The Unarchiver

The Unarchiver is MacPaw's free Mac utility for extracting archive files. It is useful for opening RAR, 7z and older or less common formats that macOS Archive Utility may not handle. It focuses on extraction rather than creating, editing or password-protecting new archives.

Features and formats

• Extract common ZIP, Zipx, RAR including RAR5, 7z, TAR, Gzip and Bzip2 archives.
• Handle many legacy formats such as StuffIt, DiskDoubler, LZH, ARJ and ARC.
• Extract supported disc images and some Windows self-extracting installer formats.
• Detect filename encodings to improve extraction of non-Latin names.
• Configure archive associations and extraction preferences.

Support varies by format and compression method. The official format table lists AES-encrypted ZIP, Zip64 and multipart/encrypted RAR support, but some formats have only partial support. ALZip is explicitly listed without encryption support. Disc-image support is not a promise to mount every filesystem or run Windows software; extracting an EXE archive does not execute its Windows installer.

Install and extract

Install with brew install --cask the-unarchiver, or download the official direct ZIP and move the extracted application to Applications. This cask uses MacPaw's direct distribution. The Mac App Store offers a separate distribution that uses Apple account/store delivery and updates. Avoid overwriting or confusing the two installations and their update paths.

Open an archive through Finder's Open With menu or double-click it after associating that file type with The Unarchiver. To change the default for a type, choose Get Info, select The Unarchiver in Open With and use Change All. That affects other files of that type; change only the associations you intend to use. Review the destination and extraction preferences before processing multiple archives.

Allow access to the source archive and destination folder when macOS requests it. There is no documented need to grant universal Full Disk Access or Accessibility permission for routine extraction. The captured cask declares no additional formula dependencies or explicit conflicting casks. Another archive utility can coexist, but Finder can have only one default opener for a given file type.

Passwords, multipart files and limits

Encrypted archives require the correct password and a supported encryption method. The application does not recover forgotten passwords or bypass encryption. Obtain the password from the archive owner through an appropriate channel. For multipart archives, keep every required part together and start with the appropriate first part; missing or corrupt parts can prevent extraction. Filename-encoding detection cannot repair arbitrary damaged data.

Keep the original archive until you have inspected the extracted files. Expanded contents can be much larger than the compressed download; allow enough storage. Check names and destinations before allowing replacements, and review any preference that moves original archives to Trash. Treat extracted executables and scripts as separate items to inspect before opening, especially from an unfamiliar source. Extraction is not a guarantee that files are harmless.

System and platforms

The official site and current App Store listing require macOS 10.13 or later. The publisher's version history announces Apple M1 support in 4.3.0; this establishes Apple Silicon support rather than requiring an Intel-only workflow. Use the current official Mac download for the intended system. Historical downloads for older systems are separate and should not be read as current support promises. This entry is the graphical Mac app; related command-line libraries/tools or the separate Archives iOS application are not installed by this cask.

The recorded direct download is version 4.3.9, build 147, with a download timestamp component. Those comma-separated fields describe one release, not three versions. The official updater maps short version 4.3.9 to build 147 and its ZIP. Direct and App Store publication dates or package sizes can differ; do not use the store's size as the cask's ZIP size.

Cost, accounts, license and privacy

The current Mac application is free to download and use, without in-app purchases for extra features. No paid MacPaw subscription or account is required for local archive extraction. Mac App Store delivery can require an Apple account. The current application is governed by MacPaw's proprietary Terms of Use; free of charge does not mean the current app is licensed as open-source software. Historical open-source components and related command-line projects have their own licenses.

Archive extraction is performed locally and can work offline once the app and archive are present. Downloads, updates, support and other online interactions require connectivity. MacPaw's privacy policy describes location/log/device information and diagnostics; version history also describes survey/product-usage analytics changes. Do not equate local extraction with a promise that all network or diagnostic activity is absent. Review the current privacy terms and available settings.

The official direct 4.3.9 build-147 ZIP is 23,957,450 bytes, confirmed by HTTP HEAD and the publisher's updater enclosure metadata without downloading the installer archive. Installed usage and extracted archives require additional space.

Sources: Official site and format table, MacPaw product page, Official update feed, Terms, Privacy, Publisher's App Store listing.