RAR Archive — Proprietary archive format with strong compression.
Quick facts
What is .rar
A .rar file is a RAR Archive — Proprietary archive format with strong compression.
In the mime-db registry it maps to application/vnd.rar. When serving .rar over HTTP, set the Content-Type header as shown in Developer info below.
Related entities: it maps to application/vnd.rar — and is delivered over HTTP via the Content-Type header.
How to open .rar files
Developer info
When served over HTTP, responses should set the following header:
Content-Type: application/vnd.rar
Common software that reads/writes .rar:
Relation chain
Related extensions
Related MIME types
Common uses
How to edit .rar files
How to create .rar files
Frequently asked questions
Common options include WinRAR, 7-Zip, The Unarchiver. You can also open many of these files with built-in viewers or a browser.
Create a new file in any text editor or the app that owns the format and save it with the .rar extension.
application/vnd.rar is the media type identifier used for .rar files during network transfer (for example in the HTTP Content-Type header).
Sources & standards
Updated 2026-09-13
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