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Convert iso to rar

Convert ISO to RAR

How to convert .iso to .rar archive?

Convert ISO files online

We don’t have a dedicated online converter for ISO to RAR yet, but you can convert ISO files online to these and more formats:

ISO IMG ISO CSO ISO VDI ISO QCOW2 ISO VHD ISO VMDK ISO CISO ISO ZIP

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How to convert iso to rar file

Converting ISO to RAR

Converting an ISO (commonly used as disk image format; something like a copy of a CD or DVD) file to an RAR compressed archive is quite easy. Both are quite similar formats and contain other files inside.

There are two options: compressing the .iso file to the .rar archive or extracting its contents and then compressing files to the .rar archive. Both are easy.

Extract or compress the .iso file using WinRAR

WinRAR is one of the most popular file compression software. It does not convert between file formats; it just compresses the .iso file. Download and install WinRAR. Locate the ISO file on your computer and use the command in the top menu Add to the archive to compress the file. Open the .iso file to extract the contents of the ISO disk image file and then use WinRAR to compress it back to the .rar archive. WinRAR can do both ways.

Extracting the .iso file to a folder and then creating a .rar archive from it

AnyToISO

AnytoISO is software that can convert ISO files to numerous other formats, including RAR. It is quite easy to use and supports batch conversion.

  1. Download and install AnyToISO.
  2. Open the program and click on the Open image.
  3. Select RAR as the output format.
  4. Click on Convert to start the conversion process.
  5. This will create a RAR archive with the contents of the .iso disk image file.
PowerISO

PowerISO is also a great tool for converting ISO files to RAR format.

  1. Download, install, and run PowerISO.
  2. Click on the Open button and open your .iso file.
  3. Click on the Convert and select RAR as the output format.

You can convert ISO disk images to RAR archives in several ways, with the most obvious choice being to repack and pack it with WinRAR/WinZip.

Mounting the .iso file as another disk in your computer

If you want the content from ISO and do not need the .iso file, you can mount it (Windows from version 8 can easily mount a .iso file as an external drive) as an external drive copy. Then, you can pack all files to the RAR archive using WinRAR to compress any files in your computer.

ISO vs RAR: format comparison

How the ISO and RAR formats compare on the properties that matter most for this conversion.

Comparison of the ISO and RAR file formats
Property .ISO ISO 9660 disc image .RAR Roshal Archive
Open standard Yes Partly open
Compression Uncompressed Both
Typical file size Very large Small
Opens in a web browser No No
Further editing Limited Not directly editable
Metadata support Basic Basic
Plain-text readable No No
Best used for Long-term archiving Long-term archiving
Introduced 1988 1993
Developer ISO / ECMA / optical disc industry WinRAR GmbH / Alexander Roshal
MIME type application/x-iso9660-image application/vnd.rar
Open ISO file Open RAR file

Information about file extensions and file types is provided by File-Extensions.org

Suggested software and links: iso to rar converters

AnyToISO icon

AnyToISO

A disk image converter for Microsoft Windows
PowerISO icon

PowerISO

Application used to manage ISO, DAA and other disk image file formats.
WinRAR icon

WinRAR

One of the oldest and most popular shareware file archiver and data compression utility
WinZip icon

WinZip

A popular file archiving utility

Frequently asked questions

Will converting ISO to RAR preserve the files and folders?

Yes, if the original ISO is added to a RAR archive unchanged, its filesystem, boot information, and contents are preserved. If the ISO is extracted and its contents are archived instead, the original disc-image structure may not be preserved.

Will an ISO converted to RAR still be bootable?

Only after extracting the original ISO from the RAR archive; a RAR file itself is not a bootable disc image. If the conversion archives the ISO contents rather than the ISO file itself, bootability may be lost.

Does converting ISO to RAR make the file smaller?

It may reduce the size, but often only slightly because ISO images can already contain compressed or otherwise difficult-to-compress data. The result can also be split into archive parts, depending on the chosen archive settings.

Why can’t I open or mount the RAR file like an ISO?

A RAR archive is a container for storing files, while an ISO is a disc-image format designed to be mounted or written to media. Extract the ISO from the RAR archive before trying to mount or use it as a disc image.

This record was last reviewed some time ago, so certain details or software may no longer be accurate.
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iso to qcow2 iso to sparseimage

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