Jeremy writes, “I downloaded a torrent file with a .rar extension. It is supposed to be a concert. How do I play a .rar file that is audio?”
The .rar format is a compressed file format, similar to .zip, designed to make files smaller for sharing over the Internet. You can’t actually play a .rar file. The file or files inside the .rar compressed file will be the audio file you are looking for. First you need to uncompress the file with WinRAR before you can play it back.
Depending on which operating system your device has, there are different options for opening a file.
Windows
A number of free tools are available for opening .rar files on Windows. The one I have used most frequently is 7-zip. It will open most compressed formats and also creates the .7z format which is a popular alternative to .rar.
macOS
Like Windows, macOS has built in support for unzipping a variety of compressed file formats. Also like Windows, .rar is not one of those formats. A popular option for opening .rar files on your Mac is The Unarchiver. If there’s a compressed format your Mac can’t open, chances are good that The Unarchiver will help.
iOS and Android
If you’re using an Android device of any kind or you have an iPhone or iPad, the App Store and Play Store are filled with options for opening .rar files. Most of them offer about the same experience. I’ve tried iZip in the past and it’s worked for my infrequent need to open .rar files on my phone. iZip also offers a macOS option if you want to use the same tool on more than one of your devices.
