However, did you know you could use WinRAR on Linux?

Its not the rar command-line tool most people think of.

Rather, it’s possible for you to trigger the same Windows graphical WinRAR tool on your Linux desktop.

A laptop running Ubuntu, showing the manual for a terminal command.

Hannah Stryker / How-To Geek

We’ll show you how.

Can You Install WinRAR on Linux?

Yes, you’ve got the option to install WinRAR on Linux.

downloading WinRAR 64-bit version of windows from the official download page

However, it is more complex than installing it on Windows.

Well, there is a method that lets you launch the Windows WinRAR GUI on Linux without any hassle.

The solution is touse Wine, a tool that lets you use Windows applications on Linux.

WinRAR wine installation setup with different settings related to file formats, interface, and integration

With Wine, you’re able to install and run WinRAR on Linux like that on Windows.

Once that’s done, download the Windows WinRAR installer and run it using Wine.

Let’s begin by installing Wine on your Linux system.

WinRAR on Ubuntu

Ensure that you snag the Windows platform and the64-bit versionfor optimal performance.

This will make it bigger and clearer.

To do this, simply typewinecfgin the terminal and head over to the “Graphics” tab.

extracting a sample.rar file in WinRAR (wine)

Then, change the screen resolution value to your preferred resolution.

Now, choose the “Install” option and grab the file types that you want WinRAR to handle.

Once WinRAR is installed, you could launch it from the app menu.

specifying destination path and different mode for extracted rar file in setting context menu.

This will launch WinRAR and give you the extracted file.

Let’s consider an “example.rar” file.

To extract this file, first pick the file and then tap on the “Extract To” button.

viewing extracted rar file in Nautilus file manager

Next, grab the path where you want to save the extracted file.

After that, hit “OK” and wait for the extraction to be completed.

you’ve got the option to then close WinRAR and reach the extracted files.

File Roller on Ubuntu

In your specified path, you see your extracted file with the same name as the RAR file.

As mentioned earlier, WinRAR officially only provides rar for Linux, which is a command-line tool.

If you preferextracting RAR files using the command line, you’re free to use the rar command.

context menu showing different options of the 7zip tool in nautilus file manager

WinRAR Alternatives for Linux

WinRAR is one of the best tools for managing RAR files on Windows.

However, when it comes to Linux, WinRAR lacks a native graphical user interface (GUI) version.

To install WinRAR GUI, you have to rely on Wine.

xarchiver on Ubuntu

Considering this, it’s worth exploring some great alternatives to WinRAR on Linux.

File Roller

File Rolleris the default tool for managing archives on the Linux system with aGNOMEdesktop.

7-Zip

7-Zipis a free, open-source tool used for compressing large files.

It’s got its own archive file format, 7z, and can handle other formats as well.