Each archive file format is beneficial for different purposes.

.RAR files are useful for their compression and encryption capabilities.

Roshal Archive (RAR)was developed by Russian engineer Eugene Roshal, hence the nameRoshalARchive.

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.RAR files have several advantages over their competitors, like zip archives.

However, it does support .ZIP files.

RAR files can be opened and extracted using a variety of tools.

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However, theWinRARprogram is generally the one that creates them.

Moreover, multi-volume archives split across multiple compressed files can also be made using the RAR compressor.

They may all have the same .RAR extension.

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However, these files often have file extensions ranging from .r00 to .r99 to differentiate between them.

Its easier to move multiple files over the web connection, rather than one big archive.

The RAR archive is similar to a zip file, with some added advantages.

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Let us now discuss the different tools that can be used to access and extract the .RAR compressed files.

Open a .RAR file with Notepad will only display gibberish that you wont understand.

WinRAR

WinRARis free-to-use software that creates archives, compresses, and decompresses files of many formats.

Although the tool may prompt you to purchase it, it will work without even doing so.

WinRAR supports a bunch of different archive and compression formats that can be commonly found.

Once installed, it will automatically add the option to open or extract RAR files from the context menu.

Now right-punch the RAR file, expandOpen With, and then clickWinRAR archiver.

The RAR file will now open inside the WinRAR window.

If you want to extract this content, clickExtract Tofrom the ribbon menu.

WinZip

Unlike WinRAR,WinZipis a paid tool but offers a 21-day trial period.

Nevertheless, it supports multiple archiving formats, making it our number 2 pick.

Once installed, right-opt for .RAR file and then clickOpen with WinZipfrom the context menu.

Compared to other archiving software, 7Zip is relatively small in size and quicker than the others.

Note:The icon of the .RAR file will not change.

Select it, and then clickOk.

PeaZip

PeaZipis another third-party tool that can be used to open .RAR files on the Windows platform.

Otherwise, it has the same functionalities as WinRAR and WinZip.

If you previously selectedExtractfrom the context menu, then you will now need to set an extract path.

EzyZip

EzyZipis an online tool that can open RAR files for you.

you might also upload files through DropBox.

However, we will only be talking about extracting a .RAR file using WinRAR cmdlets.

By default, WinRAR is installed at C:\Program Files\WinRAR.

Command line options are especially useful when you want to automate the processing of RAR files on Windows.

Therefore, you must use an app.

Download and installThe Unarchiver.

When installed, right tap the RAR file, expandOpen with, and then clickThe Unarchiver.

You may also create a new folder.

Once selected, clickExtract.

The Unarchiver will now extract the contents of the .RAR file to the selected directory.

Download and installRAR from PlayStore.

press the .RAR file to open it and you will be able to view the items inside the file.

Verdict

You cant process RAR files on Windows without using any third party software.

The best tool for this purpose is WinRAR.

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source: www.itechtics.com