{"id":232381,"date":"2023-05-30T04:06:14","date_gmt":"2023-05-30T08:06:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sftarticles.wpenginepowered.com\/es\/?p=291343"},"modified":"2025-07-01T19:04:36","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T02:04:36","slug":"opening-rar-files-windows-without-winrar-after-almost-30-years-it-is-possible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/opening-rar-files-windows-without-winrar-after-almost-30-years-it-is-possible\/","title":{"rendered":"Breaking the Barrier: Windows Users Can Now Open RAR Files Without WinRAR after Nearly 30 Years"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Let&#8217;s lay the cards on the table: Who among you actually bought a <strong>WinRAR<\/strong> license? Seriously, who did? Even with all the &#8220;cleverness&#8221; that characterizes Spaniards, many of you might know people who have bought a license for <strong>Windows<\/strong> or <strong>Microsoft Office<\/strong> (the person writing these lines is one of them). But WinRAR?<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"sc-card-program\">\r\n  <div class=\"sc-card-program__body\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row clearfix\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-logo\">\r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-program__img\" alt=\"WinRAR\" src=\"https:\/\/images.sftcdn.net\/images\/t_app-icon-s\/p\/b3562592-96bf-11e6-ba7b-00163ec9f5fa\/2371050803\/winrar-Download-WinRAR.jpg\" width=\"100px\" height=\"100px\">\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-title\">\r\n        <span class=\"sc-card-program__title\">WinRAR<\/span>\r\n        <a class=\"sc-card-program__button sc-card-program-internal\" href=\"https:\/\/winrar.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DOWNLOAD<\/a>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-rating\">\r\n        <svg class=\"rating-score__content\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.1\" x=\"0\" y=\"0\" viewbox=\"0 0 50 50\" enable-background=\"new 0 0 50 50\" xml:space=\"preserve\"><path class=\"rating-score__background rating-score--good\" fill=\"none\" stroke-width=\"6\" stroke-miterlimit=\"10\" d=\"M40 40c8.3-8.3 8.3-21.7 0-30s-21.7-8.3-30 0 -8.3 21.7 0 30\"><\/path><path class=\"rating-score__value rating-score__value--0\" fill=\"none\" stroke-width=\"6\" stroke-dashoffset=\"0\" stroke-miterlimit=\"10\" d=\"M40 40c8.3-8.3 8.3-21.7 0-30s-21.7-8.3-30 0 -8.3 21.7 0 30\"><\/path><text class=\"rating-score__number\" content=\"\" text-anchor=\"middle\" transform=\"matrix(1 0 0 1 25 31.0837)\" data-auto=\"app-user-score\"><\/text><\/svg>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row\">\r\n      <span class=\"sc-card-program__description\"><\/span>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row\">\r\n      <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-program__bigpic\" src=\"\" onerror=\"this.style.display='none'\">\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <a class=\"sc-card-program__link track-link sc-card-program-internal\" href=\"https:\/\/winrar.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A few years ago, most of us relied on WinRAR during times when\u2026 well\u2026 it <strong>was the only program available for compressing and extracting RAR files<\/strong>. This file format offered many advantages over the classic <strong>ZIP files<\/strong>, including better file compression and the ability to set passwords.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, while <strong>ZIP files always came pre-installed with Windows operating systems<\/strong>, to extract those RAR files we downloaded from the internet (all legally, of course), we had no choice but to download WinRAR\u2026 and pay for it. Yes, we all ignored the <strong>message urging us to purchase a WinRAR license<\/strong>. And yes, it could be a bit annoying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/05\/Aviso-licencia-WinRAR-1024x521.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-232387\" width=\"174\" height=\"88\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/05\/Aviso-licencia-WinRAR-1024x521.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/05\/Aviso-licencia-WinRAR-300x153.jpg 300w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/05\/Aviso-licencia-WinRAR-768x391.jpg 768w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/05\/Aviso-licencia-WinRAR-18x9.jpg 18w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/05\/Aviso-licencia-WinRAR-150x76.jpg 150w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2023\/05\/Aviso-licencia-WinRAR.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 174px) 100vw, 174px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now, nearly three decades after WinRAR&#8217;s release, Windows has finally decided to <strong>offer native support for RAR files<\/strong> without the need for any third-party software. <strong>Microsoft<\/strong> confirms this in a blog post titled <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.windows.com\/windowsdeveloper\/2023\/05\/23\/bringing-the-power-of-ai-to-windows-11-unlocking-a-new-era-of-productivity-for-customers-and-developers-with-windows-copilot-and-dev-home\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">&#8220;A New Era of Productivity,&#8221;<\/a> where they discuss the future of <strong>Windows 11<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;We&#8217;ve added native support for additional file formats, <strong>including tar, 7-zip, rar, gz<\/strong>, and many others using the open-source project libarchive,&#8221; states Microsoft. &#8220;Now you can get improved performance from file functionality during compression on Windows.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thanks to <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.libarchive.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">libarchive<\/a><\/strong>, an open-source project with a library that supports various file compression formats, Windows 11 will now allow us to compress and extract virtually any type of file <strong>without the need to install WinRAR or other compression programs<\/strong> like <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/7-zip.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">7-zip<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"sc-card-program\">\r\n  <div class=\"sc-card-program__body\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row clearfix\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-logo\">\r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-program__img\" alt=\"WinRAR\" src=\"https:\/\/images.sftcdn.net\/images\/t_app-icon-s\/p\/b3562592-96bf-11e6-ba7b-00163ec9f5fa\/2371050803\/winrar-Download-WinRAR.jpg\" width=\"100px\" height=\"100px\">\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-title\">\r\n        <span class=\"sc-card-program__title\">WinRAR<\/span>\r\n        <a class=\"sc-card-program__button sc-card-program-internal\" href=\"https:\/\/winrar.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DOWNLOAD<\/a>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-rating\">\r\n        <svg class=\"rating-score__content\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.1\" x=\"0\" y=\"0\" viewbox=\"0 0 50 50\" enable-background=\"new 0 0 50 50\" xml:space=\"preserve\"><path class=\"rating-score__background rating-score--good\" fill=\"none\" stroke-width=\"6\" stroke-miterlimit=\"10\" d=\"M40 40c8.3-8.3 8.3-21.7 0-30s-21.7-8.3-30 0 -8.3 21.7 0 30\"><\/path><path class=\"rating-score__value rating-score__value--0\" fill=\"none\" stroke-width=\"6\" stroke-dashoffset=\"0\" stroke-miterlimit=\"10\" d=\"M40 40c8.3-8.3 8.3-21.7 0-30s-21.7-8.3-30 0 -8.3 21.7 0 30\"><\/path><text class=\"rating-score__number\" content=\"\" text-anchor=\"middle\" transform=\"matrix(1 0 0 1 25 31.0837)\" data-auto=\"app-user-score\"><\/text><\/svg>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row\">\r\n      <span class=\"sc-card-program__description\"><\/span>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row\">\r\n      <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-program__bigpic\" src=\"\" onerror=\"this.style.display='none'\">\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <a class=\"sc-card-program__link track-link sc-card-program-internal\" href=\"https:\/\/winrar.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While it&#8217;s true that the vast majority of us never had many issues with WinRAR (including the nagging message), this native support will be <strong>highly useful for many less tech-savvy individuals<\/strong>. The days of receiving WhatsApp messages like &#8220;Hey, how do I open this file you sent me?&#8221; are over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Some of the links added in the article are part of affiliate campaigns and may represent benefits for Softonic.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Almost three decades after the release of WinRAR, Windows will now allow us to compress and decompress RAR files without the need for third-party programs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9256,"featured_media":232384,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","wpcf-pageviews":1},"categories":[1015],"tags":[3250],"usertag":[],"vertical":[],"content-category":[],"class_list":["post-232381","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-app-subdomain-redirectionwinrar"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232381","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9256"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=232381"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232381\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":320015,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232381\/revisions\/320015"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/232384"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=232381"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=232381"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=232381"},{"taxonomy":"usertag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/usertag?post=232381"},{"taxonomy":"vertical","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vertical?post=232381"},{"taxonomy":"content-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content-category?post=232381"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}