RAR to 7Z

Convert RAR to 7Z online: re-pack RAR archives as 7z files with LZMA compression, often smaller than the original. Free and private, in your browser.

Files are processed in your browser and never uploaded.

How to convert RAR to 7Z

  1. Open your .rar file with Choose a file, or drag it onto the drop area. RAR 4 and RAR 5 formats are both read.
  2. Do not fill in Password (only if the archive is encrypted). It only unlocks encrypted ZIP files, and encrypted RAR archives cannot be opened in the browser.
  3. Click Convert to 7Z. The RAR is unpacked and the files are compressed again with LZMA.
  4. Click Download to save the new archive, for example assets.rar becomes assets.7z.

Both steps run on your own machine: libarchive, compiled to WebAssembly, reads the RAR and writes the 7Z. No part of the archive is uploaded.

Moving from a proprietary format to an open one

RAR and 7Z play in the same league for compression, but they differ in licensing. RAR is proprietary: other programs may unpack it, yet only WinRAR is allowed to create RAR archives. 7Z is an open format with a free reference implementation (7-Zip) and readers on every major platform, including p7zip and its successors on Linux, Keka and The Unarchiver on macOS, and many Android file managers.

That makes RAR to 7Z a sensible step if you want to edit or re-pack an archive later without paying for WinRAR, or if you are consolidating an old collection into a format that will stay readable with free tools. Unlike converting to ZIP, you keep strong compression: 7Z with LZMA typically produces archives in the same range as RAR, sometimes smaller and sometimes larger, depending on the content and on how the original RAR was made.

Things to know before converting

  • File dates are not kept. Original dates cannot be read from a RAR in the browser, and 7Z archives created here store no dates at all, so extracted files may show 1970 or no date. Converting to ZIP does not recover them either; if dates matter (photo collections, legal records), extract the RAR with WinRAR or 7-Zip on your computer.
  • No encryption. The 7Z is written without a password.
  • RAR extras are dropped. Recovery records, archive comments and empty folders are not copied, only the files and their paths.
  • Memory. The archive is fully unpacked in memory before re-packing. Up to about 700 MB is comfortable; over 2 GB is refused.

Tips

  • Check what the RAR contains first with the ZIP Viewer, which opens RAR archives without extracting everything.
  • If you would rather pick the files yourself and build a fresh archive, use Extract RAR and then Create 7Z.
  • Other targets such as TAR.XZ are available in the Archive Converter.
Tip: LZMA compression is slower than unpacking, so a large RAR may spend most of its conversion time on the 7Z step. Keep the tab open until the download appears.

Frequently asked questions

Will the 7Z be smaller than my RAR?

Sometimes. Both formats compress well, and results vary with the data. Expect a similar size rather than a dramatic saving.

Why do my files show the year 1970 after extracting the 7Z?

7Z archives created in the browser do not store modification dates, so extractors fall back to a default date. The RAR's original dates are not available in the browser in any case, so no target format will restore them.

Can I convert a password-protected RAR to 7Z?

No. Encrypted RAR archives cannot be opened here. Extract them with WinRAR or 7-Zip using the password, then make a new archive with Create 7Z.

Can I convert the 7Z back to RAR later?

Not with this site or any free tool. Only WinRAR can create RAR archives.

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