WinRAR

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WinRAR

WinRAR screenshot
Developer: Eugene Roshal / Alexander Roshal
Latest release: 3.62 Final / December 4, 2006
OS: Windows 95, 98, Me, 2000, XP Mac OS X GNU/Linux FreeBSD
Use: File archiver
License: Proprietary
Website: www.rarlab.com

WinRAR is a shareware file archiver and data compression utility by Eugene Roshal. Pocket RAR, a version of the file archiver for the Pocket PC platform, is available as freeware. It is arguably one of the two main file archive programs, along with WinZip. It is one of the few applications that are able to create RAR archives natively, as the encoding method is held to be proprietary.


  • Complete support for RAR and ZIP archives, and unpacking of CAB, ARJ, LZH, TAR, GZ, ACE, UUE, BZ2, JAR, ISO, 7z and Z archives.
  • Optional archive encryption using AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) with a key of 128 bits.
  • The ability to create self-extracting and multi-volume (split) archives.
  • Data redundancy is provided via recovery records and recovery volumes, allowing to reconstruct even damaged archives.
  • WinRAR supports advanced NTFS file system options and Unicode in file names.
  • From version 3.50 beta 1, WinRAR adds support for interface skins and themes.
  • From version 3.50, WinRAR supports Windows XP x64.
  • From version 3.51, a few security vulnerabilities and bugs are addressed.
  • From version 3.60 beta 1, WinRAR includes a multithreaded version of the compression algorithm, which improves compression speed on systems with dual-core or hyperthreading-enabled CPUs.
  • WinRAR can be tested for free for up to 40 days and provides free unlimited upgrades. After 40 days, every time you start WinRAR, a window will pop up, telling you to buy it, or continue using the software without buying (with the exception of the window popping up every time you start the program).

[edit] Trivia

  • When using version 3.61, select the "About Winrar" option from the help menu. Click on the archive 'book' on the left of the pop up to watch it fall and bounce with sound effects.
  • Winrar is used as a joking replacement for "winner" by some members of the online community. It has been popularized by forums such as 4chan, probably due to the immense use of WinRAR to share files by pasting a URL to a site where a .rar file can be downloaded.
  • Winrar is a also the prefered format used to compress pirated softwares and files downloaded from P2P networks

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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