Troubleshooting
How to Fix a Corrupted RAR Archive
A corrupted RAR archive can sometimes be repaired, and sometimes can't. Here's how to test one, what recovery tools actually do, and when re-downloading is the real fix.
Get an archive tool for your computer
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What corruption actually means
A RAR archive is corrupted when some of its bytes don't match what the format expects — a damaged header, a truncated file, or compressed data that doesn't decompress cleanly. Corruption can happen during download, during transfer, on a failing disk, or if the file was edited or partially overwritten. It is different from a password-protected archive, which isn't broken, just locked.
Step 1: Test the archive
- 1Right-click the archive in WinRARSelect Test archive (or open it in WinRAR and click the Test button on the toolbar).
- 2Read the resultWinRAR checks each file's CRC (a checksum) against what's stored in the archive. "Everything is OK" means the data is intact. A CRC error names the specific damaged file.
Step 2: Try WinRAR's repair function
- 1Open the archive in WinRARGo to Tools > Repair Archive (or right-click the file outside WinRAR and choose Repair, if that option is present).
- 2Choose a repair methodWinRAR offers a standard search for a valid archive structure and, for RAR-format archives, a mode that also checks for a recovery record if one exists.
- 3Check the output fileRepair creates a new file, typically named
fixed.<original name>.rar, rather than modifying the original. Test the repaired file to confirm it opens correctly.
Recovery records and recovery volumes
If the archive was created with a recovery record (extra redundant data WinRAR can add when building an archive) or alongside separate recovery volumes, repair has real data to work with and can often restore the archive fully. Without one, repair can only try to salvage what's structurally readable — it cannot reconstruct data that's genuinely missing or scrambled.
Extracting what you can
If full repair fails, try extracting anyway with the "Keep broken files" option enabled in WinRAR's extraction dialog. This can pull out the files that aren't affected by the damage, even if others in the same archive remain unusable.
Re-downloading as the real fix
Before spending time on repair, check whether the file simply downloaded incompletely — this is the single most common cause of a "corrupted" RAR file. Compare the file size to the source, then re-download. If corruption persists after a fresh download from a trustworthy source, the original file itself may be damaged at the source.
Download and try it yourself
Install the archive tool and apply the steps from this guide on your own files.
Frequently asked questions
Can every corrupted RAR file be repaired?
No. Repair works best on header damage or when a recovery record is present. If the actual compressed data is missing or scrambled, no tool can reconstruct it, and re-downloading is the better fix.
What is a recovery record in a RAR archive?
It's optional redundant data added when the archive was created that lets WinRAR reconstruct minor damage later. It has to be added at creation time; you can't add it to an already-corrupted archive.
Does WinRAR's repair function modify my original file?
No. It creates a new, separate file with the repaired data, leaving your original archive untouched.
Why does my downloaded RAR file keep failing CRC checks?
This is most often an incomplete or corrupted download rather than a problem with the original archive. Re-download it, ideally from the original source, and test again.
What does "Keep broken files" do during extraction?
It tells WinRAR to save whatever data it can from each file instead of skipping damaged entries entirely, useful when only part of an archive is affected.
Related guides
- Archive Troubleshooting: Fix RAR and ZIP ErrorsMost archive problems fall into a handful of categories. Find your symptom below and jump straight to the fix.
- Why Won't My RAR File Open?Work through these causes in order, from most to least common. Most RAR files that "won't open" are fixed at the first or second step.
- RAR Extraction Error Messages, Explained and FixedExtraction errors usually name the exact problem, once you know how to read them. Find your message below.
- Multi-Part (Split) RAR Files ExplainedA multi-part RAR archive splits one large compressed file into several smaller pieces that must all be present in one folder to extract correctly.
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