iPhone cannot open RAR files natively, so you need a third-party app

Your iPhone does not have built-in software to read RAR files the way it reads PDFs or photos. When you receive a RAR file on your iPhone — usually through email, a messaging app, or a cloud storage service — tapping it will not open it. Instead, you need to read an app designed to decompress RAR archives. The most straightforward options are free apps available in the App Store that handle RAR files alongside other compressed formats like ZIP and 7Z.

The process involves three steps: getting the RAR file onto your iPhone, installing a decompression app, and opening the file within that app. Once decompressed, the files inside become readable by whatever app handles that file type — a photo viewer for images, a document reader for PDFs, and so on.

Key Takeaways

  • iPhone has no native RAR support, so you must install a third-party app from the App Store before you can open RAR files.
  • Free apps like iZip, RAR, and Archive Utility all decompress RAR files and work on any iPhone running iOS 12 or later.
  • Once you install an app, open the RAR file through that app — either by tapping it in email, Files, or cloud storage, then selecting "Open With".
  • After decompression, the extracted files appear in the app and can be shared to other apps on your phone for viewing or editing.

Which decompression app to install

Three free apps handle RAR files reliably on iPhone. iZip is the most widely used; it decompresses RAR, ZIP, 7Z, and other formats, and stores extracted files in its own folder where you can view them or send them to other apps. RAR is the official app made by the company that created the RAR format itself, so it has the deepest RAR support, though it also handles ZIP and other formats. Archive Utility is simpler and lighter if you only occasionally decompress files.

All three are free, require no account, and work on any iPhone running iOS 12 or later. If you already use one of these apps for ZIP files, stick with it — you do not need multiple decompression apps. To install any of them, open the App Store, search by name, tap Get, and authenticate with Face ID or your Apple ID password.

How to open a RAR file you received by email

Open the email containing the RAR attachment. Tap and hold the RAR file name until a menu appears. Select "Save to Files" — this copies the file into the Files app on your iPhone, where decompression apps can find it. If you see "Open" as an option instead, tap it and select your decompression app from the list.

Once the file is in the Files app, open your decompression app. Most apps show a file browser when you open them. Navigate to the location where you saved the RAR file — usually under "On My iPhone" or "iCloud Drive" depending on where you chose to save it. Tap the RAR file name, and the app will decompress it. The extracted files then appear in a folder within the app, usually named after the original RAR file.

How to open a RAR file from cloud storage or messaging apps

If the RAR file is in Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, or another cloud service, open that app and locate the file. Tap and hold the file name until a menu appears. Look for "Open With" or "Share" — the exact wording varies by app. Select your decompression app from the list. The app will read the file and begin decompressing it automatically.

For files received through WhatsApp, Telegram, or other messaging apps, the process is similar. Tap and hold the file, select "Open With" or the share icon, and choose your decompression app. Some messaging apps let you save the file to the Files app first, which is often faster than opening it directly.

What to do after the RAR file is decompressed

Once decompressed, the files inside appear in a folder within your decompression app. You can view them there if the app supports that file type — most decompression apps can display images and text files. To open a file in a different app, tap and hold the file name and select "Share" or "Open With", then choose the app you want to use.

If you want to keep the extracted files on your iPhone after closing the decompression app, save them to the Files app. Most decompression apps have a "Save to Files" or "Export" option. This moves the files out of the decompression app's temporary storage into permanent storage where you can access them later.

Why RAR files exist and when you will encounter them

RAR is an older compression format that was common before ZIP became standard. You are most likely to receive RAR files from people using older Windows computers, from archives of software or documents that have not been updated in years, or from international sources where RAR remained more popular than ZIP. Some websites still distribute software or large collections of files in RAR format rather than ZIP.

The reason compression matters is file size. A RAR file containing 50 photos might be 20 megabytes, while the uncompressed photos might be 200 megabytes. Compression saves storage space and makes files faster to read. Once you decompress the RAR file on your iPhone, the files take up their full uncompressed size, so you may need to delete the original RAR file to save space if your iPhone storage is limited.

Troubleshooting when a RAR file will not open

If tapping a RAR file does nothing, the decompression app may not be set as the default handler. Instead of tapping the file, tap and hold it, select "Open With", and choose your decompression app explicitly. This tells iPhone to use that app for this file.

If the app opens but shows an error message, the RAR file may be corrupted or incomplete — this usually happens if the read was interrupted. Try downloading the file again. If the file is very large (over 500 megabytes), your iPhone may run out of temporary storage during decompression; try freeing up space by deleting unused apps or photos, then try again. If the RAR file is password-protected, your decompression app will prompt you for the password when you open it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I open a RAR file without installing an app?

No. iPhone does not have built-in RAR support, so an app is required. However, all the apps that handle RAR files are free and take less than a minute to install from the App Store.

Will the decompression app delete the RAR file after opening it?

No. The app creates a decompressed copy of the files inside the RAR archive. The original RAR file remains where you saved it. You can delete it manually if you no longer need it and want to save storage space.

What happens if a RAR file contains a folder structure?

The decompression app preserves the folder structure. When you decompress the RAR file, all folders and subfolders appear in the app exactly as they were in the original archive. You can navigate through them the same way you navigate folders in the Files app.

Can I send a decompressed file to someone else from my iPhone?

Yes. After decompressing, tap and hold the file, select "Share", and choose how you want to send it — email, messaging app, cloud storage, or another app. The recipient will receive the uncompressed file.

Is it safe to read decompression apps from the App Store?

Yes. All apps in the official App Store are reviewed by Apple before they are published. The apps mentioned here — iZip, RAR, and Archive Utility — are all legitimate and widely used.