How to convert RAR to ZIP online, no WinRAR needed

Why convert RAR to ZIP

Because ZIP opens everywhere. Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iPhone unpack .zip files without installing anything, while .rar requires a separate program. If you received a RAR and need to pass the contents to someone else, converting it to ZIP avoids the "how do I open this?" reply. The conversion happens in your browser, with no WinRAR and without sending the file to any server.

What the conversion really does

It's not a renamed extension. The tool reads the .rar with the same reading component published by the makers of WinRAR (running inside the browser), extracts every file into memory, verifies each one's integrity and builds a brand-new .zip with everything inside. Folders are preserved as paths inside the ZIP, and the output keeps the original name: "trip-photos.rar" becomes "trip-photos.zip". Each RAR you upload produces its own ZIP, downloaded automatically.

How to convert RAR to ZIP, step by step

1. Open the RAR → ZIP tool and upload the .rar file. You can upload several at once; each becomes its own ZIP.
2. If the RAR has a password, type it in the "RAR password (if any)" field. No password? Leave it blank.
3. Click "Convert and download ZIP" (or "Convert N files" when there are several). While it runs, the button reads "Converting…". The first time, the browser fetches the reading engine, a few hundred KB.
4. Receive the .zip with the same name as the RAR. If any item was left out or came through unverified, a notice box explains what happened.

Everything happens in the browser: the .rar, the password and the generated .zip never leave your device. The only download is the reading engine, fetched on demand during the first conversion.

The ZIP comes out without a password and without a compression setting

Two things to know before you click. First: even if the source RAR has a password, the generated ZIP comes out open, with no password. The password you type is only used to read the RAR. Second: there's no compression-level option; the ZIP is built at the library's default level, a middle ground between size and speed, and you don't choose the output file name. If the package needs to stay protected, run the .zip through the Protect ZIP tool and set a new password.

ZIP or 7z: which to choose

Choose ZIP when the priority is that anyone can open it without installing anything. Choose 7z when size matters more: it's an open format that usually compresses better than ZIP, good for archiving or for squeezing under an email attachment limit. Whoever receives a .7z needs a program such as the free 7-Zip. The path is the same: upload the .rar, enter the password if any and click "Convert and download 7z". The 7z also comes out without a password and without a level setting.

Real limits of the conversion

• A RAR split into volumes (part1, part2…) is refused: the tool needs the whole set in a single .rar. Ask the sender to repack it without splitting.
• Integrity: every file inside the RAR is verified. If one fails, the whole conversion is cancelled with "One of the files inside the RAR failed the integrity check", rather than delivering a half-broken ZIP.
• Encrypted items (password-protected RAR) come out without that check, because the format doesn't allow verifying them; the notice box tells you how many.
• Symbolic links stored in the RAR are left out: "ZIP stores files only, not links".
• Empty folders don't survive; only files are copied, with their paths preserved.
• A ZIP renamed to .rar is refused ("This file is not a real RAR"): the tool checks the internal signature, not the extension.
• The size limit is your device's memory, since everything runs in the browser; the upload ceiling is 2 GB per file.
• The reverse route, ZIP to RAR, doesn't exist: the UnRAR license allows reading RAR but forbids recreating the compressor.

Just want the files inside?

If you don't need a new package, only the loose files, use the Extract RAR tool: a single file downloads directly, several show up in a list with a "Download" button for each, "Download all" and, on Chrome or Edge, "Save to folder", which recreates the subfolders on your disk.

A wrong password shows up as "Wrong password or damaged file". In older RARs (RAR4), the engine can't tell the two cases apart, so confirm the password with the sender before suspecting the file.