: A completely free, open-source alternative. It is lightweight and can handle almost any compressed format you throw at it.

Run the installer and follow the prompts. During setup, make sure the .rar checkbox is selected under "Associate with" so your computer knows to use this program for all future RAR downloads. 3. Extracting Your Files

Have you ever downloaded a file only to find it has a weird .rar extension that your computer won't open? Don't worry—you haven't downloaded a "broken" file. RAR (Roshal Archive) is just a high-efficiency compressed format, similar to a ZIP file, that makes large downloads much faster.

Once installed, your RAR files will usually change their icon to look like a stack of books. To get your data out:

To open these files, you need an extraction tool. Here are the top free and paid recommendations: