How do I easily extract rar files on mac?

RAR is not supported by Mac. You need to find another app to help you open and extract content from a .rar archive file on a Mac.  

Quick tutorial: https://www.macgeekclub.com/open-extract-rar-files-on-mac

WinRAR is the creator of the RAR format. Although its Mac version is not as common as the Windows version, it can still be used to extract RAR files. This method is relatively straightforward, but it may be a bit troublesome because the Mac version of WinRAR is not as popular as the Windows version, and some additional configuration may be required.

1. Download and install WinRAR for Mac (available on the official website).
2. Open the RAR file, select the extraction destination, and you can extract the files smoothly.

However, the interface of the Mac version of WinRAR may not be as intuitive as other tools, so if you only extract RAR files on macbook occasionally, you may not need to use it.

7-zip is a cool app for opening and extracting rar files on macOS though it is not the build-in with macOS. 7-zip is an open source cross-platform compression tool originally designed for Windows, but with cross-platform support (including Mac and Linux) through the p7zip project. It supports a wide range of compression formats (e.g. 7z, ZIP, RAR, TAR, GZ, etc.) and provides very high compression efficiency (especially in 7z format). Its core features include:

1. Decompression and compression: Support RAR, ZIP and other mainstream formats, can decompress RAR files directly (no additional tools required).
2. Command Line Operation: Automated script integration through the 7z command line tool, supporting split-volume compression, encryption, recovery of corrupted files, and other functions.
3. Graphical interface: Windows version has a built-in GUI, Mac users can use it through third-party applications (such as iZip) or terminal emulators.

On Mac, p7zip (including 7z command line tool) can be installed via Homebrew, example usage:

7z x filename.rar

7-zip is a powerful free utility to open and extract RAR files on mac, and is particularly well suited for complex tasks (e.g., split-volume compression, encrypted files). Although it is a native Windows tool, Mac users can quickly integrate p7zip into their terminal environment. For a graphical interface, a third-party application is recommended. Compared to unnrar, p7zip is better suited for scenarios that require multi-format support or advanced compression features.

If you're thinking about using the terminal and unar to extract RAR files on Mac, it's definitely a quick and handy method. When you run a command like unar, the feedback isn’t always user-friendly. If something goes wrong, you might just see an error message that doesn’t explain what to do next. It’s not like a GUI where you get prompts or a nice little window explaining the issue.

This is a biggie for a lot of folks. With GUI apps, you can just drag and drop your RAR files into the app and let it do its thing. Using unar means typing out the file path, unless you want to mess around with copying and pasting, which isn’t as smooth.

About extracting RAR files on Mac. Dedicated RAR extraction software often comes packed with extra features—like previews, built-in repair options, or even the ability to manage multiple archives at once. unar is pretty straightforward and doesn't have those bells and whistles. If you need something more advanced, you might feel a bit limited here.

If you don't want to bother downloading a bunch of software and want to quickly extract rar files on mac, there is actually a very simple way, which is to use the "terminal" that comes with Mac to do it. It sounds a bit complicated, but it is actually very simple. You don't need to learn code at all, and you can complete it in a few steps.

Specifically, we can use a tool called unar to decompress RAR files. This is a command line tool, but you don't need to remember any complicated commands. Just follow the steps below to extract rar files on mac:

First, make sure you have Homebrew installed. If not, first enter in the terminal to install Homebrew.

ruby -e "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/master/install

Then, enter brew install unar to install the unar tool.

After the installation is complete, you only need to enter unar yourfile.rar in the terminal to decompress your RAR file in a few seconds.

This method is super simple, does not require additional decompression software, is completely hassle-free, and is highly efficient. Try this terminal tool, you will feel relaxed and happy!

I highly recommended the unnrar command line tool. unnrar is the official RAR file decompression utility designed to work with the RAR format and supports full RAR functionality (including encrypted files, multi-volume archives, etc.). It is known for its lightweight and high stability, and is suitable for command line and script automation. With unnrar, you can decompress RAR files directly to a specific destination.

You can use the below commands to extract rar files on any mac:

#extract content from rar files on mac to the current folder 
unnrar x archive.rar 
#view the content in rar file without extraction 
unnrar l archive.rar

unnrar is the most straightforward tool for exracting rar files on Mac(both Intel and Apple Silicon Mac). It supports decompression of encrypted files and multi-volume archives, is easy to install (via Homebrew or manual download), and operates cleanly and efficiently from the command line. It's the tool of choice for basic decompression with a focus on stability, and for multi-format support (e.g. ZIP, 7z), it can be used in conjunction with 7z.

Hi. To extract RAR files on a Mac, you can use several methods. Here are some popular options:

1. Using The Unarchiver
The Unarchiver is a free app specifically designed for extracting various archive formats, including RAR.

Steps:

1. Download The Unarchiver from the Mac App Store or its official website.
2. Install the application and open it.
3. Go to Preferences and make sure RAR Archive is selected under Archive Formats.
4. Locate the RAR file you want to extract, right-click on it, and select Open With > The Unarchiver.
5. The Unarchiver will extract the contents to the same folder as the RAR file or a designated folder.

2. Using Keka
If you are going to extract RAR files on Mac. Keka is another free file archiver for macOS that supports RAR extraction.

Steps:

1. Download Keka from its official website or the Mac App Store.
2. Install Keka and open it.
3. Drag and drop the RAR file into the Keka window or right-click on the RAR file, choose Open With, and select Keka.
4. Keka will extract the contents to the same directory or a specified folder.