Windows 11 can now natively open RAR files
In the past if you wanted to open a ZIP file on your Windows PC, you’d need to download software like WinZIP. That is no longer the case, but unfortunately the same cannot be said for RAR files which still require apps like WinRAR for them to be opened.
The good news is that if you do frequently deal with RAR files and don’t want to use additional software to open them, Microsoft has announced that in their latest update to Windows 11, they will be adding support for RAR files to be opened natively.
What this means is that moving forwards, you can open RAR files the same way you do with ZIP files and that you will not need to download an app like WinRAR to do so. In addition to support for RAR, Microsoft has also announced support for other archive formats such as TAR, 7-zip, and GZ, just to name a few.
While this might not necessarily be a massive change for some users, for others the ability to natively open RAR files and other archive formats is a huge time saver, especially since Windows now treats ZIP files like folders, making opening them a much more straightforward process compared to using other apps.
Source: Microsoft