let’s dive in and find out what a RAR file is, and how WinZip can help you open them, create them, and convert them to other formats.

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What is a RAR file extension?

A RAR file extension is something you might come across sooner or later as you transfer files for business use. If you’re familiar with ZIP files, you’ll get to grips with RAR files in no time as the concept is fairly similar.

The RAR file format is short for Roshal Archive Compressed file, and is a compressed archive from WinRAR. The archive generally contains multiple files, although it can be just a single file, and you’ll need to extract the files from the archive in order to use them.

RAR files can be split up into multi-volume archives and the compression lets multiple files condense down into a single small archive that’s easy to transfer.

If you find yourself with a RAR file extension unable to open it, that’s where WinZip comes in. The software lets you open RAR files in moments, accessing all the volumes within the archive.

What are RAR files used for?

You might be wondering why RAR files are used instead of ZIP files which are immediately accessible natively through the computer. The difference is that RAR supports error recovery and multi-volume archives making it much easier to transfer and download complex networks of files and folders.

So when would you use a RAR file? To start with, compiling a long list of files like images or audio files into a single downloadable RAR file will speed up the transfer and download times when sending it to a friend or colleague.

Another instance might be if you need to send a contract or a document that isn’t for public eyes to a colleague. Like Zip files, RAR files can be encrypted with a password to ensure that only the person who needs to see it can access it, even if someone else accesses that computer.