Once done, you should see a folder with the same name as the RAR file. Step 10: Wait for the extraction process to complete. Step 9: Choose a folder where you want to extract the contents of the RAR file. Step 7: Right-click on the file and hover your mouse over Open with. Step 6: Use Finder to navigate to the RAR file you want to open. Optionally, you can click on the large button that says ‘Set Keka as the default uncompressor.’ You don’t need the app to be open anymore though, so you can close the Keka window at this point. Step 5: The app is now set up and is ready to open your RAR files. Step 4: Click on Open when a prompt appears. Step 3: Head to the Applications folder on the left column in Finder and double-click on Keka to launch it. Step 2: Drag the Keka app to the Applications folder and drop it there. Step 1: Download Keka on your Mac using the link above.

However, we will be demonstrating the steps using Keka. If you’re looking for an alternative app that’s free on the App Store, check out The Unarchiver. The Mac App Store version requires you to pay for it and if you really like what Keka does, we suggest you pay to reward the developer’s efforts. Keka is a free app and you can download it from the developer’s website. You will have to download a third-party app like Keka. How to Open RAR Files Using KekaĪs mentioned earlier, there’s unfortunately no native way of opening RAR files on a Mac. Mac lets you do that using a third-party app or an online tool. So you’ll need to uncompress or un-RAR those files to view the contents packed inside. As a result, some files you find online or get as email attachments could be compressed into a RAR file. RAR files are useful if you want to reduce the size of a bunch of files before sending them.

Think of it as a ZIP file but with higher levels of compression. A typical RAR file consists of one or several compressed files bundled together. Just like the ZIP file, which is actually an archive file type, RAR file works similar but offers a bit more features. If you’ve downloaded an attachment or received a link to download documents in a RAR file, here’s how you can open it on your Mac.

While there are several apps on the App Store for the job, we’ve picked the one that’s simple and easy to use for opening RAR files on your Mac.

Unpack rar macos