How To Unrar a Folder with Password in Terminal

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll delve into the process of unraring a folder with a password in Terminal. This task might seem daunting if you’re not familiar with the Terminal, but with a bit of guidance, you’ll be unraring password-protected files in no time.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, ensure that you have the unrar command installed on your system. If not, you can easily install it using the package manager for your system. For example, on Ubuntu, you can use the following command:

sudo apt-get install unrar

Understanding the Unrar Command

The unrar command is used to extract, list, and test archive files. The syntax for the unrar command is:

unrar <command> -<switch 1> -<switch N> <archive> <files...> <@listfiles...> <path_to_extract\>

In our case, we’ll primarily be using the x command, which signifies ‘extract files with full path’. The -p switch allows us to specify a password.

Unraring a Specific File with a Password

To unrar a specific file with a password, use the following command:

unrar x -p<password> <filename>

Replace <filename> with the name of the file you want to unrar, and <password> with the actual password. Here’s an example:

unrar x -pMySecretPassword MyFile.rar

This command will extract the contents of MyFile.rar using the password MySecretPassword.

Unraring Multiple Files with the Same Password

If you have multiple RAR files with the same password, you can unrar them all at once using a loop. Here’s how you can do it:

for file in *.part01.rar; do unrar x -p<password> ${file}; done;

This command will unrar all files in the current directory matching the pattern *.part01.rar using the specified password.

Unraring a Folder with a Password

If you want to unrar a folder with a password, you can use the following command:

unrar x -p<password> /path/to/filename.rar

Replace <password> with the actual password, and /path/to/filename.rar with the path to the file you want to unrar.

Handling Passwords with Special Characters

If your password contains special characters or spaces, you can enclose the -p option in quotes like -p"<password>". For example:

unrar x -p"my password with spaces" MyFile.rar

Conclusion

Unraring a folder with a password in Terminal might seem complicated, but once you understand the unrar command and its options, it becomes a straightforward task. Remember to replace <password> with your actual password in all the commands.

For more information about the unrar command and its options, you can always refer to its man page by typing man unrar in the Terminal.

By following this guide, you should now be able to unrar any password-protected file or folder using the Terminal. Happy unraring!