Unrar extracts RAR archive files on Fedora. RAR is a proprietary compression format (similar to ZIP but with stronger compression and encryption) commonly used for software distribution, game mods, backup archives from Windows systems, and large file collections split across multiple volumes. Fedora provides two implementations: unrar-free (open-source, limited to legacy RAR1-3 formats) through the default repositories, and RARLAB’s proprietary version (full RAR4/RAR5 support including encryption) through RPM Fusion.
This guide shows how to install both implementations, explains their differences, and provides practical extraction examples. By the end, you will know how to perform basic extraction, handle password-protected archives, work with multi-part archives, and choose the right version for your needs.
Both unrar packages only extract RAR files – neither can create RAR archives. To create RAR archives, install the commercial
rarpackage or use free alternatives like 7z (p7zip) or tar with xz compression.
Choose Your RAR Extraction Implementation
Fedora offers two RAR extraction packages with different capabilities and licensing. Therefore, your choice depends on the archive formats you need to handle and your licensing requirements.
| Implementation | Package | Command | Supported RAR Versions | License | Repository | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RARLAB Unrar (Recommended) | unrar | unrar | RAR1-RAR5 (full support including encryption and multi-part) | Freeware (proprietary) | RPM Fusion Nonfree | Modern archives from current WinRAR and cross-platform sources |
| unrar-free | unrar-free | unrar-free | RAR1-RAR3 only | GPL (open-source) | Fedora AppStream | Legacy archives where open-source licensing is mandatory |
RARLAB’s proprietary version handles modern RAR4 and RAR5 formats created by recent WinRAR versions. The unrar-free package cannot decode newer compression or encryption features due to proprietary algorithm constraints, limiting it to legacy RAR1-RAR3 files only.
For general-purpose use, install RARLAB’s implementation from RPM Fusion – it handles virtually all RAR files you will encounter from downloads, Windows backups, and cross-platform sources. Only choose unrar-free if you maintain GPL-only servers, have organizational policies requiring fully open-source tools, or exclusively process archives created before 2013. For complete RPM Fusion setup and repository management, refer to the RPM Fusion installation guide.
Update Fedora Before Installation
Open a terminal by pressing the Super key and typing “Terminal”, or search for “Terminal” in Activities. Fedora GNOME does not enable the
Ctrl+Alt+Tshortcut by default.
Update your package index and apply pending upgrades first to reduce dependency resolution issues. For faster DNF performance, refer to the DNF speed optimization guide:
sudo dnf upgrade --refreshInstall Your Preferred RAR Extraction Package
Option 1: Install RARLAB’s Unrar from RPM Fusion (Recommended)
RARLAB’s proprietary version provides full RAR4 and RAR5 support. If RPM Fusion is not yet configured on your system, enable it with a single command that installs both free and nonfree repositories:
sudo dnf install https://download1.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm -E %fedora).noarch.rpm https://download1.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm -E %fedora).noarch.rpmThis command uses
$(rpm -E %fedora)to automatically detect your Fedora version and install the matching RPM Fusion release packages. For detailed RPM Fusion configuration, repository management, and security considerations, refer to the complete RPM Fusion installation guide.
Next, install RARLAB’s unrar package:
sudo dnf install unrarOnce installation completes, verify it by running the command without arguments:
unrarYou should see output similar to this, confirming successful installation:
UNRAR 7.12 beta 1 freeware Copyright (c) 1993-2025 Alexander Roshal
Option 2: Install Open-Source unrar-free
The unrar-free package is available in Fedora’s default AppStream repository, so you can install it directly without additional configuration:
sudo dnf install unrar-freeAfter installation, confirm it works by checking the version:
unrar-free --versionThe output should display the version number:
unrar-free 0.3.3
The unrar-free package only supports legacy RAR1-RAR3 formats. If you encounter “unsupported RAR format” errors with modern archives, install RARLAB’s version from RPM Fusion instead.
Extract RAR Archives
All examples below use
unrarcommands. If you installed unrar-free instead, simply replaceunrarwithunrar-freein every command – the syntax is identical. Remember that unrar-free only supports legacy RAR1-RAR3 formats and will fail on modern RAR4/RAR5 archives.
Basic Extraction
To extract all files from an archive to the current directory while preserving the directory structure, use the x command:
unrar x archive.rarAlternatively, if you want to extract files without preserving directory paths (flatten structure), use the e command instead:
unrar e archive.rarYou can also extract to a specific destination directory by appending the path:
unrar x archive.rar /path/to/destination/List Archive Contents
Before extracting, you may want to view files inside an archive first:
unrar l archive.rarThis command displays the archive contents in a table format:
Archive: archive.rar
Name Size Packed Ratio Date Time Attr CRC
-----------------------------------------------------------------
document.pdf 45678 12345 27% 15-01-25 10:30 .....A. A1B2C3D4
image.jpg 23456 7890 33% 15-01-25 10:32 .....A. E5F6G7H8
-----------------------------------------------------------------
2 69134 20235 29%
For even more detail, including compression method and host OS information, use the verbose listing:
unrar v archive.rarTest Archive Integrity
It is good practice to verify archive integrity before extraction, especially for large downloads:
unrar t archive.rarWhen the test passes, you will see confirmation for each file:
Testing archive.rar Testing document.pdf OK Testing image.jpg OK All OK
Conversely, corrupted archives report CRC errors showing which files failed integrity checks.
Extract Password-Protected Archives
When working with encrypted archives, unrar prompts for a password during extraction:
unrar x protected.rarSimply supply the password when prompted. However, for scripted extraction, you should pass the password via the -p flag instead:
unrar x -pYourPassword protected.rarIf the password is incorrect, the extraction tool reports an authentication failure:
Extracting from protected.rar CRC failed in protected.rar. The file is corrupt or wrong password.
Password-protected RAR5 archives require RARLAB’s unrar. The unrar-free package cannot decrypt modern encrypted archives.
Extract Multi-Part Archives
RARLAB’s unrar automatically handles multi-part archives split across multiple files (archive.part1.rar, archive.part2.rar, etc.). You only need to extract the first part, and unrar processes the remaining parts automatically:
unrar x archive.part1.rarKeep in mind that all parts must be in the same directory. Otherwise, missing parts trigger an error indicating which volume is unavailable.
The unrar-free package does not support multi-part archives. Use RARLAB’s implementation for split RAR sets.
Troubleshooting
Unsupported RAR Format Error
If unrar-free reports an unsupported format error like this:
Unsupported archive format
This indicates the archive uses RAR4 or RAR5 compression that unrar-free cannot handle. To resolve this, install RARLAB’s version from RPM Fusion (see Option 1 above) and retry the extraction with the unrar command.
Choosing Between Installed Versions
In cases where both packages are installed, use the full command name to specify which implementation to invoke:
unrar– Invokes RARLAB’s proprietary version (full RAR support)unrar-free– Invokes the open-source version (legacy RAR1-3 only)
To determine which version responds to the unrar command, run:
which unrarPassword Prompt Not Appearing
When extracting password-protected archives in scripts or non-interactive sessions, the extraction tool may fail silently. Always pass the password explicitly with -p in automated workflows or verify that your terminal supports interactive password prompts.
Permission Denied Errors
If extraction fails with permission errors like this:
Cannot create file.txt Permission denied
This means the destination directory lacks write permissions. In most cases, extract to your home directory instead, or use sudo only when extracting system files to protected locations. As a security precaution, never extract untrusted archives with elevated privileges.
Corrupted Archive Warnings
CRC errors during extraction indicate corruption, typically appearing like this:
CRC failed in archive.rar (The file is corrupt)
First, try to re-download the archive if possible. If that is not an option, partial corruption may still allow extracting undamaged files with unrar x -kb archive.rar (this keeps broken extracted files for recovery attempts).
Remove Unrar Packages
If you need to uninstall RARLAB’s unrar from RPM Fusion, run:
sudo dnf remove unrarSimilarly, to remove the open-source unrar-free package:
sudo dnf remove unrar-freeAdditionally, if you want to remove RPM Fusion repositories entirely (note that this affects all RPM Fusion packages, not just unrar):
sudo dnf remove rpmfusion-free-release rpmfusion-nonfree-releaseRemoving RPM Fusion repositories disables updates for all packages installed from those sources. Only remove them if you no longer need any RPM Fusion software.
Conclusion
You now have RAR extraction configured on Fedora with either the open-source unrar-free for legacy archives or RARLAB’s full-featured implementation from RPM Fusion for modern formats. Going forward, use the basic extraction commands for everyday tasks, test archives before extraction to catch corruption early, and refer to the troubleshooting section when encountering format compatibility issues. For secure file transfer of extracted archives to remote systems, consider configuring SSH on Fedora. Finally, for production workflows that rely on current RAR archives, RPM Fusion with RARLAB’s version provides the most reliable long-term support.
