Easy Steps to Open and Extract Rar Files Without Next Volume on Windows, Mac, and Linux
How to Extract Rar Files Without Next Volume
Have you ever downloaded a file only to find it has a strange .rar file extension? And when you try to open it, you get an error message saying that you need the next volume? If so, you might be wondering what rar files are and how to extract them without the next volume. In this article, we'll explain everything you need to know about rar files and show you how to extract them on Windows, Mac, and Linux using free and easy tools.
How To Extract Rar Files Without Next Volume
What are Rar Files and Why Do They Need Next Volume?
Rar Files Explained
Rar files are compressed file formats that can reduce the size of large files and save disk space. They are similar to zip files, but they use a different compression algorithm that can achieve higher compression ratios. Rar files can also encrypt and password-protect the contents of the archive, making them more secure.
Rar files are created by a software called WinRAR, which is developed by the creators of the rar file format. WinRAR is a popular and powerful file archiver that can create and extract rar files, as well as other file formats such as zip, 7z, tar, gz, etc. However, WinRAR is not a free app and requires a license after a trial period.
Next Volume and Multi-Part Archives
Sometimes, rar files are split into multiple parts or volumes. This is done to make it easier to upload or download large files over the internet, or to fit them into removable media such as CDs or DVDs. Each part of the rar file has a sequential number in its name, such as file.part1.rar, file.part2.rar, file.part3.rar, etc.
To extract a multi-part rar file, you need to have all the parts in the same folder or directory. Then, you can open the first part of the rar file (usually with .rar or .part1.rar extension) and extract the contents. The extraction software will automatically find and use the other parts of the rar file.
However, sometimes you might encounter a situation where you don't have all the parts of the rar file. For example, you might have downloaded only some of the parts from a website or a torrent, or you might have lost or deleted some of the parts accidentally. In this case, when you try to extract the rar file, you will get an error message saying that you need the next volume or that the archive is incomplete or corrupted.
Is there a way to extract rar files without next volume? The answer is yes, but it depends on several factors. First of all, you need to check if the rar file has a recovery record. A recovery record is a special feature of WinRAR that can repair damaged or missing parts of the rar file. You can check if the rar file has a recovery record by opening it with WinRAR and looking for a green dot next to its name in the WinRAR window.
If the rar file has a recovery record, you can try to repair it by selecting Tools > Repair archive from the WinRAR menu. This will create a new rar file with .repaired.rar extension that might be able to extract without next volume. However, this is not guaranteed to work and might result in some data loss.
If the rar file does not have a recovery record, or if the repair fails, then you have another option: extracting partial content. This means that you can extract only some of the files from the rar file that are not affected by the missing volume. However, this also depends on how the rar file was created and how it was split into parts.
Some rar files are created with solid compression mode. This means that all the files in the archive are compressed as one single block of data. This can improve compression ratio but also makes it impossible to extract partial content without next volume. If you try to do so, you will get an error message saying that no files to extract.
Other rar files are created with non-solid compression mode. This means that each file in the archive is compressed separately. This allows extracting partial content without next volume, as long as the missing volume does not contain any part of the file you want to extract. For example, if you have file.part1.rar and file.part3.rar but not file.part2.rar, you might be able to extract some files from file.part1.rar that end before file.part2.rar starts.
To extract partial content without next volume from non-solid rar files, you need to use an extraction software that supports this feature. One such software is 7-Zip , which is a free and open source file archiver that can handle many file formats including rar. We'll show you how to use 7-Zip later in this article.
How to Extract Rar Files Without Next Volume on Windows
Using 7-Zip
As mentioned above, 7-Zip is a free and open source file archiver that can open and extract rar files on Windows. It also supports extracting partial content without next volume from non-solid rar files. Here's how to use it:
Download and install 7-Zip from their website .
Locate the first part of the rar file (usually with .rar or .part1.rar extension) and right-click on it.
Select 7-Zip > Open archive from the context menu.
A new window will open showing the contents of the rar file.
Select the files or folders that you want to extract and click on Extract.
Choose a destination folder for your extracted files and click OK.
If 7-Zip can extract your files without next volume, it will do so without any error message. If not, it will show an error message saying that some data after is missing or cannot open as archive.
In either case, check your destination folder for your extracted files and see if they are complete and usable.
Using WinRAR
If you have WinRAR installed on your Windows computer, you can also use it to open and extract rar files without next volume. However, WinRAR does not support extracting partial content from solid rar files. Here's how to use it:
Locate the first part of the rar file (usually with .rar or .part1.rar extension) and double-click on it.
A new window will open showing the contents of the rar file.
Select the files or folders that you want to extract and click on Extract To.
Choose a destination folder for your extracted files and click OK.
If WinRAR can extract your files without next volume, it will do so without any error message. If not, it will show an error message saying that is missing or CRC failed in .
In either case, check your destination folder for your extracted files and see if they are complete and usable.
How to Extract Rar Files Without Next Volume on Mac
Using The Unarchiver
The Unarchiver is a free app for Mac that can open and extract many file formats including rar. It also supports extracting partial content without next volume from non-solid rar files. Here's how to use it:
Download and install The Unarchiver from their website or from App Store .
Launch The Unarchiver and associate it with rar files by checking RAR Archive in Preferences > Archive Formats.
Locate the first part of the rar file (usually with .rar or .part1.rar extension) and double-click on it.
The Unarchiver will automatically create a folder with the same name as the archive and extract its contents there.
If The Unarchiver can extract your files without next volume, it will do so without any error message. If not, it will show an error message saying that some data after is missing or cannot open as archive.
In either case, check your destination folder for your extracted files and see if they are complete and usable.
How to Extract Rar Files Without Next Volume on Linux
Using Unrar
You can easily extract a .RAR file on Linux, but youre probably going to need to install the unrar package first using your package manager. To do that on a Debian or Ubuntu distribution, simply open up a terminal and type the following command:
sudo apt install unrar
Once youve done that, you can simply use this command to extract a RAR file into the current working directory:
unrar e
You probably wont be dealing with RAR files on Linux quite as often unless youre downloading a lot of things from file-sharing sites. Youre more likely to be dealing with tar archives or bz2.
Conclusion
RAR files are compressed file formats that can save disk space and encrypt data. However, they can also be split into multiple parts or volumes that require all of them to be extracted. If you don't have all the parts of a RAR file, you might be able to extract some of the files without next volume using some free tools such as 7-Zip, WinRAR, The Unarchiver, or Unrar. However, this depends on whether the RAR file has a recovery record, whether it is solid or non-solid, and whether the missing volume contains any part of the file you want to extract. In any case, you should always check your extracted files for completeness and usability before deleting or moving them.
FAQs
What is the difference between RAR and ZIP files?
RAR and ZIP are both compressed file formats that can reduce the size of large files and save disk space. However, they use different compression algorithms that have different advantages and disadvantages. RAR files usually have higher compression ratios than ZIP files, meaning they can make files smaller. They also support encryption and password protection, making them more secure. However, RAR files are not natively supported by most operating systems and require a third-party software to open them. ZIP files are more widely compatible and easier to open, but they have lower compression ratios than RAR files and do not support encryption by default.
How do I create RAR files?
To create RAR files, you need a software that supports this file format. The most common one is WinRAR , which is developed by the creators of the RAR file format. However, WinRAR is not a free app and requires a license after a trial period. There are also some free alternatives such as 7-Zip , PeaZip , or Bandizip that can create RAR files as well as other file formats.
How do I password protect RAR files?
To password protect RAR files, you need to use a software that supports encryption for this file format. One such software is WinRAR , which allows you to set a password for your RAR files when creating them or modifying them. You can also use 7-Zip , which supports AES-256 encryption for 7z and ZIP formats but not for RAR format. However, you can create a 7z or ZIP file with encryption first and then convert it to a RAR file using 7-Zip.
How do I split RAR files into multiple parts?
To split RAR files into multiple parts or volumes, you need to use a software that supports this feature for this file format. One such software is WinRAR , which allows you to set a size limit for each part of your RAR file when creating it or modifying it. You can also use 7-Zip , which supports splitting 7z and ZIP formats but not RAR format. However, you can create a 7z or ZIP file with splitting first and then convert it to a RAR file using 7-Zip.
How do I join multiple parts of a RAR file?
To join multiple parts or volumes of a RAR file, you need to have all the parts in the same folder or directory. Then, you can open the first part of the RAR file (usually with .rar or .part1.rar extension) with any software that supports this file format such as 7-Zip , WinRAR , The Unarchiver , or Unrar . The extraction software will automatically find and use the other parts of the RAR file and extract its contents into a new folder.