Open terminal and enter the command to install Homebrew (just copy it from their website).

Obviously, it is wise to be careful whenever you’re using command line so please proceed with caution. In some cases, however, Terminal may be preferred. Opening RAR files with Terminal is more difficult than using an app like The Unarchiver. Opening a RAR file with The Unarchiver app on macOS. Once you’ve configured the settings above, you should be able to click on any RAR file, choose a location for it to be extracted and it will do the rest.

From the dropdown, select The Unarchiver.

In the info panel, expand the Open with: section.

Right-click on a RAR file and select Get Info.

Set macOS to use The Unarchiver by default for RAR files:

Once you have the app installed, there is a macOS setting that needs to be changed so that The Unarchiver is used when trying to open RAR files. The easiest way to open RAR files on macOS is to download and install The Unarchiver app from the App Store. In the video above and text below I show you how to use both methods for extracting the contents of RAR file archives on macOS.

Even when using Terminal, additional files must be installed in order to open RAR files.Īs for third-party applications, The Unarchiver has been the go-to free application for opening RAR files, and other file types, on macOS for quite some time now. The contents of RAR file archives can be extracted on macOS either by using a third-party application or by using Terminal. Learning how to open RAR files on macOS can be crucial when someone creates a file archive in the RAR format and sends it to you. Learn how to open RAR files on macOS by using a free application or by using commands in Terminal.

Rar file mac