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How to open RAR and 7z files on a Mac
By Himanshu Ranjan · Updated 8 November 2026
Select the archive in Finder, open FileDial and choose Extract › Extract here. Contents go into a folder named after the archive. Finder opens ZIP by double-click, but RAR and 7z usually need another tool, and FileDial's note does not list formats. Everything runs offline on your Mac.
What Finder does and does not open
Double-clicking a ZIP in Finder extracts it beside the archive, as Apple documents. RAR and 7z are different formats. Finder does not open RAR files, and the reliable way on a Mac is a dedicated tool.
RAR is a proprietary format created by Eugene Roshal in 1993. Only RARLAB's tools can create RAR files, but extraction is open: free unrar source code lets other programs unpack them. 7z, created by Igor Pavlov and first released in 1999 with 7-Zip, is an open format that uses LZMA compression and can encrypt with AES-256.
Steps with FileDial
FileDial's Extract › Extract here is listed for archives and writes the contents into a folder named after the archive. Its note does not list formats, so the honest advice is to try it and read the result card.
- Select the .rar or .7z file in Finder.
- Hold the right Option key and choose Extract, then Extract here.
- Open the folder named after the archive.
- If a file fails, the result card will say so; use a dedicated unarchiver such as The Unarchiver for that archive.
- For a password-protected archive, choose Extract › Extract with password… instead.
Check before you open
Archives from the internet can carry anything. Extract › List contents writes a text listing and extracts nothing, so you can read what is inside first. Developer › Test archive integrity writes a report named OK or FAILED, and Developer › Verify checksum… compares against a published checksum.
For software downloads, also look at Developer › Check signature and notarization, which is listed for archives and writes a report whose name gives the verdict.
Related formats
Disk images come up often. Extract › Extract disk image mounts it read-only, copies the contents into a folder and unmounts. Extract › Extract here also expands installer packages with their payloads, per its note.
To go the other way, Archive › Make 7Z and Convert › Convert to ZIP make new archives, so you can turn a RAR you received into a ZIP that anyone can open.
Privacy
Online extractors need an upload. The FBI Denver Field Office warned in March 2025 that free online file converter tools are increasingly used to spread malware. Extracting on the Mac avoids sending the archive anywhere.
If an archive will not open
First check it is complete. A download cut short fails to extract, and Developer › Test archive integrity writes a report named OK or FAILED without extracting anything. Second, check the format: a file with a .rar or .7z extension might really be something else, or a multi-part set where you need every part in one folder, starting with the first. Third, check for a password; encrypted archives need Extract › Extract with password…
If FileDial reports a failure on a specific file, a dedicated unarchiver is the honest fallback. The Unarchiver is proprietary freeware for Mac and unar is a free command-line tool, both mentioned on Wikipedia's RAR page. Use whichever you trust, and keep it for odd archives.
Common mistakes and when FileDial fits
Do not run what you extracted without a thought. Look at the folder first. For software, use Developer › Check signature and notarization, which writes a report whose name gives the verdict. For documents, Privacy › Remove extended attributes & quarantine makes a clean copy without quarantine, Finder tags, comments or download source, which is useful when you are deliberately re-sharing a file.
To keep things tidy, you can turn the received archive into a ZIP with Convert › Convert to ZIP, so the next person can open it with a double-click. Choose Convert › Convert to TAR.GZ or Convert › Convert to TAR.XZ if the destination is a Linux server.
It is convenient if you already use it for other jobs, because Extract sits in the same dial as the tools you will use next. For a one-off RAR from a trusted source, a free unarchiver app is just as good.
Where FileDial helps beyond opening: listing contents first, testing integrity, extracting with a password, extracting disk images and checking signature and notarization on archives, all without uploading anything.
Extracting into the Downloads folder and losing track of the result is common, but FileDial puts the contents into a folder named after the archive, which helps. A second is opening only the second part of a multi-part archive; start with the first. A third is double-clicking an unknown archive attached to an email and running whatever is inside. A fourth is assuming a wrong password message means a damaged archive.
If the sender used a rare compression method, ask for a ZIP. Most people can create one without any extra software, and it opens everywhere.
Questions
Can Finder open RAR files on a Mac?
No. Double-clicking handles ZIP, and Finder does not open RAR. For RAR and 7z, use a dedicated tool such as FileDial's Extract › Extract here, or an unarchiver app like The Unarchiver. If one particular archive fails in one tool, try the other before assuming the file is damaged.
Do I have to pay for a RAR licence just to open a RAR?
No. Extraction does not need a paid RAR licence: RARLAB publishes free unrar source code that other programs use to unpack RAR files. Creating RAR files is restricted to RARLAB's tools, which is why the Mac tools you meet mostly extract and then offer ZIP or 7Z for creating.
How can I look inside an archive before extracting it?
Use Extract › List contents. It writes a text listing beside the archive and extracts nothing, so you can read file names first. Developer › Test archive integrity writes an OK or FAILED report if you also want to confirm that the archive is complete and undamaged.