alphabetical list of extensions

File extension .RAR

File description

Files with the RAR file format are basically the archive files that are developed by the WinRAR file archiving application. The WinRAR program takes a collection of files or large files and compresses these files into one archive file.

Compressed files make it a lot easier for the users to share the files over the Web or through email. For instance, when you need to send multiple files through email, you can compress them into one RAR file and send the email with one attachment rather than multiple ones. As the WinRAR archiver application creates as an archive, the files come up with a RAR extension. This file format is very much similar to the ZIP format, however, it makes use of a different compression algorithm.

Description of the problem

If you have on your computer a .RAR file that you cannot open, you are in exactly the same situation as thousands of other people who have similar problems with this or any other unknown file.

There may be several reasons why you cannot open the file with .RAR extension. Directly on this website you can find a solution of the most common problem with the .RAR file – that you do not have on your computer the appropriate program to open the file.

Solution

From the list below, select the appropriate program, install it and double click on the icon of a file that did not want to open - the problem with the .RAR file extension should be solved. However, if this does not happen, go back to the website to learn about other possible causes of the error, which have been described at the bottom of the website.

Other possible reasons why your .RAR file does not want to open

In addition to the problem described above, i.e. the lack of the appropriate application to support the .RAR file, there may be several reasons that cause problems with opening and operation of the data format:

1. Incorrect version of the installed application

A quite common problem is the lack of application in the appropriate version. Even if you have an application, with the help of which you should open the .RAR file, you may have a problem with it because of its version. Perhaps in previous versions the application has not yet supported the .RAR file, so download the update and check again.

2. Incorrect .RAR file association with the program

If you have already installed the appropriate application, and it is the correct version, the file may not open correctly, because the operating system does not have information that this program supports the file. So you need to "show" which program the computer should use. To do this:

Right-click the .RAR file
Go to the "Open with" - then "Choose default program ..."
Locate the appropriate application
Click "OK"

3. The file is corrupt

It also happens that the file you want to open is corrupt and therefore there is no such possibility. In this situation, you should find its different version, or ask a person from whom you got, to send it again.