How to unrar file on a Mac? This is the question that came up my mind when I got my first MacBook Pro. Actually, extracting RAR files on a Mac can be as easy as pie or as complicated as a 5000-piece jigsaw puzzle, but it depends on the tool that you use to uncompress and extract the contents of the file. While some tools will make you run circles but never give you what you want, there are ways to properly extract RAR files on a Mac. Let's talk about two different but effective ways to do this.

Part 1. How to Extract RAR File on Mac via Terminal

Although this method requires some preparation, when completed, it will allow you to easily unpackage RAR files directly from Terminal. If you're a developer and use Terminal a lot, then this is a good way to get compressed files unzipped directly from the command line. The instructions below show a detailed stepwise flow of what to do in order to add this capability to Terminal.

“Which is the best software to open RAR files on Mac OS? I am new to Mac and I want to open RAR files.” A question from Ask Different. Compressed archive files such as RAR and ZIP files are widely used to reduce the size of files when sending them over the Internet. How to Open an RAR Archive on Mac? Unlike other archive files, for example, a ZIP archive can be directly created or extracted by using the default function on Mac (here’s a tutorial), a RAR file can only be opened using third-party softwarewhich, unfortunately, Apple hasn’t built into the Archive Utility, yet. To unzip the contents, follow these steps: Click the Unzip button. From the drop down menu, choose to unzip your files to this Mac, iCloud Drive, Dropbox or Google Drive. A 'Finder style' window will open. You can browse to the folder where you want the files saved. Choose to unzip the Entire Zip. RAR files, or Roshal Archive files, are an archival file format containing data compressed for faster file transfer speeds.Macs do not come with a default, pre-installed program on Mac OS Yosemite to open RAR files; however, free programs are available for download to open RAR files on a Mac, including Stuffit Expander, RAR Expander and UnRarX.

Step 1. Download the RAR for Mac OS X utility from RARLab and note down the file path of the download.

Step 2. Open Terminal (Applications >>Utilities >>Terminal; or Cmd+Spacebar to launch Spotlight and search for Terminal). Now enter the following command in Terminal: cd ~/Downloads/rarosx-5.6/rar

Note: Make sure you change the filename based on the version you downloaded.

Step 3. For Mac OS X versions until Yosemite, run the following command to install unRAR: sudo install -c -o $USER unrar /usr/local/bin

Step 4. Enter the root password if prompted at the previous command. To extract a file, use the following command, replacing the entire part with the file path with the appropriate one: unrar x /path/to/file.part01.rar

This is a great way to do it, of course, but extracting files on Mac OS X Yosemite and later macOS versions requires an additional step. Before executing Step 3 above, you will need to create the '/usr/local/bin' folder location since there's no default one. In addition, you need separate commands to open archives that are password-protected, which they usually are when the information inside is confidential.

Cons:

Complex and not user friendly.
Only for RAR files archived by WinRAR.
Need to download extra tool from unknown sources.
Failed on latest macOS build.

Part 2 : How to Open RAR File on Mac via CleanGeeker Unarchiver App

Believe it or not, even though the RAR extraction capability of CleanGeeker is superior to most other utilities, it is actually an add-on feature. Essentially a Mac memory and resource optimization tool, this software nevertheless has an excellent archive extraction feature.

TunesBro CleanGeeker is built for functionality, but the UI is quite appealing as well. The complex settings are mostly in the background so it's easy for novice users to learn how to use the software. This section shows you how to easily and quickly extract RAR on a Mac using CleanGeeker.

Highlights of TunesBro CleanGeeker

Extract and open various archive files, including RAR, ZIP, GZ, TAR, TAR.GZ, etc.
Boost Mac performance by cleaning up junk and tmp files.
One-click find and remove duplicate files on local hard drive.
Get more free memory by closing apps running in background.

Step 1Install and Open TunesBro CleanGeeker on Mac

Install CleanGeeker app on your Mac after downloading it from the official website of TunesBro. When you launch the program you'll see a home page with scan and clean functions. Below it, on the left-panel, you'll see tabs for other functions. Click on 'Unarchiver'.

Step 2Add RAR File to CleanGeeker

Select 'Open RAR' in the next window. Within the module, select the file to be extracted, specify the destination folder and click on 'Extract'. That's it. Your extracted files will now be available in the specified destination folder. You can see how easy it is to use, and you'll be done in just a couple of minutes.

The real power in the software is what it can do to keep your Mac running optimally at all times. Periodic junk cleaning and deep cleaning your system will make sure that unwanted files and data aren't clogging up valuable memory space. Remove duplicates is also pretty fast ; digitally shred your private files and make them unrecoverable; even speed up your startup process. For extracting RAR files, it is one of the simplest and most powerful applications you'll find, and it supports zip, bzip, gzip and several other archive file formats.

Conclusion:

The choice is a simple one: you can either do it from the command line after installing unRAR and execute several processes before you can start extracting RAR files, or you can do it right away after installing CleanGeeker. Unless you're comfortable with command line work, the first method is not at all recommended. If you get a command wrong or a typo in a filename, it will prevent you from extracting anything after all that work. Besides, not many users are comfortable installing an app and then using it without a graphical interface.

Oct 10, 2018 14:41:09 / Posted by Candie Kates to Mac Solution

How to Extract RAR files on Max OSX:Â 3 Steps

Step 1:Â Go ahead jump into your Mac App Store and look for The Unarchiver (I have added the link for you here). You can also download it from the The Unarchiver site.

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