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RAR multi-volume file format

.part1.rar · .r00 · .r01  ·  archive (split)  ·  introduced 1993 by Eugene Roshal

What is a RAR multi-volume file?

A multi-volume RAR is a single logical archive split across several files — historically named .r00, .r01, .r02 (RAR3) and now .part01.rar, .part02.rar (RAR5). The split lets you upload a 50 GB archive across many smaller pieces. To extract, place every part in the same folder and double-click the first one.

Most readers reach this page after double-clicking a .part1.rar file and finding their operating system unsure what to do with it. The good news: RAR multi-volume is a well-understood format with mature tooling on every major platform. It is supported in one click by mainstream archivers on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

How to extract a RAR multi-volume file

Opening a .part1.rar file is straightforward on every modern operating system. The exact steps depend on which platform you are on:

On Windows

  1. Locate the .part1.rar file in File Explorer.
  2. Right-click the file. If you have 7-Zip installed, choose 7-Zip → Extract Here. On Windows 11 the built-in extractor handles ZIP, 7z, RAR and several other formats directly through Extract All…
  3. If prompted, pick a destination folder and click Extract.
  4. The extracted files appear in a folder next to the original archive.

On macOS

  1. Find the .part1.rar file in Finder.
  2. Install The Unarchiver from the Mac App Store, or Keka for both creating and extracting.
  3. Right-click the file → Open With → The Unarchiver (or just double-click after Unarchiver is set as the default).
  4. The extracted folder appears next to the archive.

On Linux

  1. Use your file manager: right-click the archive → Extract Here (file-roller on GNOME, Ark on KDE).
  2. On the command line, run one of: 
    7z x archive.part1.rar    # works for almost any format
  3. The files appear in the current directory.

How to create a RAR multi-volume file

To pack files into a .part1.rar archive, you typically need an archiver that supports writing this format. Not every tool can create every format — for example, only WinRAR can create real RAR files. The sidebar lists the software known to read and write RAR multi-volume.

On the command line, the canonical create command is:

# Use 7-Zip, PeaZip, or the format's reference tool to create .part1.rar files.

If you regularly create archives at scale, a dedicated archive automation suite can wrap this command in scheduled jobs, integrity checks, and offsite replication.

Strengths

  • Resumable per-volume
  • Mixes well with recovery records

Weaknesses and limitations

  • Missing one volume kills the archive (without recovery records)

Typical use cases

  • Large file uploads
  • Email-friendly chunking
  • Optical disc spanning

Technical details

RAR multi-volume uses the RAR + split algorithm and is identified on disk by the magic byte sequence 52 61 72 21. The standard MIME type is application/vnd.rar. The format is a proprietary specification and is subject to license restrictions for some uses (notably creation).

Frequently asked questions

Is RAR multi-volume safe to open?

Archive files are containers — they are only as safe as what they contain. A .part1.rar from a trusted source is fine; one received from a stranger can hold malicious executables, scripts, or files engineered to exploit bugs in your archiver. Always keep your archiver updated, and never run unknown executables that come out of an archive. A safe workflow is to extract into a sandbox and scan the contents before opening anything.

What is the maximum file size?

Modern implementations support archives in the multi-terabyte range. The practical limit is your filesystem (FAT32 caps at 4 GB; ext4, NTFS, APFS, and exFAT all comfortably handle multi-TB files).

Can I password-protect a RAR multi-volume?

Some archivers can wrap RAR multi-volume files in an encrypted container, but the format itself does not always include built-in encryption. Check your archiver's documentation.

How does RAR multi-volume compare to other formats?

See our format comparison pages such as ZIP vs 7z, ZIP vs RAR, and tar.gz vs tar.xz for side-by-side feature tables.

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