Question: What software can I use to open RAR files / archives on a Mac?

Has been doing its job for free for years and also opens the said archive on the Mac: Stuffit Expander.

Today the question to Sir Apfelot is from a reader who is still working on Mavericks and is looking for software that he can use Open the RAR archive on MAC OS X can.

Answer: There are some Mac apps that can handle packed rar files. I used to have StuffIt expanders on the go, and believe it or not, the software still exist and it's still free. :) (Update May 2017: the program is still available!)

Apps for opening RAR archives on the Mac

• The Unarchiver: A free Mac app that works with numerous formats such as Zip, Tar-GZip, Tar-BZip2, RAR, 7-zip, LhA, StuffIt and many more. A complete list of the supported archive types can be found on the Programmer's website.
• RAR for MAC OS: Of course, the name says it all, because this software can not only open RAR archives, but also pack data in RAR format. However, the software is not free, but can only be used for 40 days without purchase. Additional feature of this tool: You can protect the finished archive with a password.
• UnRarX: This is an open source solution that can be used free of charge. Additional feature: With UnRarX you can also restore damaged RAR archives or those with missing parts (or you can try). This repair works with a mechanism on the website Par2 is called.
• cake: The Keka archiving program is also free and practical. It works with the compression method p7zip and can pack these formats: 7z, Zip, Tar, Gzip, Bzip2, DMG, ISO. It can also unzip 7z, Lzma, Zip, Tar, Gzip, Bzip2, ISO, EXE, CAB, PAX, ACE (PPC).

Programs in the Mac App Store / iTunes

If you don't want to download it from the manufacturer's website, you can download your new app for opening RAR and other archive files on your Mac from the corresponding Mac Store or iTunes:

• The Archive Browser
• The Unarchiver
• RAR Extractor Lite

Advice: Share archives, pictures and other files on your Mac with WeTransfer

Conclusion on the Mac solution

I think this should help everyone who wants to open a RAR archive on a Mac under OS X or under macOS. If you still know some software for the Apple computer that should definitely be mentioned here, then I would be happy to receive a comment below the post.

Jens Kleinholz( Founder & Sir Apfelot )

Jens has been running the blog since 2012. He appears as Sir Apfelot for his readers and helps them with problems of a technical nature. In his free time he drives electric unicycles, takes photos (preferably with his iPhone, of course), climbs around in the Hessian mountains or hikes with the family. His articles deal with Apple products, news from the world of drones or solutions for current bugs.