7zip cannot open rar as archive, what's going on? Help!

It is quite common to encounter the problem of 7zip cannot open rar as archive. There are three solutions to try:

Confirm the RAR version
Some rar files are compressed in the new RAR5 format, which is not supported by the old version of 7-Zip. You can check whether you are using the latest version of 7-Zip. It is best to download the latest version from the official website and reinstall it. Many times, 7zip cannot open rar as archive is caused by the old version.

Try to repair the RAR file
If the file is damaged during the download process, it may not be opened even if the size is normal. You can use WinRAR's built-in "Repair Compressed File" function to repair it, and then use 7-Zip to open it after repair. Some hidden minor damage can also cause the 7zip cannot open rar as archive error, and repairing it can often save it.

Try another tool
Although 7-Zip is very powerful, it may not be able to recognize some special encrypted or split rar files. When you encounter the situation that 7zip cannot open rar as archive, you can temporarily use a more comprehensive decompression tool such as WinRAR or Bandizip to open it and confirm whether the file itself is good.