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Help & Info about WinRAR for Windows

  • Is WinRAR Free?

    The software is available for you to try for a free on a 40 day trial, after which you are expected to buy a license if you wish to continue using the application. However, it will continue to work after 40 days with a only reminder message to buy a license as penalty.

  • How Does WinRAR Work?

    WinRAR uses lossless compression to reduce the amount of storage required store data. By removing redundant data, the amount of space required to store a file is reduced. This reduction can be dramatic, depending on the file. Files cannot be used in a regular fashion when compressed in this manner.

  • Is WinRAR Safe?

    This is an established application that is quite safe. As with all software downloads, you should take care to ensure you are downloading from a reputable source like Softonic. This will ensure you don't download a maliciously altered version of the software that may infect your computer.

  • Does WinRAR Open Zip Files?

    Though primarily thought of as a .rar file extractor, this application works with a range of compression file formats, including .zip files. It can be set as the default application to use with a zip file, if required. It also works with tar.gz, 7zip, iso, and a number of other formats.

  • Is WinRAR a Virus?

    This application is not a virus (though it is possible for a virus to call themselves "WinRAR". Rather, it is an application for copying files into a compressed archive. If you find this on your computer, it may have been installed by someone else, or come pre-installed on the device.

  • What is WinRAR and Do I Need It?

    This software is an application for compressing data so that it takes up less space on storage mediums. This can be useful for freeing up space by putting files that aren't needed that often into a .rar archive. It is also useful for sending large amounts of data over the Internet.

  • Is WinRAR Safe to Download?

    As with all software downloads, this application is safe to download if it is downloaded from trustable websites like Softonic or the official site. Rarlabs, the company that makes the software, allow downloading of the software for free, so there is no benefit to risk your computer's health by downloading from another source that may be malicious.

  • Is WinRAR for Mac?

    This application is available for a number of platforms including Apple's Mac OSX platform. To download the Mac version, simply navigate to the Rarlabs website, and then to the download page and select "Mac OS X" from the platform drop down menu, then choose the version you wish to download.

  • Is WinRAR Free for Commercial Use?

    This software is available to try for free on a 40 day trial for any user. After this trial period ends, though the software continues to work. The user is expected to buy a license if they wish to continue using the software. Commercial entities should be weary of ignoring licensing requirements.

  • How Does WinRAR Make Money?

    While many private users of the application ignore the licensing requirements, largely because Rarlabs choose to allow this, commercial entities cannot do the same. Corporations need to buy licenses to use software, and in this manner, Rarlabs are able to make money from use of this software in the commercial world.

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Softonic

In Softonic we scan all the files hosted on our platform to assess and avoid any potential harm for your device. Our team performs checks each time a new file is uploaded and periodically reviews files to confirm or update their status. This comprehensive process allows us to set a status for any downloadable file as follows:

Clean

It’s extremely likely that this software program is clean.

What does this mean?

We have scanned the file and URLs associated with this software program in more than 50 of the world's leading antivirus services; no possible threat has been detected.

Warning

This software program is potentially malicious or may contain unwanted bundled software.

Why is the software program still available?

Based on our scan system, we have determined that these flags are possibly false positives.

What is a false positive?

It means a benign program is wrongfully flagged as malicious due to an overly broad detection signature or algorithm used in an antivirus program.

We’d like to highlight that from time to time, we may miss a potentially malicious software program. To continue promising you a malware-free catalog of programs and apps, our team has integrated a Report Software feature in every catalog page that loops your feedback back to us.

Flag any particular issues you may encounter and Softonic will address those concerns as soon as possible.