Mac

Setting Up a RAR Extractor on Mac

This walkthrough installs a free extractor, makes it the default app for RAR files, and covers extracting single and multiple archives in Finder.

Once a RAR extractor is installed and set as the default handler, opening RAR files on a Mac becomes as simple as double-clicking, the same as ZIP. This guide uses a free extractor such as The Unarchiver or Keka; either follows the same general process. Background on why this step is needed at all is covered in RAR for Mac.

Install the extractor

1. 1Download the extractorGet The Unarchiver from the Mac App Store, or download Keka from its official site, and open the installer or drag the app into Applications.
2. 2Launch it onceOpen the app from Applications so macOS registers it as an available handler for archive formats.
3. 3Allow it through Gatekeeper if promptedOn first launch of an app downloaded outside the App Store, macOS may show a warning. Go to System Settings > Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway if the app is legitimate and from a source you trust.

Set it as the default app for .rar files

1. 1Find a RAR file in FinderLocate any existing .rar file, or download a small test archive.
2. 2Open Get InfoRight-click the file (or select it and press Command+I) and choose Get Info.
3. 3Change the default appIn the 'Open with' section, choose your extractor from the dropdown.
4. 4Apply to all RAR filesClick 'Change All...' below the dropdown, then confirm, so every .rar file uses that app going forward.

Extract a file and choose a destination

1. 1Double-click the RAR fileWith the default app set, double-clicking extracts the archive automatically, typically into the same folder.
2. 2Set a custom extraction folder if neededBoth The Unarchiver and Keka offer a preferences pane where you can choose to always extract to a specific folder, to the Desktop, or to ask each time.
3. 3Verify the contentsOpen the extracted folder to confirm all files are present before deleting the original archive.

Batch-extracting multiple archives

• Select multiple .rar files in Finder at once using Command-click or a drag selection.
• Right-click the selection and choose Open, or your extractor's 'Extract Here' / 'Extract All' menu item if it appears.
• Each archive extracts into its own destination folder named after the archive, so multiple files won't overwrite one another.
• For archives split into multiple parts, keep every .part1.rar, .part2.rar, etc. file in the same folder before extracting — see multi-part RAR files for details.

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