After years of waiting, Microsoft has finally added a key feature to Windows 10 and 11: the ability to natively extract the contents of RAR files. No need therefore to go through an application such as WinRAR or 7 — Zip, it is now possible to perform this task directly from the file explorer.
Chances are, the RAR format means something to you. Created in 1993, it has gradually imposed itself on our PCs when it comes to compressing a folder or file that is a little too large. It has since been joined by other equally popular formats, such as the ZIP in which Microsoft has invested heavily. And for good reason: the latter is totally free, unlike the RAR which requires paying a license to WinRAR GmbH, its owner, to integrate it into its software.
Something that Microsoft has always refused to do, which explains why during all these years, it was absolutely necessary to go through a third-party application on Windows to decompress these files, unlike the ZIP format from which it is possible to extract the content from the file explorer. That being said, that era is now a thing of the past. Indeed, the latest Windows 11 and Windows 10 update brings this feature that will change everything.
You can uninstall WinRAR and 7-ZIP from your Windows PC
By installing it, the operating system finally offers you to unzip the RAR files from the file explorer. To do this, the handling is the same as for ZIP files, namely:
- Open file explorer to RAR file location
- Make a right click on the file
- Select Extract All
- You can also select Extract filess then choose the location of the created folder
In the same way, it is also possible to create a RAR file using a right click and then the option Send To > Compress File (RAR).
Related — Best File Compression Software: Which Should You Choose?
So are we at the dawn of the end for WinRAR and 7-ZIP? Maybe. Indeed, the majority of Windows users will no longer need to go through these applications. For WinRAR, which owns the format and which, in any case, has never imposed billing on its users, the carnage is still far away. For others, however, the future looks more complicated.
Source : Microsoft
