How to Open RAR Files

A 'RAR' file stores data in a compressed format. These files are also known as compressed archives that contain folders to store files. Different mathematical techniques are used to reduce or compress the space required to store these files. The RAR file format is named after a Russian programmer, Eugene Roshal. RAR is the acronym derived from two words, Roshal Archive. The RAR file format has been developed from the zip compression method. These files can be compressed to a greater extent in comparison to the zip files due to the advanced algorithms used by them. The percentage of file compression achieved here is around 8 - 30% greater than the zip files.

How to Open RAR Files?
Let us understand how to open RAR files in both the 'Windows' and 'Mac' operating systems.

Windows Operating System
The tools like BitZipper 2009, WinRAR, 7 Zip and Alpha Zip could be used to open RAR files on a Windows OS platform.

BitZipper 2009: One of the best Windows archive manager available in the market, BitZipper 2009 is useful in opening RAR as well as Zip files. The user friendly interface of the BitZipper 2009 allows even the first-time computer users to access the RAR files with ease. The Classic interface of this tool enables experienced users to access the different functions of the product through the menu and toolbar options.

WinRAR: The archive manager called WinRAR can either be downloaded for free or one can just use its 40-day trial version. The WinRAR tool has the capability to open RAR files as well as decompress them. This utility supports many formats other than RAR, such as ACE, ARJ, CAB, BZIP2, ISO, GZIP, TAR, LZH, etc.

7 Zip: It is an open source utility that works on the Windows OS platform. The 7 Zip tool has the following features.

• It helps in RAR extraction and compression with different formats like the TAR, GZIP, BZIP2, 7z and ZIP.
• The compression ratio is 2 - 10 % greater than the WinZip and PKZip.
• The 7 Zip utility provides a plug-in for the FAR Manager.
• It can be integrated with Windows Shell.

Alpha Zip: It is a plug-in used to work with RAR, Zip and Cab files. With the help of AlphaZip, the RAR files could be accessed just like any other file.

Mac Operating System
The utilities like Stuffit and iArchiver are used to open RAR files on a Mac Operating system interface.

iArchiver: It is one of the most commonly used tools to open the RAR files in the Mac OS environment. Along with the RAR files, it can also open Stuffit and Zip files. It is easy to use and provides the user with functionalities such as conversion from one format to another and archive creation.

Stuffit: The Stuffit is also one of the different utilities that allows a user to open RAR files. It contains a set of tools which helps in creating and opening different types of compressed archive files found on the Internet. The 'Quick Look' feature of Stuffit gives a 'peek' view of archives without the necessity to open them.

The above article provides a short account of different utilities and tools available in the market to open a RAR file. It solves most of our queries about how to open RAR files and tasks related to their compression and decompression.