A WinRAR-style archive manager for macOS, built on the official 7zz build of 7-Zip, with optional RAR creation through RARLAB's own rar tool.
Native AppKit UI · Finder right-click menu · encrypted archives · multi-volume archives · 30+ formats
🇹🇷 Türkçe açıklama için tıklayın
▶ 1-minute intro video on YouTube · Turkish version
macOS has no native way to open .rar files, and the few GUI tools around either hide what they are doing or cannot handle encrypted or multi-part archives well. MacRAR wraps Igor Pavlov's 7zz engine (and, if you install it, RARLAB's rar for creating RAR archives) in a small native app that behaves like WinRAR on Windows: double-click to browse, right-click in Finder to extract or compress, drag files out of the archive window, get asked for a password only when one is actually needed.
The whole app is a few thousand lines of Swift, needs no Xcode project (Command Line Tools are enough) and carries no third-party frameworks.
| Browsing a RAR archive | Encrypted ZIP (lock column) |
|---|---|
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| Password prompt | Create archive dialog | Progress with details |
|---|---|---|
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Browsing
- Opens an archive as a folder tree: name, lock indicator, size, packed size, ratio, modification date, CRC. Click a header to sort; widths and sort order are remembered.
- Search field filters the whole archive by path.
- Double-click or press Return to open a file with its default app; press Space for a Quick Look preview.
- File → Open Recent, View → Expand All / Collapse All / Refresh / Show Archive in Finder.
- Settings (⌘,): default format and level for quick compression, Finder reveal behaviour, update check, interface language.
- Status bar shows file count, total and packed size, format and flags (solid, encrypted headers, volumes).
Extracting
- Extract here (⌘E), extract to a folder named after the archive (⌥⌘E), extract to a chosen folder (⇧⌘E), or extract only the selected items.
- If the destination already contains items with the same names you are asked whether to overwrite, auto-rename, or cancel.
- Drag items from the archive window onto a Finder folder or the Desktop: MacRAR asks once, then extracts the dragged items there with a progress window.
- Progress window with overall percentage, estimated remaining time, elapsed time, the current file, and a collapsible log of processed files.
Encrypted archives
- RAR archives with encrypted file data or encrypted headers (
-hp), 7z with encrypted headers (-mhe), ZIP with ZipCrypto or AES. - The password is requested only when it is actually required, re-requested if wrong, and remembered for the rest of the session with that archive.
Multi-volume archives
- RAR
.part01.rar … .partNN.rar, 7z and ZIP.001 … .NNNsets are recognised. Selecting all parts in Finder and running a Quick Action processes the set once, starting from the first volume.
Creating archives
- Formats: 7z, ZIP, TAR, TAR.GZ, TAR.XZ, TAR.BZ2 out of the box; RAR 5 once you point the app at your own copy of RARLAB's "RAR for macOS" (Settings → Install RAR Tool…, or just pick RAR when creating an archive and follow the steps).
- Six compression levels, password (optional file-name encryption for RAR and 7z, AES-256 for 7z and ZIP), solid archives, recovery record (RAR), split volumes, SFX (RAR), delete sources after archiving.
- Options the chosen format cannot support are disabled automatically.
- Add files to an existing RAR/7z/ZIP/TAR archive (drag files onto the window or use ⇧⌘A) and delete entries from it (⌘⌫).
Languages
- The interface is in English or Turkish, following the system language (or the per-app language chosen in System Settings → General → Language & Region).
MACRAR_LANG=tr|enoverrides it.
Updates
- Once a day MacRAR checks GitHub Releases for a newer version and offers to download it; MacRAR → Check for Updates… runs the check on demand. Set
MACRAR_NO_UPDATE_CHECK=1to disable it.
Finder integration
- Right-click menu in Finder: Open with MacRAR, MacRAR: Extract Here, MacRAR: Extract to Folder (shown for archives) and Compress with MacRAR… (shown for any selection) appear directly in the context menu; Extract To…, Test and Quick Compress (default format from Settings, no dialog) live in the Quick Actions submenu. They are installed automatically the first time the app runs from Applications; MacRAR → (Re)install Finder Quick Actions repairs them.
- Registers as the owner of
.rarand as an alternate handler for ZIP, 7z, TAR, GZ, BZ2, XZ, ZST, CAB, ISO and more, so they appear in Open With. On first launch a File Associations dialog lets you pick which types should open with MacRAR; it is always available from the app menu. - If you launch MacRAR from the DMG or from Downloads it offers to move itself to Applications, because the Finder menu and the associations only work from there.
| Operation | Formats |
|---|---|
| Open / extract / test | RAR (all versions, multi-volume), ZIP/ZIPX, 7z (including .7z.001 sets), TAR, GZ/TGZ, BZ2, XZ, ZST, LZ4, LZMA, Z, CAB, ARJ, LZH, CPIO, ISO, WIM, DEB, RPM, JAR/APK, MSI, CHM, XAR/PKG, DMG, VHD/VMDK and everything else 7-Zip can read |
| Create | 7z, ZIP, TAR, TAR.GZ, TAR.XZ, TAR.BZ2; RAR 5 with your own RARLAB rar |
| Add / delete entries | 7z, ZIP, TAR (not the compressed tar variants); RAR with your own RARLAB rar |
| Passwords | RAR and 7z: data and file names (AES-256); ZIP: data (AES-256) |
Everything is read, extracted and tested with the bundled 7zz (including RAR, via 7-Zip's unRAR code). Creating or modifying RAR archives runs RARLAB's rar, which the app does not bundle. Compressed tar archives (tar.gz, tar.xz, …) are handled with a two-stage pipeline, outer decompressor piped into the tar reader, so their contents are listed directly.
| Easy Mac Archiver (Mac App Store) | MacRAR (GitHub) | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 | free |
| Open / extract RAR, ZIP, 7z, TAR, ISO… | ✓ | ✓ |
| Create ZIP, 7z, TAR(.gz/.xz/.bz2) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Create / modify RAR | — (proprietary format) | ✓ with your own copy of RARLAB's RAR for macOS |
| Finder right-click menu | ✓ (app services) | ✓ (Quick Actions) |
| Sandboxed | ✓ (asks once for folder access) | — |
| Automatic updates | App Store | daily GitHub check |
Ready-made, Developer ID-signed and Apple-notarized builds are on the Releases page: open the DMG, drag MacRAR into Applications and launch it. The first launch installs the Finder right-click menu and asks which file types should open with MacRAR. No Gatekeeper warnings.
With Homebrew:
brew install --cask mstcvk/tap/macrarbrew upgrade --cask macrar updates it; the cask lives in mstcvk/homebrew-tap and always points at the latest notarized DMG.
Since 1.4 the app bundles only the 7-Zip engine (universal: Apple Silicon and Intel). RARLAB's rar/unrar are no longer included because their licence does not allow redistributing rar. RAR archives are opened with 7-Zip; to create RAR archives, MacRAR walks you through downloading "RAR for macOS" from rarlab.com and pointing the app at it.
- macOS 13 Ventura or newer, Apple Silicon or Intel (universal binary).
- To build from source: Xcode Command Line Tools (
xcode-select --install). A full Xcode is not needed. - Only for creating RAR archives: RARLAB's "RAR for macOS" (paid, 40-day trial), which the app helps you download and install. Opening, extracting and testing RAR archives is free and unlimited through 7-Zip; 7z/ZIP/TAR creation is free.
git clone https://github.com/mstcvk/MacRAR.git
cd MacRAR
./fetch-tools.sh # downloads 7zz from 7-zip.org into tools/
./build.sh install # compiles, installs /Applications/MacRAR.app, registers Finder Quick Actions./build.sh alone only builds build/MacRAR.app. The install step never kills a running MacRAR; if an extraction is in progress it waits for the app to quit.
The 7zz binary is not part of this repository. fetch-tools.sh downloads it from its official source so that its licence stays with its author. RARLAB's rar is never bundled; the app installs a copy the user downloads into ~/Library/Application Support/MacRAR/rar.
After installing:
- To choose which file types open with MacRAR: MacRAR menu → File Associations… (also shown once on first launch).
- If the Quick Actions do not show up in Finder: System Settings → General → Login Items & Extensions → Extensions → Finder and enable them (macOS 13–14: Privacy & Security → Extensions → Finder). The App Store edition uses app services instead; those are enabled under Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts… → Services → Files and Folders.
build.sh produces an ad-hoc signed app that runs on the Mac it was built on. If you pass that .app to someone else, Gatekeeper will complain; they can right-click → Open once, or run xattr -cr /Applications/MacRAR.app.
For a build that opens anywhere without warnings, release.sh signs with a Developer ID certificate, submits the app to Apple's notary service, staples the ticket and writes dist/MacRAR-<version>.zip. It needs an Apple Developer Program membership, a "Developer ID Application" certificate (Xcode → Settings → Accounts → Manage Certificates…) and a notarytool keychain profile:
xcrun notarytool store-credentials MacRAR --apple-id you@example.com --team-id TEAMID
./release.shThe Quick Actions launch the app like this:
open -n -a /Applications/MacRAR.app --args --extract-here /path/archive.rar| Flag | Effect |
|---|---|
--extract-here |
extract next to the archive |
--extract-folder |
extract into a folder named after the archive |
--extract-to |
ask for a destination folder once, then extract |
--test |
test the archive and report |
--compress |
create an archive with the default format and level from Settings, no dialog |
--compress-dialog |
open the Create Archive dialog |
--set-default |
make MacRAR the default app for .rar |
--install-quick-actions |
(re)install the Finder Quick Actions |
Sources/RarEngine.swift process runner, format detection, 7zz listing parser, pipelines, progress parsing
Sources/Operations.swift extract / test / compress / add / delete with password retry loops
Sources/ArchiveWindow.swift main window: outline view, toolbar, search, drag & drop, file promises
Sources/Dialogs.swift password / overwrite prompts, progress window, Create Archive dialog
Sources/Prefs.swift user defaults and the Settings window
Sources/QuickActions.swift generates the .workflow bundles for the Finder right-click menu
Sources/Associations.swift "which files open with MacRAR" dialog (first launch + app menu)
Sources/Installer.swift offers to move the app to Applications when run from a DMG or Downloads
Sources/UpdateChecker.swift daily GitHub Releases check
Sources/RarTools.swift locating / installing the user's RARLAB rar
Sources/Quarantine.swift propagates the archive's quarantine flag to extracted files
Sources/Localization.swift English string table (Turkish strings are the keys)
Sources/AppDelegate.swift menus, document handling, command-line modes
Sources/main.swift entry point
Info.plist bundle, document type and UTI registration
build.sh / fetch-tools.sh build, install and tool download scripts
release.sh Developer ID signing, notarization, DMG, GitHub release
makeicon.swift draws the app icon
Environment variables used for automated testing (no screen recording permission is needed):
| Variable | Effect |
|---|---|
MACRAR_LANG=en / tr |
force the UI language |
MACRAR_SNAPSHOT=/path/prefix |
after MACRAR_SNAPSHOT_DELAY seconds (default 2) save every open window as prefix-N.png and exit |
MACRAR_DEBUG_PASSWORD=… |
answer password prompts automatically |
MACRAR_DEBUG_CONFIRM=1 |
answer confirmation dialogs with the default button |
MACRAR_DEBUG_DETAILS=1 |
open the progress window with the details log expanded |
MACRAR_DEBUG_FORMAT=zip |
format for --compress (7z, zip, tar, tar.gz, tar.xz, tar.bz2, rar) |
MACRAR_DEBUG_DRAG=/folder |
simulate dragging the first items of the opened archive into that folder |
MACRAR_NO_UPDATE_CHECK=1 |
skip the daily update check |
MACRAR_NO_MOVE_PROMPT=1 |
never offer to move the app to Applications |
- RAR © Alexander Roshal, RARLAB. Not bundled; the user installs their own copy for creating RAR archives. See rarlab.com.
- 7-Zip © Igor Pavlov, licensed under GNU LGPL with unRAR restriction and BSD 3-clause for some parts. See 7-zip.org.
Neither project is affiliated with MacRAR. "WinRAR" and "RAR" are trademarks of their owner.
Mesut Çevik · github.com/mstcvk
The MacRAR source code is released under the MIT License.