WinRAR Performance Boost in Windows 11: Is It Too Late for Users?

The landscape of file compression and archiving tools is constantly changing, with advancements in speed and efficiency. While Windows 11 boasts a built-in RAR archiving feature that surpasses most competing tools and comes at no cost, several other popular alternatives are available as well.

Take, for instance, WinRAR, a staple in file compression software that has recently introduced a beta update. This update enhances the context menu’s responsiveness in Windows 11, allowing it to appear quicker. The official update notes indicate a significant improvement, as users will experience reduced wait times when accessing the WinRAR options after right-clicking on multiple selected archives.

Moreover, the latest version resolves a performance flaw that had previously hindered compression speeds. Users of WinRAR can also expect a variety of enhancements to the app’s dark mode, among a host of other improvements listed below.

1. Numerous enhancements and fixes for dark mode functionality.
2. The settings label for “Dark mode” options in “Settings/Interface” has been changed to “Color mode.”
3. WinRAR items in the context menu of Windows 11 appear more swiftly when right-clicking a selection of archives.
4. Using the “Export settings to file” feature in the “Options/Import and export” submenu no longer prompts the User Account Control dialog.
5. In command line mode, the “Bad archive” error code 13 now indicates an attempt to extract a non-RAR file with a. rar extension.
6. The “External viewer name” setting in “Settings/Viewer” now accommodates path formats that start with “\,” “..\,” or “.\,” which allows for specifying paths relative to the WinRAR folder. This is beneficial for installations on USB drives that lack a fixed drive letter, such as \utils\viewer.exe,. .\viewer.exe, or. \viewer.exe.
7. Bug fixes include:
   1. Compression performance could be unexpectedly low in certain rare scenarios involving specific source data within a non-solid archive;
   2. The console version of RAR would encounter an endless loop when processing user responses to prompts like the overwrite confirmation on Windows 7;
   3. Executable files located in archive subfolders did not run correctly, resulting in a “Cannot execute” error;
   4. The settings in WinRAR.ini could be reset if the “Reuse existing window” option was active while multiple archives were opened in the same instance of the application.

It’s important to note that the native RAR archiver integrated into Windows already stands out in its effectiveness.

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Author: Egor Kostenko

My goal is to make complex technical topics simple and accessible. On this site, I gather unique and useful content that not only solves users’ problems but also helps them better understand the capabilities of Windows.