RAR or Zip files are pretty helpful. It takes less storage space also comes pretty handy when grouping a bunch of files or sharing files online. But there are many users who are unaware of how to create or unzip RAR, Zip, or compressed files. So the question is, how to open a RAR file in Windows 11/10?
While Windows has native support for uncompressing ZIP files, unfortunately, there is no support for RAR files. Hence, the only option you are left with is to use third-party tools. And that’s what I am going to discuss in this article.
Best Software To Open RAR Files In Windows 11/10
As Windows doesn’t have support for opening RAR files, you must rely on third-party software. There are many tools available that let you open yet create RAR files. Some of the famous names are the:
- WinRAR
- 7-Zip
- PeaZip
- B1 Free Archiver
- Zipware
Now let me talk about these tools individually over here:
1] WinRAR
WinRAR is undoubtedly the most popular tool for opening RAR files. Using this software, you can extract all the popular zip formats such as RAR, CAB, 7Z, ZIP, and more.
Also, the software supports 128-bit and 265-bit AES encryption. So in case, if you want to password protect your ZIP files, this will come handy.
Another cool part of it is that you can view RAR file contents without extracting them. So you can view and confirm the file contents beforehand only.
Along with that, it also allows you to create RAR files pretty easily. Plus, you can download the tool for free from its official website.
2] 7-Zip
7-Zip is yet another tool for opening Zip files on your Windows computer. It is an open-source software which means you can download it free.
Also, it offers you a high compression ratio in 7Z format with LZMA and LZMA2 compression. As a result, you will get to save more space.
It also supports a wide range of file types for packing and unpacking. Such as 7z, XZ, BZIP2, GZIP, TAR, ZIP and WIM. However, it supports unpacking only for RAR, AR, ARJ, CAB, CHM, CPIO, CramFS, DMG, and other file types.
Along with that, it provides you with strong AES-256 encryption in 7z and ZIP formats. Plus, it comes with a powerful file manager.
3] PeaZip
PeaZip is yet another free-to-use tool for opening RAR files in Windows. With this one, you would create 7Z, ARC, Brotl, BZip, GZip, PEA, TAR, WIM, XZ, ZPAQ, ZIP, and Zstandard files easily.
Plus, it supports opening and extracting over 200+ file types, including RAR, DEB, ISO, and more. Another cool part of it is that it allows you to create and convert multiple archives at once.
Plus, you can create self-extracting archives (SFX), split files, and protect your zip files with solid encryption with two-factor authentication.
Also, it comes with extra features like an encrypted password manager, secure deletion, finding duplicate files, calculating hashes, exporting task definition as command line script, and more.
4] B1 Free Archiver
Up next, I have the B1 Free Archiver. This one is an entirely free-to-use archive manager. The best part is that it supports all the popular formats, including RAR, 7Z, Zip, cab, deb, gzip, and more.
Also, it is capable of working with splitting and password-protected archives and works as a file manager. The tool is also pretty simple to use, and there is no need to go through complicated manuals.
Plus, it works extremely fast and can only compress and uncompress large archives in a few seconds to minutes. Also, the overall software is lightweight and doesn’t take much space on your PC.
5] Zipware
Lastly, you can have a look at Zipware. You can also download and install it free of cost on your Windows system. Plus, it comes with lots of features.
It supports all the major archiving formats, including the new RAR5 format. Also, it is pretty straightforward to use.
As far as the features are concerned, with this one, you can extract file types like ZIP, ZIPX, 7Z, RAR, RAR5, ISO, and others.
Also, you can create ZIP, 7-ZIP, EXE files. Even, you can also create self-extracting and split/multi-volume archives. You can also protect your compressed with a password as it supports AES-256 encryption.
Is there a free alternative to WinRAR?
Yes, there are many great yet free alternatives to WinRAR available out there. However, I like using PeaZip and Zipware.
What is better than WinRAR?
You can try out 7-Zip. It is said to be much faster compared to WinRAR. Plus, it comes with lots of other features and support for a wide range of file formats.
So that was all for your how to open RAR file in Windows 11/10 question. I recommend you use a dedicated tool for opening RAR files, as it gives multiple features. Also, most RAR opening software is free to download.