How do I open a RAR file on iPhone?
You need an app with RAR extraction support. The Files app can uncompress ZIP archives, but it does not offer that action for a .rar file. Convexy opens and extracts RAR archives entirely on-device. It does not create RAR archives; use ZIP or 7z when you need to make a new archive.
Why the Files app refuses
iOS has had built-in ZIP support since iOS 13: long-press a file or a selection and choose Compress; long-press a .zip and choose Uncompress.
That interface does not expose the same actions for RAR, 7z, TAR or other archive formats. A .rar in Files therefore has no built-in Uncompress option.
To open one you need an app with RAR decoding support. Convexy provides that support through its bundled build of libarchive and performs extraction locally on your device.
RAR4 and RAR5 are not the same format
RAR4 and RAR5 require different decoder support. A decoder that understands only RAR4 cannot read a RAR5 archive.
That mismatch can appear as a vague "corrupt archive", "unsupported" or "unknown error" message even when the file itself is intact.
If a RAR will not open, check whether the app explicitly supports the archive's RAR version before assuming the download is damaged. Convexy supports extracting both RAR4 and RAR5.
Convexy reads RAR but does not write it.
RAR support in Convexy is extract-only because its bundled archive library does not provide a RAR writer. When you need to make a new archive, Convexy can create ZIP, TAR, GZ, BZ2, TAR.GZ, TAR.BZ2 and 7z.
Choose ZIP for broad compatibility or 7z for efficient compression. Both are created locally on your device.
When a RAR will not open
In rough order of likelihood:
- It is RAR5 and your tool only does RAR4. See above. By far the most common cause.
- It is a multi-part archive and you only have one part. Files named
something.part1.rar,something.part2.rar, or the older.r00,.r01style, are pieces of one archive. You need every part, all downloaded completely, all sitting in the same folder. Part 1 alone is not a small archive — it is a fragment, and it cannot be extracted on its own. - It is password-protected. You need the password. Nobody can help you here; RAR encryption is AES-based and there is no back door. If you do not have the password, the contents are not coming out.
- The download is incomplete or corrupt. Check the file size against the source. A truncated archive fails in ways that look exactly like an unsupported format.
- It is not actually a RAR. Extensions lie. A file can be named .rar and be something else entirely.
An archive is a container, and it will hold anything. RAR files are not dangerous in themselves — but an archive is a wrapper, and a wrapper's contents are whatever the sender put in it. Extracting an archive from an untrusted source and running what comes out is exactly as risky as running anything else you were sent by a stranger. The format is not the threat; the payload is. On iOS this matters much less than on a desktop — an extracted .exe cannot do anything to your iPhone — but the file you then forward to a colleague on Windows is another matter.
What Convexy does with RAR
It extracts RAR archives on your device — both RAR4 and RAR5 — using a bundled build of libarchive. You can browse the contents before extracting, so you can see what is in an archive without committing to unpacking it.
It does not create RAR archives. For creating archives it offers ZIP, TAR, GZ, BZ2, TAR.GZ, TAR.BZ2 and 7z.
Archive extraction and compression are free forever in Convexy — not part of the paid unlock, and they keep working after the trial ends.
How to do it
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Get the RAR into Files
Save it from Mail, Safari, Messages or wherever it arrived. Multi-part archives — part1.rar, part2.rar and so on — must all be downloaded, complete, and in the same folder.
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Open it in Convexy
Share the .rar into Convexy, or open Convexy and browse to it. It handles both RAR4 and RAR5, so an archive made in the last decade will open.
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Look inside before you extract
Convexy lists what is in the archive so you can see the contents first, rather than unpacking a hundred files to find out what they are.
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Extract
The archive is unpacked on your device. Nothing is uploaded, and it works in Airplane Mode. If the archive is password-protected you will be asked for the password — there is no way around one.
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Save the contents
Move the extracted files into Files, or share them onward. If you need to send an archive back, create a ZIP or a 7z; Convexy does not create RAR archives.
Common questions
Can the iPhone Files app open RAR files?
No. iOS has built-in support for ZIP only — long-press a .zip and Uncompress appears. RAR is a proprietary format that Apple has never implemented, so a .rar in Files has no Uncompress option and cannot be previewed. You need an app with a RAR decoder built in.
Can I create a RAR file on an iPhone?
Not with Convexy. RAR is extract-only: Convexy opens and extracts RAR4 and RAR5 archives, but it does not create them. To make a new archive on your iPhone, choose ZIP or 7z instead.
What is the difference between RAR4 and RAR5?
RAR4 and RAR5 require different decoder support. A tool limited to RAR4 cannot read a RAR5 archive and may report it as corrupt or unsupported. Check the archive version and the decoder's stated support before assuming the file is damaged.
Why does my RAR file say it is corrupt when it isn't?
Most often because it is a RAR5 archive and your tool only supports RAR4 — the error message is misleading. Other common causes: it is a multi-part archive and you are missing some parts, the download was truncated, or it is password-protected. Try a tool that explicitly supports RAR5 before assuming the file is broken.
How do I open a multi-part RAR (part1.rar, part2.rar) on iPhone?
Download every part, in full, into the same folder, then open the first part. The parts are pieces of a single archive, so part1 on its own cannot be extracted — it is a fragment, not a small archive. If any part is missing or incomplete, extraction fails.
Is it free to open RAR files in Convexy?
Yes. Archive extraction and compression are free forever — they are not part of the paid unlock and they keep working after the 14-day trial ends. Convexy extracts both RAR4 and RAR5 on-device, and can create ZIP, TAR, GZ, BZ2 and 7z archives.