Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Microsoft has quietly announced that it will support opening RAR files on Windows 11.
- The file format typically requires WinRAR or another file compression app.
ZIP is a popular file compression format, but Windows has allowed you to natively open ZIP files for years now. However, the platform doesn’t support the long-running WinRAR file compression format at all.
Fortunately, Microsoft has now announced (h/t: The Verge) that Windows 11 will natively support RAR files. Furthermore, the operating system will also support other file compression formats like 7-Zip, tar, and gz.
This is all thanks to Microsoft leveraging the open-source libarchive project, which opens a variety of file compression formats.
How do you open RAR files on your Windows PC?
201 votes
This is a pretty notable move for the platform, as you currently need to download WinRAR or an alternative app like 7-Zip if you want to open RAR files. The WinRAR app in particular has long pushed users to buy a license, but you can get by just fine on the indefinite free trial.
Either way, you won’t have to download a separate file compression app if you simply want to open a variety of archive formats on Windows 11. And it’s about time, as WinRAR in particular first launched back in 1995.
For all the latest Technology News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
