Essential Mac Apps

Keka

Free RAR extractor and file archiver for Mac that opens 7Z, ZIP, RAR and around 30 other formats.

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Keka is a file archiver for macOS. It makes compressed archives and opens them, RAR files included.

It can extract 32 formats, among them 7Z, ZIP, ZIPX, RAR, TAR, GZIP, XZ, ZSTD, DMG, ISO, CAB, EXE, MSI, JAR and APK. It can compress to 14, including 7Z, ZIP, TAR, GZIP, BZIP2, XZ, ZSTD, DMG and ISO. Archives can be password protected: 7z files use AES-256, while ZIP uses the older Zip 2.0 encryption. A small helper app, KekaExternalHelper, sets Keka as the default app for archive files.

It suits anyone who receives RAR or 7z files, and people who want password-protected archives without a paid app. The same developer also makes Keka for iOS.

Keka is made by aONe (Jorge Garcia Armero). It is free from keka.io and GitHub, and the Mac App Store version is paid to support development. It is not fully open source: the code for Keka 1.0 and later is not public, and the GitHub repository is used for issues, the wiki and translations. It uses open source tools such as 7-Zip, XZ and bsdtar, plus UnRAR for RAR files. The current version runs on Mac OS X 10.10 or later and has run natively on Apple silicon since version 1.2.2.

Frequently asked questions

Is Keka free?

Yes. Keka is free to download from keka.io and GitHub. The Mac App Store version costs $6.49, and buying it there, or leaving a tip, supports development.

Is Keka safe and open source?

Keka began as an open source project, but the source code of Keka 1.0 and later is not public, so the current app is closed source freeware. It builds on open source compression tools such as 7-Zip. Get it only from keka.io, its GitHub releases or the Mac App Store.

How do I install Keka?

Download the dmg from keka.io and drag Keka to Applications, buy it on the Mac App Store, or run brew install --cask keka. To make Keka the default app for archives, also install KekaExternalHelper from keka.io.

What macOS version does Keka need?

Keka 1.6.8 needs Mac OS X 10.10 or later. Legacy builds on keka.io go back further: 1.1.30 for 10.9, 1.0.16 for 10.7, and older versions down to Mac OS X 10.4.

How does Keka compare to BetterZip and Archiver?

BetterZip and Archiver are paid archive utilities. Keka creates and extracts the common formats, including RAR extraction and AES-256 encrypted 7z, at no cost from its website. Keka cannot create RAR archives; RAR is on its extract list only.

How do I open a RAR file on a Mac?

Install Keka, then open the .rar file with it, for example by right-clicking the file and choosing Open With, Keka. If the archive has a password, Keka asks for it. To open RAR files with a double-click, set Keka as the default app with KekaExternalHelper.

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