A RAR file is a type of archive that compresses existing files into a smaller space so they can be more easily transferred or stored. MP3 files that are saved in a RAR archive can be directly opened and played through any type of software. Before you can listen to the audio file you will need to decompress the RAR archive. There are numerous RAR extraction tools available online that make it simple to convert the file back to the MP3 format.
Download and install WinRAR (see link in Resources under "RAR Extraction Tools").
Open the Start menu and click "Computer." Navigate to the folder where the RAR file is saved.
Right-click the RAR file and choose "Extract Files." Select the specific folder on your computer's hard drive where you want the converted MP3 files to be saved.
Click "OK" to extract the MP3 file from the RAR archive in the specified folder. Open the MP3 file normally with your audio playback program.
Download and install RAR Extract Frog (see link in Resources under "RAR Extraction Tools").
Open the RAR Extract Frog program and navigate to the tab labelled "Free RAR Extract Frog."
Access the Start menu and choose "My Computer." Navigate to the specific folder where the RAR file is saved.
Click the file and drag it into the RAR Extract Frog window. The MP3 files contained in the RAR archive will be extracted in the same folder where the original RAR file was saved.
Download and install BitZipper (see link in Resources).
Open the BitZipper program and click the "Wizard" icon at the upper-right corner of the window. Click the "Decompress Files" radio button and choose "Next."
Click "Select File" and locate the RAR file you want to extract. Click the file's name then click "Open."
Click "Next" then click the "Select File" button. Choose the folder where you want the extracted MP3 files to be saved. Click "OK" then "Next" to extract the MP3 files.
If you just want to save the extracted MP3 file to the same folder where the RAR archive is saved, choose "Extract Here" instead of "Extract Files." RAR extraction tools also allow you to compress any existing files on your computer into a new RAR archive.
If the file saved in the RAR archive is not already in the MP3 format you will need to convert it before opening it with an MP3 playback program. Download and install an MP3 conversion tool (see the link in the Resource section), then follow the on-screen instructions to convert the extracted RAR file to the MP3 format.