The Unarchiver is the most widely used free archive extraction tool for macOS, and has been for over a decade. Where macOS natively handles only ZIP and a handful of other formats, The Unarchiver fills the gap — opening RAR, 7Z, TAR, GZ, BZ2, ISO, CAB, LhA, StuffIt, and dozens of obscure legacy formats with a simple double-click. It is free, open-source, and available directly from the Mac App Store.

Key Features

• 50+ Archive Formats: Extracts RAR, 7Z, ZIP, TAR, GZ, BZ2, XZ, ISO, CAB, LhA, StuffIt, and many more — including old Amiga-era formats rarely supported elsewhere.
• Set as Default Extractor: On first launch, you choose which formats The Unarchiver handles. After that, any archive opens automatically with a double-click — no manual steps required.
• Password-Protected Archives: Reliably handles encrypted RAR and ZIP archives, prompting you for a password when needed.
• Multi-Part Archive Support: Automatically detects and reassembles split archives during extraction without any manual joining.
• Non-Latin Filename Handling: Correctly displays filenames in Japanese, Russian, Chinese, Arabic, and other character sets — a common failure point with macOS Archive Utility.
• 100% Free, No In-App Purchases: No paid tier, no premium features behind a paywall, no subscriptions. Every feature is available from day one.

Why Use It Over macOS Archive Utility

macOS Archive Utility handles basic ZIP extraction well enough, but fails the moment you encounter a RAR file from a Windows user, a 7Z archive from a developer, or an ISO disk image. The Unarchiver handles all of these silently and automatically once set as your default. It is lightweight, integrates cleanly with Finder, and adds no background processes or menu bar icons. For most Mac users, installing The Unarchiver is a one-time five-minute setup that pays off indefinitely.

---

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Is The Unarchiver free?

Yes, completely. The Unarchiver is free to download from the Mac App Store and the developer website, with no in-app purchases, no premium tier, and no subscription. Every supported format and feature is available at no cost.

Can The Unarchiver open RAR files on Mac?

Yes. RAR is one of the most common formats people install The Unarchiver specifically to handle. macOS has no native RAR support, so The Unarchiver is effectively the go-to free solution for opening RAR archives sent by Windows users or downloaded from the web.

Can The Unarchiver create archives, or only extract them?

The Unarchiver is extraction-only — it does not create or compress archives. If you also need to create ZIP, 7Z, or other archives, a tool like Keka (free from the developer website) pairs well with it and covers the creation side.

Is The Unarchiver open-source?

Yes. The Unarchiver is open-source and its code is publicly available. This makes it fully auditable — there are no hidden processes, telemetry, or data collection of any kind.

What macOS versions does The Unarchiver support?

The Unarchiver supports macOS 10.12 Sierra and later, including macOS Sequoia and Tahoe. It runs natively on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs with no performance issues on either architecture.