Overview
WinRAR is the archiver everything else is measured against. It writes RAR and ZIP, and it reads essentially every format that has ever been in circulation: 7z, TAR, GZ, BZ2, XZ, ISO, CAB, ARJ, LZH, UUE, Z and more. If a file arrives compressed, this opens it.
The features people actually rely on are the unglamorous ones. Recovery records rebuild an archive that picked up corruption in transit. Solid compression squeezes a folder of similar files far smaller than per-file compression manages. Volume splitting cuts a large set into fixed size parts. Repair reconstructs a damaged header rather than giving up.
It also does the boring jobs well: shell integration with a sensible context menu, drag and drop into an open archive, self extracting archive creation, a command line interface for scripted backups, and per-format compression profiles you can save and reuse.
What it does well
Reads everything
RAR and ZIP for writing, plus 7z, TAR, GZ, BZ2, XZ, ISO, CAB, ARJ, LZH and the rest for extraction.
Recovery records
Add redundancy to an archive so transmission damage can be repaired rather than re-downloaded.
Solid compression
Treat a folder as one stream for much better ratios on many similar files, with an optional dictionary size up to 1 GB.
Volume splitting
Split output into fixed size parts for transfer or storage limits, with a recovery volume option.
Scriptable
Full command line tool included for scheduled backups, with the same options as the interface.
Changes in this build
- Faster extraction on multi core machines for large solid archives.
- Improved recovery on archives with damaged headers.
- Updated support for the current ZIP extensions used by other tools.
- Context menu simplified with configurable entries.
- Reduced memory use when compressing with very large dictionaries.
What is in the package
- WinRAR installer, 32-bit and 64-bit
- Command line archiver
- Multilingual interface files, 48 languages
- Compression profile presets
- Self extracting archive modules
System requirements
| Processor | Any x86 or x64 processor |
| Memory | 512 MB, more for very large dictionary sizes |
| Graphics | Not applicable |
| Storage | 20 MB free |
| Display | 1024 x 768 minimum |
| System | Windows 7 through Windows 11 |
Installation
- Extract the package and close any open archive windows.
- Run the installer matching your architecture.
- Choose the file types you want associated in the setup dialog.
- Apply the included configuration step before first launch.
- Open the options panel and set your default compression profile.
Before you start
Solid archives compress better but a single damaged part affects everything after it, use recovery records.
Very large dictionary sizes need matching memory on the machine that extracts, not just the one that compresses.
The command line tool is separate from the interface and is worth putting on the system path.
Questions about this title
Does it open 7z files?
Yes, for extraction. Writing is RAR and ZIP.
What is a recovery record?
Redundancy stored inside the archive that lets damaged data be rebuilt without a fresh copy.
Is the command line version included?
Yes, along with the interface.
Will it keep nagging?
No, this build does not show the reminder dialog.
About this listing
This entry was checked on a clean install of Windows 7 / 8 / 10 / 11 before it was published, and it is rechecked whenever the package is rebuilt. The figures on this page come from the site index rather than from the publisher, so the download count is what people here have actually pulled.
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