How to Open RAR Files on Mac

The problem

macOS cannot open RAR archives out of the box, so double-clicking a .rar file does nothing useful.

How this problem shows up

• Double-clicking a .rar file does not open it, or opens an unrelated app
• macOS Archive Utility reports that the archive cannot be expanded
• The RAR archive is split into .part1.rar, .part2.rar and similar volumes
• The archive asks for a password before it will open

How to solve it

1. Install an archive utility that supports RAR extraction, such as ZipGood, from the Mac App Store
2. Open the RAR archive by double-clicking it, dropping it on the app, or right-clicking it in the Finder and choosing an extract command
3. For a split archive, open the first volume (.part1.rar) — the remaining parts are joined automatically
4. If the archive is password-protected, let the app try your saved passwords first, or type the password when prompted

How ZipGood solves this

• Extract Any Archive — Open RAR, 7z, ZIP, TAR and 25+ more archive formats.
• Password Management — A password book and default password, stored in the macOS Keychain.
• Split Archives — Create split volumes and join split archives automatically.
• macOS Finder Context Menu — Compress, encrypt and extract from the Finder right-click menu.