How to Open, Extract and Create RAR Files on Linux

Working with compressed files is a common task for Linux users, whether you’re downloading software, sharing documents, or managing large datasets. While formats like ZIP and TAR are native to Linux environments, you may occasionally encounter RAR files. These proprietary archive formats, developed by Eugene Roshal, offer excellent compression ratios and advanced features. Despite not being open-source, Linux provides reliable tools to handle RAR archives efficiently. This comprehensive guide will walk you through everything you need to know about opening, extracting, and creating RAR files on Linux systems.

Understanding RAR Files in Linux

RAR (Roshal Archive) is a proprietary file format used for data compression and archiving. Unlike other common Linux archive formats such as TAR or ZIP, RAR isn’t natively supported in most Linux distributions due to its proprietary nature. However, RAR files offer several advantages that make them worth working with:

• Higher compression ratios compared to ZIP in many scenarios
• Built-in error recovery and verification features
• Multi-volume archive support for splitting large files
• Strong encryption capabilities
• Ability to preserve file permissions and timestamps

You’ll typically encounter RAR files when downloading software packages, game mods, or media files from Windows-centric platforms. While Linux users generally prefer open formats, knowing how to work with RAR archives ensures you can access content regardless of its compression format.

The RAR format also supports advanced features like archive comments, password protection, and the ability to create self-extracting archives (though this feature is primarily useful on Windows systems).

Prerequisites: Installing RAR and UnRAR Utilities

Before you can work with RAR files on Linux, you need to install the necessary tools. Most Linux distributions don’t include RAR utilities by default due to licensing restrictions. There are two essential components you’ll need:

• unrar: For extracting RAR archives
• rar: For creating and updating RAR archives

Installation methods vary depending on your Linux distribution. Here’s how to install these utilities on popular distros:

For Ubuntu/Debian-based systems:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install rar unrar

For Fedora/RHEL-based systems:

sudo yum install epel-release
sudo yum install rar unrar

For Arch Linux and derivatives:

sudo pacman -S rar unrar

For openSUSE:

sudo zypper install rar unrar

After installation, verify that the tools are installed correctly by running these commands in your terminal:

rar --version
unrar --version

If you don’t have sudo privileges or prefer alternative methods, you can also use other archive utilities that support RAR files:

• 7-Zip: Install with sudo apt install p7zip p7zip-plugins (on Debian/Ubuntu) or similar commands for other distributions
• unar: A free and open-source alternative, install with sudo apt install unar (Ubuntu/Debian) or sudo dnf install unar (Fedora)

These alternatives may not support all RAR features, but they’re sufficient for basic extraction needs and have the advantage of being fully open-source.

Creating RAR Archives in Linux

Creating RAR archives in Linux is straightforward once you have the rar utility installed. The basic command syntax uses the a (add) option followed by the archive name and the files or directories you want to compress.

Basic RAR Creation

To create a simple RAR archive containing specific files, use this basic syntax:

rar a archive_name.rar file1.txt file2.txt file3.txt

For example, to create an archive named “documents.rar” containing all text files in the current directory:

rar a documents.rar *.txt

Archiving Directories

To add an entire directory and its contents to a RAR archive:

rar a backup.rar /path/to/directory

This command will preserve the directory structure inside the archive, making it easy to restore files to their original locations when extracted.

Setting Compression Levels

RAR offers different compression levels (0-5), where higher values provide better compression at the cost of processing time:

rar a -m5 highly_compressed.rar large_file.dat

The compression levels are:

• 0: Store (no compression)
• 1: Fastest compression
• 3: Default compression
• 5: Best compression

Creating Multi-Volume Archives

For large files that need to be split across multiple smaller files (useful for transferring over limited media or email):

rar a -v50m split_archive.rar large_file.iso

This command creates 50MB volumes like split_archive.part1.rar, split_archive.part2.rar, etc.

Updating Existing Archives

To add new files to an existing archive or update files that have changed:

rar u existing_archive.rar new_file.txt

The u (update) command preserves existing files and adds or updates only the specified files.

Adding Comments to Archives

You can add descriptive comments to your RAR archives:

rar c archive.rar

This opens a text editor where you can enter comments that will be stored with the archive metadata.

Password Protection and Encryption

When working with sensitive files, RAR’s encryption capabilities provide an additional layer of security. Creating password-protected archives is simple with the -p option:

rar a -p secure_archive.rar confidential_files/

When you run this command, you’ll be prompted to enter a password. For scripts or automated processes, you can also provide the password directly:

rar a -psecretpassword secure_archive.rar confidential_files/

However, supplying the password in the command itself is less secure as it may be visible in your command history.

Best practices for secure archives:

1. Use strong, unique passwords with a mix of characters
2. Consider using different passwords for different archives
3. Remember that RAR encryption, while strong, is not invulnerable to determined attacks
4. Store password-protected archives in secure locations
5. Consider additional encryption methods for highly sensitive data

When extracting password-protected archives, you’ll be prompted for the password during the extraction process. If the wrong password is provided, the extraction will fail with an error message.

Extracting RAR Files in Linux

Extracting files from RAR archives is a common task, and Linux provides several methods to accomplish this efficiently. The primary tool for this purpose is the unrar command.

Basic Extraction

The simplest way to extract a RAR file is:

unrar e archive.rar

The e option extracts files to the current directory, ignoring the path information stored in the archive. This means all files will be placed in the current directory, regardless of their original folder structure.

Preserving Directory Structure

To maintain the original directory structure during extraction, use the x option instead:

unrar x archive.rar

This preserves the full paths of the files as they were stored in the archive, creating any necessary directories in the process.

Extracting to a Specific Directory

To extract files to a location other than the current directory:

unrar x archive.rar /path/to/destination/

For example, to extract files to a new folder called “extracted”:

unrar x archive.rar ./extracted/

Make sure the destination directory exists before running the command, or you’ll receive an error.

Extracting Specific Files

To extract only certain files from an archive:

unrar e archive.rar file1.txt file2.txt

This is useful when you need only a few files from a large archive.

Handling Password-Protected Archives

When extracting password-protected RAR files, you’ll be prompted to enter the password:

unrar x secure_archive.rar

After entering the correct password, the extraction proceeds normally. For scripting purposes, you can provide the password using the -p option:

unrar x -psecretpassword secure_archive.rar

Extracting Multi-Volume Archives

For multi-part RAR archives (e.g., archive.part1.rar, archive.part2.rar), you only need to specify the first volume:

unrar x archive.part1.rar

The unrar utility automatically recognizes and processes all parts of the archive as long as they’re in the same directory.

Advanced RAR Operations

Beyond basic creation and extraction, the RAR utilities offer advanced operations that can be useful in various scenarios.

Listing Archive Contents

To view the contents of a RAR archive without extracting it:

unrar l archive.rar

This displays a detailed list of all files in the archive, including their sizes, compression ratios, and timestamps.

For a more verbose output that includes additional information:

unrar v archive.rar

Testing Archive Integrity

Before extracting an important archive, you can verify its integrity:

unrar t archive.rar

This command checks all files in the archive for errors without actually extracting them. It’s particularly useful for ensuring that large or important archives haven’t been corrupted during transfer.

Repairing Damaged Archives

If a RAR archive is corrupted, you can attempt to repair it:

rar r damaged_archive.rar

This command tries to reconstruct the archive using recovery records (if available). Note that repair success depends on the extent of the damage and whether the original archive was created with recovery records.

Excluding Files During Extraction

To extract all files except specific ones:

unrar x archive.rar -x*.txt

This command extracts everything except text files. You can use multiple -x patterns for more complex exclusions.

Adding Files to Existing Archives

To add new files to an existing archive:

rar a existing_archive.rar new_file.txt

This preserves the existing content while adding the new files.

GUI Alternatives for RAR Management

While command-line tools offer precision and scripting capabilities, many Linux users prefer graphical interfaces for managing archives. Several file managers and dedicated archive utilities provide GUI support for RAR files.

File Manager Integration

Popular Linux file managers often include built-in support for RAR files once the necessary backends are installed:

• Nautilus (GNOME Files): Works with RAR archives when unrar/rar packages are installed
• Dolphin (KDE): Provides RAR support through the ark backend
• Thunar (XFCE): Handles RAR files via thunar-archive-plugin

To use these integrations, simply right-click on RAR files and select the appropriate extract option from the context menu.

Dedicated Archive Managers

Several dedicated archive managers offer comprehensive RAR support with intuitive interfaces:

• File Roller (Archive Manager): The default archive manager for GNOME, supports RAR when unrar is installed
• Ark: KDE’s archive utility with full RAR support
• Engrampa: MATE desktop’s archive manager
• Xarchiver: A lightweight archive manager that works across desktop environments

If you encounter issues with File Roller not displaying RAR contents, Engrampa can be a good alternative as mentioned in the Fedora discussion.

Installing GUI Tools

To install these GUI tools on Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo apt install file-roller ark xarchiver

On Fedora:

sudo dnf install file-roller ark xarchiver

Troubleshooting Common RAR Issues

Even with the right tools installed, you might encounter issues when working with RAR files on Linux. Here are solutions to common problems:

“Command Not Found” Errors

If you get “command not found” when trying to use rar or unrar, it means the packages aren’t installed or aren’t in your PATH. Solution:

1. Install the packages as described in the Prerequisites section
2. Verify installation with which rar and which unrar
3. If installed but not found, check your PATH variable

Permission Issues When Extracting

If you encounter “Permission denied” errors:

sudo unrar x archive.rar /destination/

However, be cautious with sudo as it will extract files with root ownership. A better approach is to ensure you have write permissions to the destination directory.

Corrupted Archive Problems

For damaged archives that won’t extract properly:

1. Try the repair option: rar r damaged_archive.rar
2. If that fails, extract what you can: unrar x -kb damaged_archive.rar
   (The -kb option continues extraction even after errors)

Missing Volume Errors

When working with multi-volume archives, you might get errors if parts are missing:

1. Ensure all parts are in the same directory
2. Check that naming is consistent (part1, part2, etc.)
3. Verify that no parts are corrupted

Character Encoding Issues

If filenames with special characters appear garbled:

unrar x -sc- archive.rar

This disables character conversion during extraction.

Memory Issues with Large Archives

For very large archives that cause memory problems:

unrar x -v archive.rar

The -v (verbose) option extracts files one by one, which can help with memory usage.

Performance Optimization

When working with large RAR archives, performance considerations become important. Here are some tips to optimize the creation and extraction processes:

Balancing Compression Levels

For faster compression with reasonable file sizes:

rar a -m3 archive.rar files/

For better compression but slower processing:

rar a -m5 archive.rar files/

Hardware Considerations

RAR operations can be CPU-intensive. For large archives:

• Consider using a system with multiple CPU cores
• Ensure sufficient RAM is available, especially for large archives
• SSD storage significantly speeds up both compression and extraction
• Monitor system resources during operations with tools like htop

Resource Management

To prevent RAR operations from consuming all system resources:

nice -n 19 rar a archive.rar large_directory/

This lowers the process priority, allowing other applications to run normally.

For memory-limited systems, consider breaking large archiving jobs into smaller batches.

Security Considerations

When working with RAR files, especially those from unknown sources, security should be a priority.

Scanning RAR Files for Malware

Before extracting archives from untrusted sources:

sudo apt install clamav
clamscan archive.rar

ClamAV provides basic malware detection for Linux systems.

Safe Extraction Practices

For archives from untrusted sources:

1. Extract to a dedicated, isolated directory
2. Review the file list before extraction
3. Be particularly cautious of executable files
4. Consider using a non-privileged user account for extraction

Verifying Archive Sources

When possible, verify the integrity of downloaded RAR files:

1. Check file hashes (MD5, SHA-256) against those provided by the source
2. Look for digital signatures when available
3. Use HTTPS sources rather than HTTP when downloading