How to Open RAR Files on Android
RAR is a proprietary archive format from RARLab (the WinRAR developers). Unlike ZIP, Android has no native RAR support. AnExplorer includes native RAR/RAR5 extraction — tap a .rar file and it opens like a folder, just like ZIP.
Quick Answer
In AnExplorer, tap any .rar file — it opens and shows all contents. To extract everything: long-press the file → Extract → choose folder → confirm.
Step-by-Step: Open a RAR File
- Open AnExplorer on your Android phone
- Navigate to the RAR file (usually in Internal Storage → Download/)
- Tap the
.rarfile — it opens in the archive viewer - You can see all files inside and tap any to preview (images, text, PDFs show immediately)
- To extract a single file: long-press inside the archive → Extract here or Extract to...
Extract All Files from RAR
- Long-press the
.rarfile (in the file list, not inside the archive) - Tap Extract from the context menu
- Choose destination folder
- Tap OK — all contents are extracted
RAR5 (Modern RAR Format)
RAR5 is the newer version of RAR with better compression. Files may have .rar extension but internally use the RAR5 format. AnExplorer handles both RAR4 and RAR5 automatically — no extra steps needed.
Password-Protected RAR Files
- Tap the
.rarfile - AnExplorer prompts for the password if the archive is encrypted
- Enter the password → tap OK
- Files open normally
RAR files can also encrypt the file listing (not just the contents) — in this case you'll see an empty archive until the correct password is entered.
Multi-Part RAR Archives
Many large files are split into multiple parts: archive.part1.rar, archive.part2.rar, archive.part3.rar:
- Download all parts into the same folder
- In AnExplorer, tap the first part (
archive.part1.rarorarchive.r00) - AnExplorer automatically reads all subsequent parts and treats them as one archive
- Extract as normal
If any part is missing, extraction will fail with a "missing volume" error.
RAR vs ZIP — When to Use Each
| Feature | RAR | ZIP |
|---|---|---|
| Compression | Better | Standard |
| Error recovery | Built-in recovery records | None |
| Multi-volume | Native | Needs separate tool |
| Encryption | AES-256 (header too) | AES-256 or ZipCrypto |
| File name encryption | ✅ | Only with AES-256 |
| License | Proprietary (requires WinRAR) | Open |
| Native Android support | None (needs app) | Limited |
"Cannot Open RAR" Errors
| Error | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| "File is corrupt" | Incomplete download | Re-download the file |
| "Missing volume" | Not all parts present | Download all .part*.rar files |
| "Wrong password" | Incorrect password | Double-check password (case-sensitive) |
| Empty archive listing | Header encryption | Enter password to reveal file list |
| "Unknown format" | File isn't actually RAR | Check real format with AnExplorer's file info |
Difference Between .rar and .cbr
.cbr files are comic book archives — they're actually RAR files renamed to .cbr. AnExplorer can open them as archives or hand them off to a dedicated comic reader (Perfect Viewer, ComicScreen).
Related Guides
- Open ZIP Files on Android — extract ZIP archives
- Open 7Z Files on Android — extract 7-Zip archives
- RAR File Format Guide — technical reference