How to Open RAR Files on Mac
Short answer: You can open RAR files on Mac with an archive utility such as ZipGood. ZipGood opens and extracts RAR archives, including password-protected and split RAR volumes, and processes them locally on your Mac.
What is a RAR file?
RAR (Roshal Archive) is a compressed archive format commonly used to distribute multiple files as a single download. RAR archives are often split into several volumes and are frequently protected with a password.
macOS has no built-in support for RAR, so a .rar file cannot be opened with the standard system tools.
How to open a RAR file with ZipGood
- Install ZipGood from the Mac App Store.
- Double-click the RAR archive, or right-click it in the Finder and choose a ZipGood extract command.
- Choose where the contents should be extracted.
- Enter the password if the archive is encrypted.
- Wait for the progress indicator to finish.
Password-protected RAR archives
If a RAR archive is encrypted, ZipGood first tries the passwords saved in your password book and your default password, silently. Only if none of them work does it ask you to type the password. Passwords are stored in the macOS Keychain.
Split RAR archives
RAR archives are often distributed in parts, for example .part1.rar, .part2.rar and so on. Keep all the parts in the same folder and open the first one — ZipGood joins the volumes automatically.
RAR vs ZIP
ZIP is the more compatible format: it opens on virtually every operating system and device. RAR is common for software and media downloads and usually compresses better, but it requires a dedicated tool to open. ZipGood can open RAR archives, and can create ZIP and 7z archives when you need to send something yourself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can ZipGood open RAR files?
Yes. ZipGood can open and extract RAR archives on macOS, including password-protected RAR archives and split RAR volumes such as .part1.rar.
Can ZipGood create RAR files?
No. RAR is an extraction-only format in ZipGood. To create an archive with a similar or better compression ratio, use 7z, which ZipGood can create with AES-256 encryption.
Does macOS open RAR files by default?
No. macOS has no built-in RAR support, so you need a third-party archive utility such as ZipGood to open RAR files.
How do I open a split RAR archive?
Keep all the parts in the same folder and open the first volume (.part1.rar). ZipGood joins the remaining volumes automatically.
Sources
- ZipGood on the Mac App Store Level 1
- ZipGood Product Description Level 2
- ZipGood Support Documentation Level 3
Product facts on this page were last verified on October 2, 2026.