How to convert RAR to ZIP
- Click Choose a file or drag your
.rarfile onto the drop zone. Both RAR 4 and RAR 5 archives are accepted. - Leave Password (only if the archive is encrypted) empty. That field only applies to encrypted ZIP files; password-protected RAR archives cannot be opened here.
- Click Convert to ZIP. The tool unpacks every file from the RAR and packs them into a new ZIP.
- Press Download. The result has the same name with a new extension, so
holiday-photos.rarbecomesholiday-photos.zip.
The whole conversion happens in your browser using libarchive compiled to WebAssembly for reading and zip.js for writing. Your archive is never uploaded.
Why turn a RAR into a ZIP?
RAR is popular for downloads and file-sharing sites, but it is a proprietary format. Apart from recent Windows 11 updates, opening one usually means installing WinRAR, 7-Zip or The Unarchiver first. ZIP, by contrast, is built into Windows File Explorer, macOS Finder, ChromeOS and most Linux desktops, as well as nearly every phone file manager. Re-packing a RAR as a ZIP is the simplest way to send its contents to a colleague, a client or a relative who should not have to install anything.
ZIP is also the format many web services expect for uploads: content management systems, learning platforms, printing services and app stores often accept ZIP but reject RAR. Converting saves you from extracting the files locally and zipping them again by hand.
What changes inside the archive
All files and their folder structure come across unchanged. Modification dates are the exception: they cannot be read from a RAR in the browser, so every file in the new ZIP is stamped with the current date. The new ZIP is compressed with Deflate at the normal level, which every unzip program understands. Because RAR often compresses more tightly than Deflate, especially with solid archives, the ZIP may be somewhat larger than the original RAR. That is the price of universal compatibility.
A few things are not copied: empty folders, recovery records, archive comments and any RAR-specific metadata. The output is a plain, unencrypted ZIP. If two entries end up with the same path, the second one is saved with " (2)" added to its name rather than overwriting the first.
Tips
- Only need a handful of files? Use Extract RAR and download just the ones you want.
- To check the contents before converting, open the RAR in the ZIP Viewer; it lists names and sizes without extracting everything.
- If the resulting ZIP is too big to email, break it into self-contained parts with Split ZIP.
- Want to keep the files small rather than widely compatible? RAR to 7Z uses LZMA compression instead.
- To lock the new ZIP with a password, follow up with Password Protect ZIP.
Frequently asked questions
Can I convert a password-protected RAR?
No. Encrypted RAR archives cannot be opened in the browser, so they cannot be converted. Extract it with WinRAR or 7-Zip using the password, then zip the files with Create ZIP.
Does it work with multi-part RAR files?
The tool takes a single file per conversion. A self-contained .rar works; split sets such as .part1.rar and .part2.rar need all parts together and are best joined in WinRAR or 7-Zip first.
Can I go the other way, from ZIP to RAR?
No. RAR is proprietary and only WinRAR can create RAR archives. If you want better compression than ZIP, convert to 7Z instead.
Is there a size limit?
Everything is processed in memory. RAR files up to roughly 700 MB convert at a reasonable speed, larger ones take longer, and anything over 2 GB is refused.