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HarperKnox's avatar
HarperKnox
Iron Contributor
Apr 28, 2025

7zip for mac not available? Anyway to open .rar on mac?

Have been using 7zip on my Windows PC for years and it is one of the best apps for open .rar files. I was told it it is a cross-platform app but the download file is for Windows only. The setup files...
CalebStone's avatar
CalebStone
Silver Contributor
Jan 18, 2026

Using p7zip is a great way to get a command-line version of 7 Zip for Mac, especially if you're comfortable with terminal commands. It's completely free and open-source.

How to install and use 7zip for Mac:

1. Install Homebrew

Homebrew is a popular package manager for Mac that makes installing command-line tools easy.

Open Terminal.

Paste and run:

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

2. Install p7zip

Once Homebrew is installed, run:

brew install p7zip

This will install the command-line version of 7-Zip.

3. Use p7zip to extract RAR files

To extract a RAR file, navigate to the directory containing your RAR file:

cd /path/to/your/file

Run the extraction command:

7z x filename.rar

Replace filename.rar with your actual file name.

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