How to open a ZIP, RAR, ISO file - unpack the archiver without it. How to open a rar file Archive apps for iOS
Reading 8 min. Views 11.3k. Published on 11.09.2017
Very often, users ask the question: "How to open a RAR file?". This file format is quite popular and is used in all Windows versions, Linux, MacOS and even on Android, but for some reason it causes difficulties for users to open.
RAR is a special file compression format, in fact it is an archive that has a high compression ratio because of this, it has gained high popularity on the Internet.
To open RAR archives, the generally recognized WinRAR utility is most often used, which allows you to both create archives and extract files from them.
When working with the WinRAR application, the user can create composite and multi-volume archives, as well as set a password for them. At the moment, there are a huge number of different archivers that can work with the Rar compression format. I propose to consider the best programs for different operating systems.
How to open RAR file in Windows
If you have already paid attention, you probably noticed that by default there is a standard ability to open only Zip archives. Therefore, users often simply cannot open a RAR archive until they download a special utility. If you do not know what exactly you need, then consider several options.
WinRaR
Probably the most popular archiver for operating system Windows. WinRar can not only open and extract files from an archive, but also allows the user to create archives on their own.
You can download the program as always from the official website of the developer - www.win-rar.ru/download/.
It is worth paying attention to the fact that the program is shareware. There is a 30 day trial which allows the user to get familiar with all the features.
FROM installed program WinRar in order to place the file in the archive, just click on it right click mouse and select "Add to archive".
In order to unpack a compressed file, just click on it with the left mouse button and in the program window that opens, click on the "Extract" button, which is located in the toolbar. 
Main functions of WinRAR:
- Ability to create archives no more than 8GB;
- Yes, attachment Email, archive lock and more;
- Recovery of damaged archives;
- Availability file manager;
7zip
Another equally popular archiver, created in 1999. The main advantage of 7-zip is that it is completely free and open source. The program has two versions:
- GUI version;
- Command line version;
Like the previous archiver, 7-zip does an excellent job with Rar archives, and also supports working with file types such as: tar, gz, tb2, wim, 7z. By the way, the main compression format for this program is Zip. 
The user, at his own discretion, can install several archivers on his PC at once, but by default the archives will be opened in WinRar.
The main advantages of the program:
- Excellent speed of creating and unpacking archives;
- Support for native 7z format, which has more advantages over zip;
- A simple and clear interface that allows users to quickly understand the functions.
free arc
Another absolutely free and open source archiver. If you have FreeArc installed in your arsenal, then you will have no questions about how to open a RAR file, since the program can work with all popular archive formats.
By the way, those who have already worked with this archiver have probably noticed that it has an excellent speed of operations, so it is at least twice ahead of many of its competitors. 
By the way, this archiver can be easily connected to such popular file managers as Total Commander and Far.
Distinctive aspects of FreeArc:
- High speed of work;
- Ability to restore damaged archives;
- Automatic sorting of archives by date, size, etc.;
- A huge number of settings;
- Clear interface.
TUGZip
A less well-known free open source archiver that has proven itself not only when working with archives, but also with disk images.
If the standard functionality of the program does not suit you, you can easily supplement it with specially created plugins.
The main features of the program:
- Creation of self-extracting archives;
- Working with disk images: ISO, BIN, IMG and others;
- Support for installing third-party plugins;
- Recovery of damaged archives;
- Integration into Explorer's context menu;
I won't list all the features that TUGZip has. As you can see, there are plenty of them here, and probably even more than the most popular archivers have. By the way, the program is independently updated via the Internet and has support for the Russian language.
IZarc
A fairly versatile archiver that can also work with disk images.
The program is completely free, supports all modern formats of archives and disk images. The main advantages include the following:
- Ability to convert an archive to an image and vice versa;
- Automatic integration into the Windows context menu;
- Scanning archives for viruses using ;
- Russian language support;
Having this archiver on your computer, you will no longer have questions: “How to open a Rar file?”.
Hamster Free ZIP Archiver
Quite an interesting and at the same time advanced archiver that combines features that are not common to most archivers.
It has features like:
- Upload archives to popular cloud services: DropBox, Yandex Disc, Google Drive and others;
- Share links to created archives with friends and work colleagues;
- Supports all popular file compression methods;
- Has a high compression ratio.
Therefore, if you want to keep up with the times, then I advise you to take a closer look at this archiver.
PeaZip
Completes our list of archivers for Windows - PeaZip. This is a freely distributed free archiver that does not require installation on the device. It is enough to copy the program to disk.
PeaZip is also a graphical shell for other archivers. The program has support for creating archives of its own Pea format. 
The main functions of the program:
- Working with multi-volume archives;
- Support for all modern archives;
- Checking the integrity of archives;
- Creation of encrypted archives;
In general, a standard set of functions that many archivers have.
How to open RAR file on Android and iOS mobile devices
As a rule, various archivers and file managers that can work with RAR archives are already preinstalled on many mobile devices. Moreover, most file managers allow you to view archives, as if the user had opened a regular folder.
If your device does not have a program to open the archive, then you can use the options below.
Popular programs for opening RAR archives on Android
Total Commander is a popular file manager that has migrated from computers to mobile devices. With it, you can easily open archives on your smartphone, although the interface of the program is somewhat complicated, because of this, many users are looking for alternative programs.
ES File Explorer is another very popular file manager that, apart from its basic tasks, has a number of additional features that work great on rooted devices.
FX File Manager is one of the few file managers that can work in two window mode. The truth will not always be convenient for owners of gadgets with a small display.
Amaze File Manager is a less popular but fast enough file manager that works without freezing. I fell in love with users because of the interface, which is similar to Google services.
The best programs for iOS that can work with archives.
File Manager is probably one of the advanced managers that users of cloud storage will like. Since it can upload archives to the cloud.
USB Disk Pro - allows you to preview files, and also has a bunch of features that will appeal to both beginners and advanced users.
Documents 5 is the best file manager that allows you to search for files on your device, copy and move, and add to the archive.
How to open RAR file on Linux
If you are using a Linux operating system on your computer, then I can please you. You don't have to search and download anything, since the distributions of this operating system already have built-in software packages for working with Rar archives. True, this set of programs does not have the usual graphical interface.
To activate them open command line and enter:
sudo apt-get install unrar p7zip-rar
After that, you can unpack any RAR archive by right-clicking on it and selecting "Unpack here".
Note! Very often, if the archive was created in the Windows operating system, and you unpack it in Linux (Ubuntu), then the encoding of the file names will go wrong. This happens when using unrar-free.
If you need a classic archiver for Linux with a graphical interface, then I recommend using p7Zip, an analogue of 7-Zip.
Let's summarize.
Today we have discussed in detail how to open a RAR file on different devices. I hope that after reading this article you will no longer have questions about which program to use when working with archives. As you can see, there are quite a few free and more advanced solutions that are superior to the popular WinRAR archiver in many ways. Therefore, you must decide which program to choose for yourself.
The shareware popular WinRAR archiver is one of the the best programs for creating and managing archives on PCs, tablets and smartphones. The main advantages of the archiver: small size, support for a large number of formats for unpacking, outstanding speed and compression ratio. Here you can download WinRAR for Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7, Vista, XP SP 3 (32-bit and 64-bit) for free. Except Microsoft Windows, this cross-platform utility supports Mac OS X, Linux, FreeBSD and Android operating systems (on Google Play and the file rar-android.apk at the office. site). You can also find outdated releases for MS-DOS, Win Mobile and ReactOS. Direct link: website/ru/file/winrar
Brief description of WinRAR
The main occupation of WinRAR is the packing of files, groups of files and folders with attachments in RAR 4 and 5 archives, as well as ZIP, quickly and with strong compression. It is also important to unpack RAR, ARJ, 7Z, CAB, ISO, LZH, TAR, 7-ZIP, Z, ZIP files of ordinary and divided into parts and formats of other popular archivers. It is possible to collapse self-extracting (SFX) and multi-volume archives of the required size, AES-256 encrypted archives with a password, exclusion and inclusion of data in the archive, restoration of broken archives, check for viruses and other malicious software. SFX archives can be equipped with a GUI and script-type commands for programming the unpacking process, for example, when installing programs or games. Additional information is used to reconstruct the archive. Such data will allow you to restore both a regular broken one and a multi-volume one in the absence of whole volumes. Additional information is also added to speed up unpacking. You will need to download WinRAR for free to work with an almost unlimited number and size of files, a significant number of formats. The program loads quickly and is easy to install, while it can be integrated into the Windows Explorer context menu for quick access to basic functions and working with archives without starting the program.
Why it doesn't hurt to download an archiver for Windows
Sometimes you need to download a program, game, e-book. Often they are folded into an archive, which cannot be opened by regular means. This is especially true when a new operating system Windows 7, 8.1 or 10 has just been installed on the computer and is not yet fully equipped. software. In this case, the first thing to do after installing the operating Windows systems, is to download WinRAR for Windows 7, 8.1, 10. WinRAR will not take up much space on your computer, it will quickly deploy any of the popular formats, even if the archive is damaged. If necessary, WinRAR will quickly and efficiently archive a file, several files or folders with files into an archive file RAR 4 or 5, or ZIP, create a self-extracting SFX, multi-volume or password-protected archive. Advanced users also use other extended functionality of the WinRAR archiver, which will be discussed below.
A Brief History of the WinRAR Archiver and the RAR Format
WinRAR was created in the days of Windows 3.x, running on a non-graphical operating system, MS-DOS 3.1 or higher. The name is made up of the words Windows and Roshal ARchive. One letter is taken from the name of the creator - Chelyabinsk citizen Eugene Roshal. In addition to WinRAR, Eugene is the author of the popular FAR Manager file manager.
The RAR and UNRAR utilities for MS-DOS appeared in late 1993. In 2009, for Windows 64-bit with WinRAR 3.90, a more productive 64-bit version of the program was released. In 2011, Windows 95, 98, ME and NT are not supported from version 4.00. In 2013, since version 5.00, the new RAR5 format is supported.
Those who use outdated versions that do not support the new RAR5 format will do well to download the latest version of WinRAR for free Russian for Windows. The latest RAR5 has little in common with RAR4, although it does use the RAR extension. If you download the Russian version of WinRAR 5 for free, the archiver will be able to open and pack RAR4 and RAR5, but the outdated ones do not understand RAR5. The fifth RAR allows you to comment on archives, but commenting on individual files is not available, there is no support digital signature, experimental technologies for text and multimedia compression. The volume of the dictionary varies from 1 MB to 1 GB (for Win x32 - from 1 to 256 MB), 32 MB is preinstalled. Multivolumes have filenames name.partNN.rar instead of name.rNN. Instead of the obsolete AES-128, AES-256 is used. Integrity control uses the 256-bit BLAKE2sp hash, NTFS strict and symbolic links. The length of file names and paths has increased to 2048 characters for both RAR and ZIP. Added support for split 7Z, as well as ZIP and ZIPX with B ZIP 2, PP Md and L Z M A compression.
WinRAR interface
The WinRAR interface is made in a classic style and will not cause problems for most users who decide to download the WinRAR utility for Windows for free and install it on their computer, laptop, netbook or mobile phone. If you still have questions, you can refer to the built-in help. Some users prefer to use the built-in wizard step by step. The appearance of the interface can be changed by downloading and installing any theme (skin) you like. Support for about fifty language localizations, including Russian, allows you to work with archives in the program interface in your native language. The ability to download WinRAR for free Russian on the page of this site material eliminates the need to translate menus, windows and settings. After downloading and installing the archiver on your computer, you can immediately start working, without wasting time on studying the possibilities and settings with the translation of the interface.
Here you can download the WinRAR archiver for free with the ability to embed it into the operating system. Integration into Windows Explorer is convenient for those who do not want to spend time on routine operations. When you click in the Explorer window, a menu appears, using which you can collapse the archive or extract the contents to the current or specified folder. In the context menu are available: auto and manual unpacking and packaging, as well as packaging with sending by e-mail. Hot key combinations allow you to speed up the execution of routine operations. Unfortunately, there are no scripts or macros for batch processing.
Functionality
WinRAR is characterized by high performance and powerful functionality for folding and managing archives. In particular, the archiver works with a variety of actual data compression formats of almost unlimited size, modern technologies encryption, protection and recovery. According to reviews and comments on specialized sites and forums, in in social networks VK, Ok, Fb, G+ and others, the following functionality of the WinRAR archiver is especially in demand:
Encoding into self-extracting, continuous archives and multivolumes,
- decompression of RAR, ARJ, 7Z, 7-ZIP, ACE, BZIP2, TAR, CAB, ISO and others,
- work in the graphical interface or from the command line,
- advanced settings for advanced users,
- automatically recognizes the format and selects the best compression method,
- generation of reports,
- advanced search function,
- integrity test,
- choice of compression level and archiving speed,
- inclusion of the necessary data to recreate the damaged file,
- folding SFX archives that unpack themselves,
- creation of multivolumes for sending by e-mail,
- 256-bit tamper protection,
- creating and editing comments to archives (RAR in UTF-8 encoding, ZIP in Windows encoding),
- does not overload the system, does not interfere with the work of other programs,
- 32-bit and 64-bit versions for maximum speed and OS compatibility,
- master assistant for creating and managing archives,
- Drag-and-drop file drag and drop,
- work with skins of free developers,
- the program is multilingual, there is a Russian version,
- there are no restrictions on use after the trial 40 days.
Free usage features
WinRAR is shareware distributed under a Shareware license. This means that 40 days from the moment when the user decided to download WinRAR in Russian for free, downloaded and installed it on a PC, the program works in the regular full-function mode for review, and after this period it will start displaying a message about the need to purchase a paid license from RARLab . At the end of the trial period, the functionality is not curtailed, and offers to purchase a license are not intrusive, so those who are unable to purchase WinRAR continue to use the archiver as it is. Others either buy a license or can download a free archiver in Russian from another developer, for example, 7Zip, PeaZip, Bandizip, HaoZip. Mobile RAR for Android is freely available under a Freeware license.
OS and WinRAR bit correlation
We recommend that you download the latest version of WinRAR for free for Windows XP SP 3, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 10 (32-bit and 64-bit) without delay. It makes sense to do this because a new version WinRAR works faster than the previous one, the compression ratio has been increased, and work with archives has been improved. If it is not clear which WinRAR to download: x64 or x32 bit version, download the program of the same bit depth as the Windows OS installed on the computer. So the program will show its maximum performance. The archiver is distributed as two WinRAR x32 and x64 files for installation on a computer with 32-bit or 64-bit Windows. To find out the bit depth of Windows, you need to go to the "Control Panel" through the "Start" button, find the line "System Type" in the "System" section. Based on the information received, you should download WinRAR 64-bit or 32-bit for free, according to the type of operating system Microsoft Windows XP SP 3, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 10 (64-bit or 32-bit).
During the installation process, WinRAR does not offer to install additional software, change start page browser and other promotional offers. At the end of the installation, the installer will offer to associate supported files with WinRAR and embed its functionality into the context menu of Windows Explorer.
An archive is simply a single file that has other files compressed to reduce its overall size. If you still sigh when you get the next file in a ZIP, RAR, 7-Zip or any other archive, then this article is for you.
For those who like to watch, I post a video:
The easiest way to unpack a ZIP archive
ZIP archives are regular files with a ".zip" extension. In fact, you don’t need any programs to simply unzip files from ZIP, everything is already built into Windows Explorer 7/8/10. Just right-click on the file and select "Extract All..." from the menu.
In this case, a dialog box will appear where you will need to specify the path to unpack the files, or leave it by default (the current folder). As you can see, in the example I have a "Checklist.zip" file with an archived Word document.
If you leave the "Show extracted files" checkbox checked, then at the end of the unzipping procedure, another Explorer window will open with a new folder open. Or you can not unpack the files at all, but go to the archive as in a regular folder and open the desired file from there.
How to unpack RAR archive
Unfortunately, Explorer cannot work with RAR files. For them, you need to install one of the programs that will be discussed. The free 7-Zip program has long established itself as a simple and free archiver. Able to unpack files 7z, zip, rar and others.
Using the program is almost as easy, just right-click on the file and select one of the items from the "7-Zip" submenu:
- "Unpack" - to open the extraction dialog
- "Unpack here" - to simply extract the files to the current directory
- “Unpack to “Folder Name” - extract files to a folder with the name of the archive (recommended)
The simplest are the second and third options, because. require no further action. If you select the first option, the following dialog will appear:
Here we can specify our path for files. If you select the "No paths" option, then all files from the archive will be one heap, without subfolders. The "Overwrite" parameter is responsible for the mode of overwriting existing files. By default, the program will ask about each such file.
You can extract files not only from the right-click menu. If you double-click on the file, it will open in the 7-Zip program window. To unzip files, just select them and click the "Extract" button
Alternative free way - Hamster Lite Archiver
I also want to introduce one newfangled program Hamster Lite Archiver. It is even simpler, free and has a modern interface. After installing it, new items also appear in the explorer context menu. To unpack rar archive or zip, right-click on it and select one of the options:
- Extract files… - opens a dialog box
- Extract Here - extracts files to the current folder
- Extract to "Folder Name" - unzip to a folder
Despite the fact that the context menu items are in English, the program itself is in Russian. Apparently, they have not yet reached the translation of these points, but at the time of reading this article, the situation may have already improved. The dialog looks like this:
Universal program WinRAR
The WinRAR program is very widely used for working with RAR archives, I use it only. The program is possible. Look for the Russian version (Russian) in the list right away. Installing WinRAR is very easy, just keep clicking "Next" all the time. The program is paid, but with a trial period of 40 days. After the end of the trial period, WinRAR continues to work, but it starts to bother you with a window with a reminder of the license every time you start it.
To unpack a RAR file, or any other archive, just right-click on the file and select one of the options:
- Extract Files... - the unzip dialog will open
- Extract to current folder - the content will appear in the current folder
- Extract to "folder name" - unzip the contents into a new folder with the name of the archive (recommended)
The simplest options are the second and third. If you choose the first option, a dialog will appear in which you can specify a specific path where your files will fit and a few more parameters:
Update mode:
- Extract with replacement of files - this is if the folder already has the same files as in the archive, they will be replaced with new ones
- Extract with update files - the same, but only older files will be replaced
- Update only existing files - only the update will occur, the rest of the files will not be extracted.
The "Overwrite Mode" items are responsible for the behavior of the program when replacing existing files.
Using this dialog, you can unpack a damaged or incomplete archive. By default, if a file is in error, it will not be unpacked. If you check the “Leave damaged files on the disk” checkbox, then the damaged archive will be partially unpacked. If it is a video or music, then it can be opened. But, of course, the completeness of the resulting file will depend on the degree of damage to the archive.
You can also unpack files from the WinRAR program window. To do this, just select the desired files and click on any of the buttons: "Extract ..." or "Wizard".
Also WinRar will help you to organize the backup of your information.
Please note that after installing any of the listed programs, the standard menu item "Extract ..." for ZIP archives may disappear from Windows Explorer.
How to unpack a multi-volume archive
Multi-volume archives are created to split one huge archive into several smaller ones. In this case, there will be numbers at the end of the file names, for example .z01, .z02, .z03 or part1, part2, part 3 or 001, 002, 003, etc. To unpack such a multi-volume archive, ALL parts will be needed, otherwise nothing good will come of it. The unpacking process itself is no different from the usual.
You just need to unzip the first file from the list in the usual way, and the rest will be pulled up automatically.
If, in addition to the numbered parts, there is also a “regular” archive, then it is this file that needs to be unpacked, it is the main one.
Please note that multi-volume ZIP archives created by WinRAR can only be unpacked by the same program! Other programs give an error and at least you crack! Conversely, multi-volume files created by other programs are not understood by WinRAR.
Conclusions:
So, you can extract files from zip, rar, 7z archives using Windows Explorer (ZIP only) or using free programs 7-Zip and Hamster Lite Archiver, as well as using the paid WinRAR program. Choose a convenient way for yourself and use it to your health!
Imagine how grateful your friends will be if you share this information with them on social networks! By the way, with the help of these programs you can also create your own archives.
To unpack an archive in WinRAR, you need to open it first. This can be done in several ways.
Method 1
Double left click on your archive. If WinRAR is the only archiver installed on your computer, and you didn't change any settings during the installation process, the archive will open in its interface.
Note: if the archive is protected by a password, then to extract files from it, this same password will need to be entered (a corresponding warning and an input window will appear).
You can also use the " Extract» on the top panel of the archiver. Click on it and you will see additional unpacking options.
In the window that opens, you can change the folder where the contents of the archive will be extracted, set the mode for overwriting files, if they already exist in the unpacking folder, select the option to show files in Explorer when the extraction process is completed, etc.
Click the button OK" to start unzipping.
Method 2
Right-click on the desired archive, and select the command " Extract files».
After that, a window will open with the settings for the path and extraction parameters, as in method 1.
Select the folder where the files will be unpacked (you can create a new one by clicking on the corresponding button) and click "OK" to extract them.
Method 3
This method is useful for those who have files with archive extensions (ZIP, RAR, etc.) not associated with WinRAR. Run the archiver and in its explorer (a window that displays all the folders and files on your computer), find the archive you need.
Select it and click on the " Extract».
After a few seconds (depending on the size and number of files in the archive), the unzipping process will be completed.
