How to Open RAR Files on Mac?

What is the Difference Between RAR and ZIP Files?

If you own a computer for quite some time now, you may already be familiar with the ZIP file format when it comes to archiving. Developed by Phil Katz, ZIP is around since 1989 and it was one of the first such tools to work on both Mac and Windows.

When talking about the differences between the two formats, ZIP stands out as a free-to-use one that is supported by most operating systems. In contrast, RAR can only be used through WinRAR which is only free to use in trial version.

Continuing the comparison, you need to know that the compression rate for ZIP files is lower than RAR and that the latter uses a better encryption algorithm to protect sensitive data. So, you will save a lot more space and you will get better protection with RAR files overall.

Another very interesting difference between RAR and ZIP that favors RAR files is the possibility to split an archive into multiple parts. So, for example, if you want to transfer the archive via the internet or a device with limited storage, you can simply split it into multiple files. This way, you won’t have to worry about long upload times or running out of space.

Last but definitely not least, RAR RAR can store NTFS file system attributes while ZIP can only handle DOS attributes. This means that a RAR file will be able to handle streams, full ACL permissions, changing the access times, and much more. On the other hand, ZIP can only deliver read-only, hidden, and system attributes which limit its usability.

Commander One

We’ve promised you an app to open RAR files on Mac, right? Well, here it is! Commander One is an all-in-one tool to handle all archive files and easily manage all your data. This free file manager offers you a dual-pane operation so you can easily decompress RAR files and take advantage of the two panels to be productive and efficient.

Besides offering you the ability to open RAR on Mac terminal, Commander One comes with a wide set of functions that include:

• An FTP Manager;
• The possibility to access Amazon S3, Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive and other cloud storage solutions on your Mac;
• Easy mount any iOS or Android device to manage data;
• Terminal emulator;
• Various themes.

How to Extract a RAR File on Mac via Terminal?

If, for some reason, you don’t want to install a Mac application for RAR files, there’s another way to do it. It will require some serious computer knowledge and that’s why this option is only recommended for users that know their way around some lines of code. So, if you want to answer the “can Mac open RAR files?” question without using a third-party application, follow these steps.

1. Open Terminal by looking for it into Spotlight or Finder.
2. Type these commands:

   cd ~/Downloads/extraction_destination

   unrar x ~/Downloads/The-archive.rar

• The “cd” command changed to the directory where you want the RAR file to be extracted.
• ~/ – is an abbreviation for the first part of the path, namely /Users/*Username*.
• unrar – tells the app to execute the decompressing process in the specified path.

As you can see, the Terminal still needs a RAR app for Mac to run. Therefore, it’s a lot easier to just add Commander One and use its friendly user interface to get the job done instead of dealing with written commands. Especially if you’ve never used older operating systems like MS-DOS or Linux, these command lines will seem complicated and eerie. However, if you insist to open RAR on Mac Terminal, this guide and quick searches on Google in case you get stuck, will help.