Work with compressed files and folders with WinRAR 4

Compressed files were a necessity in the days of slow internet connections but they survive today partly to reduce bandwidth but also to make transferring large numbers of files easier. They can also be useful to get around restrictions on file types. WinRAR is a paid for utility for working with compressed files.

The RAR format is not as common as ZIP or the free alternative 7-zip but it can still be found on many download sites.

Installation is easy and it offers to associate WinRAR with all the different kinds of compressed files and to integrate it into the Windows Shell (adding it to the right-click menu in Windows Explorer).

As well as its own format RAR, WinRAR has full support for ZIP and can extract files from 7Z, ACE, ARJ, BZ2, CAB, GZ, ISO, JAR, LZH, TAR, UUE, Z.

Version 4 improved the speed with which it can decompress RAR files by up to 30%. Support for browsing ISO files has been improved along with the way that passwords are handled.

Compressed files can be protected with encryption and passwords and can be made into files that can extract themselves.

The interface is well designed with large icons for the most common tasks

This is the 32-bit version of WinRAR. Click here for the 64-bit version on the rarlab website.

WinRAR is not a free program. A licence costs £32.