What is a RAR File?

The term RAR stands for Roshal Archive which is a proprietary file format developed by the makers of the popular WinRAR application. A RAR file works as a container that stores multiple files and folders together. It offers various other significant benefits such as multiple file compression options, file encryption, and password protection, among others. RAR files are available in different extensions including .rar, .rev, r01, and .r00.

Benefits of Using a RAR File

Much like ZIP files, RAR files are also used by a significant number of people worldwide due to the various benefits they offer.

File Compression

RAR archive reduces the size of your original files using higher levels of compression algorithms. Compressing large files can help you in different ways. Such files are easier to manage and organize and take less storage space.

File Encryption

When you store your files in a RAR archive, it gives you an option to encrypt them. The encryption process encodes the data from your confidential files into ciphertext. This helps prevent unauthorized access or tampering of your files from threat actors, in the event your laptop is stolen or your Internet storage account is compromised.

Password-protection

Sometimes, you may just want to password-protect your files before you share them with your colleagues or transfer them to someone else. While some people prefer to lock folders in Windows using free software, others prefer paid WinRAR’s password-protection feature.

Faster File Transfers

Imagine having to transfer so many large files at once to your external hard disk. It can be a time-consuming task. You can reduce some of the time taken to transfer your files by compressing them into smaller ones.

Smaller File Backups

There are different types of backups such as full backup, differential backup, and incremental backup. By compressing your files regularly, you will be able to save backup time and size. Your backups will be faster than before and they will take less storage.

Duplicate RAR Files

You may have received duplicate WinRAR files on one or more occasions. Here are the most common ones:

• Downloading the same files multiple times can lead to duplicate RAR files. Your Downloads folder may contain multiple instances of the same files.
• File copying operations are a leading cause of duplication. Sometimes we copy the same RAR files to multiple folders on different occasions.
• Some people store multiple RAR files inside a single RAR file to meet their unique requirements. You might accumulate duplicates if you are extracting these files to multiple locations.
• Or perhaps you’ve multiple copies of the same RAR files stored on different devices. Regularly transferring files from these devices can lead to unintended duplicate archives.

How to Find Duplicate RAR Files?

Now, we’ll discuss the most common ways to find your duplicate Roshal Archive files.

Method 1: Sort Files in Ascending Order

Do you have fewer files? If so, you can consider manually finding duplicates using the file sorting functionality in File Explorer. You won’t need to download any external tool.

Steps

1. Open File Explorer.

2. Go to the directory that contains your RAR files.

3. Click on the Sort icon, and choose Name.

4. Look for files matching similar name patterns. For example, travel.rar, travel – Copy (2).rar, travel – Copy (3).rar

5. Move all matching files to a separate folder on your computer to manually confirm if they’re indeed duplicates.

Benefits

• It’s free! You don’t need to download any third-party application to find duplicate WinRAR archives.
• No hassle of getting familiar with a third-party application.
• No privacy concerns, especially if you’re dealing with confidential business data

Drawbacks

• Comparing hundreds of thousands of files manually can be an impractical and error-prone.
• File name is not a strong or reliable factor for finding duplicates. By merely comparing file names, there is a risk of accidental data loss.

Method 2: Finding Duplicate WinRAR Archives Using a Specialized Application

A specialized application automates the entire procedure and provides more accurate results. It gives you the freedom to customize the duplicate scan for your unique needs.

For example, while scanning duplicate WinRAR files using a specialized application, you will be able to find files that are above a certain size (such as 10 MB). Similarly, if you want to exclude certain folders from being scanned, it’s possible too.

Steps

1. Download Dupinout Duplicate Finder.

2. Click on the Add button in the New Search tab.

3. Select multiple folders or drives that you want to scan for duplicate WinRAR archives.

4. Set the Scan Mode to “File Content + Size”

5. Click on “Let me choose…”

6. Set the “Compressed” option to “Search”. Set everything else to “Ignore”.

7. Start the scan by hitting “Start Search” button.

8. Once the scan concludes, click on “Review & Fix”

9. Click on the “Mark Duplicates” button and choose your preferred duplicate file selection criteria.

10. Click on “Fix Duplicates” button, and choose an action: Move to Folder, Rename Files, Replace with Shortcut, Move to Recycle Bin, or Delete Permanently.

Benefits

• Fully-automated scan using smart algorithms that provide highly accurate results
• Scan customization options (file size, file type, etc.)
• Multiple file scans are available (File Content + Size, Music Search, Similar Photos, etc.)

Drawbacks

• It’s a paid application. (It offers a 90-day fully-functional free trial)
• It is currently available in limited languages.