Like Zip files, RAR files can be encrypted with a password to ensure that only the person who needs to see it can access it, even if someone else accesses that computer. So when would you use a RAR file? To start with, compiling a long list of files like images or audio files into a single downloadable RAR file will speed up the transfer and download times when sending it to a friend or colleague.Īnother instance might be if you need to send a contract or a document that isn’t for public eyes to a colleague. The difference is that RAR supports error recovery and multi-volume archives making it much easier to transfer and download complex networks of files and folders. You might be wondering why RAR files are used instead of ZIP files which are immediately accessible natively through the computer. The software lets you open RAR files in moments, accessing all the volumes within the archive.

If you find yourself with a RAR file extension unable to open it, that’s where WinZip comes in. RAR files can be split up into multi-volume archives and the compression lets multiple files condense down into a single small archive that’s easy to transfer.

The archive generally contains multiple files, although it can be just a single file, and you’ll need to extract the files from the archive in order to use them. The RAR file format is short for Roshal Archive Compressed file, and is a compressed archive from WinRAR. If you’re familiar with ZIP files, you’ll get to grips with RAR files in no time as the concept is fairly similar. Rated 5 stars by CNET What is a RAR file extension?Ī RAR file extension is something you might come across sooner or later as you transfer files for business use.

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