How to Install UNRAR on Debian (13, 12, 11)

Install unrar on Debian to extract RAR archive files from downloaded software, backup archives, and compressed media collections. The proprietary RARLAB implementation supports modern RAR4 and RAR5 archives (including encrypted and multi-part sets), while the open-source unrar-free package handles only legacy RAR1-RAR3 files. RARLAB’s unrar requires Debian’s non-free repository component; unrar-free is available from the default repositories without changes.

Start by choosing between the full-featured RARLAB build and unrar-free. Then use the workflow for everyday extraction, password-protected archives, integrity checks, and multi-part files.

These instructions cover Debian 13 (Trixie), Debian 12 (Bookworm), and Debian 11 (Bullseye). Commands work the same across supported releases unless noted otherwise. Depending on how your system was installed or upgraded, APT sources may be in DEB822 .sources files or in the legacy /etc/apt/sources.list format.

Update Debian Before Installing Unrar

Update your package index and apply pending upgrades first. Refreshing the package cache before installation reduces dependency resolution issues and ensures the newest archive metadata for non-free components.

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

If your user account does not have sudo privileges, refer to the guide on adding a user to sudoers on Debian.

Install Unrar on Debian

Debian ships two RAR extraction packages. Compare their capabilities before choosing:

Implementation	Package	Binary / Command	Supported RAR Versions	License	Primary Use Case	Limitations
RARLAB Unrar (Recommended)	unrar (non-free)	unrar	RAR1-RAR5 (full support incl. encryption & multi-part)	Freeware (proprietary)	Modern archives from current WinRAR and cross-platform sources	Not open-source; packaged in non-free component; extraction only
unrar-free	unrar-free	unrar-free	RAR1-RAR3 only	GPL (open-source)	Auditable extraction of legacy RAR archives	No RAR4/RAR5, no modern encryption, limited feature set

For most users, RARLAB’s unrar is the better fit because it handles modern RAR formats, supports encryption, and receives upstream security updates. Choose unrar-free only when open-source licensing is required and you work exclusively with legacy archives created before 2013.

Option 1: Install RARLAB Unrar on Debian (Recommended)

RARLAB’s version resides in Debian’s non-free component. Ensure contrib and non-free (and on Debian 12/13 optionally non-free-firmware) are enabled before installing.

Step 1: Enable Debian Repository Components for Unrar

If your system has /etc/apt/sources.list.d/debian.sources, add the required components in the DEB822 file:

sudo sed -i 's/Components: main$/Components: main contrib non-free non-free-firmware/' /etc/apt/sources.list.d/debian.sources

If your system uses /etc/apt/sources.list instead, run this release-aware command:

. /etc/os-release
if [ "$VERSION_ID" = "11" ]; then
  sudo sed -i 's/ main$/ main contrib non-free/' /etc/apt/sources.list
else
  sudo sed -i 's/ main non-free-firmware$/ main contrib non-free non-free-firmware/; s/ main$/ main contrib non-free non-free-firmware/' /etc/apt/sources.list
fi

This command checks your Debian release automatically. Debian 11 gets contrib non-free, while Debian 12 and 13 also include non-free-firmware.

Do not add non-free-firmware on Debian 11. Bullseye only uses contrib non-free.

For detailed step-by-step guidance on enabling these repositories, including manual editing methods and verification steps, refer to the guide on enabling Contrib and Non-Free repositories on Debian.

Step 2: Update APT Metadata for Unrar

After enabling the components, refresh package metadata so APT can see the unrar package in non-free:

sudo apt update

Hit:1 http://deb.debian.org/debian <your-release> InRelease
Hit:2 http://security.debian.org/debian-security <your-release>-security InRelease
Reading package lists... Done

Step 3: Install RARLAB Unrar on Debian

Install RARLAB’s Unrar (non-free):

sudo apt install unrar

The following NEW packages will be installed:
  unrar
0 upgraded, 1 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.

Step 4: Verify Unrar Installation on Debian

Verify the installation by running the unrar command without arguments. The tool displays its version and usage information:

unrar

Expected output on Debian 13 (version may differ on older releases):

UNRAR 7.12 freeware      Copyright (c) 1993-2025 Alexander Roshal

Usage:     unrar <command> -<switch 1> -<switch N> <archive> <files...>
               <@listfiles...> <path_to_extract/>

The unrar command does not support a --version flag. Running it without arguments shows version and usage. On current Debian releases, Debian 13 reports UNRAR 7.12, Debian 12 reports UNRAR 6.21, and Debian 11 typically reports a 6.0.x build.

This version supports RAR4 and RAR5 (plus legacy formats), encrypted archives, and multi-part sets. It cannot create new RAR archives.

Option 2: Install Open-Source unrar-free on Debian

The unrar-free package does not support RAR4 or RAR5 formats. Commands and functionality also differ from the proprietary version. Only choose this option if you work exclusively with older RAR files and require open-source tools.

Install the open-source alternative from the main repository (no non-free components required):

sudo apt install unrar-free

Verify the installation:

unrar-free --version

Expected output on Debian 13:

unrar-free 0.3.1

Version numbers differ by Debian release: Debian 12 includes unrar-free 0.1.3, and Debian 11 includes version 0.0.1. The binary is always named unrar-free, not unrar.

Extract RAR Files with Unrar on Debian

After installing your chosen package, use these examples for common tasks (listing, full extraction with path preservation, flat extraction, password prompts, integrity testing, and multi-part handling). For other archive formats see guides on extracting .gz and .tgz files, unzipping directories, or installing 7-Zip on Debian.

Extraction with RARLAB Unrar on Debian

Extract a RAR archive with full directory paths preserved (current directory destination):

unrar x archive.rar

The x command preserves the directory structure. Use e to extract files into the current directory without recreating subdirectories:

unrar e archive.rar

Extract to a specific destination directory:

unrar x archive.rar /path/to/destination/

List archive contents without extracting:

unrar l archive.rar

Extract a password-protected archive (the tool prompts interactively for the password):

unrar x protected-archive.rar

Optional inline password (avoid if shell history retention is a concern):

unrar x -pYOURPASSWORD protected-archive.rar

Inline passwords appear in your shell history. Use interactive password entry for sensitive archives, or prefix the command with a space (in bash with HISTCONTROL=ignorespace) to prevent history logging.

Test archive integrity without extracting:

unrar t archive.rar

Extract a multi-part set by specifying only the first volume (for example, archive.part01.rar or archive.rar when accompanied by archive.r00, archive.r01):

unrar x archive.part01.rar

Extraction with unrar-free on Debian

If you installed unrar-free, use its binary directly (limited to legacy formats):

unrar-free archive.rar

Extract to a specific destination by first creating and changing to the target directory (unrar-free focuses on simple extraction):

mkdir -p /path/to/destination && cd /path/to/destination && unrar-free /path/to/archive.rar

Handle Untrusted Unrar Archives Safely on Debian

Treat RAR archives from unknown sources cautiously. Malicious archives can contain executable files, path traversal exploits, or symlink attacks. Before extracting untrusted content:

• List the archive contents first with unrar l archive.rar to inspect file names and paths
• Extract to an isolated directory rather than your home folder
• Scan extracted content with a malware scanner if available (for example, ClamAV: sudo apt install clamav then clamscan -r extracted_directory)

Fix Common Unrar Errors on Debian

These checks cover the most common unrar failures on Debian: duplicate package setups, encryption-related extraction failures, unsupported archive formats, and missing non-free repository metadata.

Remove Duplicate Unrar Installations on Debian

If you installed both packages, each uses a different binary name: RARLAB’s package installs unrar (technically a symlink to unrar-nonfree), and unrar-free installs unrar-free. There is no direct file conflict, but keeping both is redundant. Remove the one you do not need:

sudo apt remove unrar-free

Or remove the proprietary version if you only need legacy extraction:

sudo apt remove unrar

Fix Unrar Password-Protected Archive Errors on Debian

If an archive fails with a password error, first confirm you are using RARLAB’s Unrar (unrar-free lacks modern encryption support). Re-enter the password carefully when prompted. For RAR5 archives with AES-256 encryption, only RARLAB’s version can decrypt them.

If you receive “CRC failed” or “No files to extract” errors despite entering the correct password, the archive may be corrupted. Test integrity first:

CRC failed in encrypted file. Wrong password?

unrar t protected-archive.rar

Fix “Unsupported RAR Format” Errors with Unrar on Debian

If unrar-free returns “unsupported format,” the archive uses RAR4 or RAR5 features. The open-source version cannot decode these formats. Switch to RARLAB’s implementation:

support for rar4 archive is currently unavailable

sudo apt remove unrar-free && sudo apt install unrar

Fix “No Installation Candidate” Errors for Unrar on Debian

E: Unable to locate package unrar
E: Package 'unrar' has no installation candidate

These errors mean APT cannot see unrar in an enabled non-free repository. First check package visibility:

apt-cache policy unrar

unrar:
  Installed: (none)
  Candidate: (none)
  Version table:

Enable contrib non-free (and non-free-firmware on Debian 12/13) with the Step 1 commands, then refresh metadata and recheck:

sudo apt update
apt-cache policy unrar

unrar:
  Installed: (none)
  Candidate: 1:6.x.x-...
  Version table:

When the Candidate value is no longer (none), install unrar again with sudo apt install unrar.

Remove Unrar from Debian

If you no longer need RAR extraction capabilities, remove the installed package and clean up unused dependencies.

Remove RARLAB Unrar on Debian

Use this method if you installed the proprietary RARLAB package and want to remove it completely.

sudo apt remove unrar
sudo apt autoremove

Remove unrar-free on Debian

Use this method if you installed unrar-free and no longer need legacy RAR extraction support.

sudo apt remove unrar-free
sudo apt autoremove

Neither package stores user configuration files in your home directory, so you do not need additional cleanup.

Verify Unrar Removal on Debian

Refresh the package cache and confirm the package is no longer installed:

sudo apt update
apt-cache policy unrar

Expected output after removal (version numbers vary by release):

unrar:
  Installed: (none)
  Candidate: x.x.x-x
  Version table:
     x.x.x-x 500
        500 http://deb.debian.org/debian <suite>/non-free amd64 Packages

The “Installed: (none)” line confirms successful removal. The Candidate version remains available for future reinstallation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Install unrar on Debian if you need modern RAR support that works reliably from the terminal. The RARLAB package handles RAR4 and RAR5 archives, encrypted files, and multi-part sets without the legacy limits of unrar-free. If you also manage other formats, you can install 7-Zip on Debian or extract .gz and .tgz files on Linux with the same workflow.