RAR Files
How RAR Recovery Records Work
A recovery record is optional redundant data added to a RAR archive when it's created, so that if the archive later becomes damaged, WinRAR can use that redundancy to repair it. It's the main defense against a [corrupted RAR file](/corrupted-rar-file).
When you create an archive in WinRAR, there's an option to add a recovery record, specified as a percentage of the archive's size. That percentage of extra data is calculated from the archive's contents and stored alongside it, inside the same archive file. It doesn't contain a full duplicate copy — it's structured redundancy, similar in principle to how error-correction works on a CD or in networking, that lets damaged bytes be reconstructed if enough of the surrounding data is intact.
What damage it can repair
- Small pockets of corrupted or flipped bytes scattered through the file, such as from an unreliable download or storage error.
- Limited data loss, roughly proportional to the size of the recovery record — a 5% recovery record can typically repair a smaller amount of damage than a 10% one.
What it cannot repair
- Large missing sections, such as a truncated download that never finished.
- Damage that exceeds the redundancy budget the recovery record was created with.
- A completely missing volume in a multi-volume archive — that needs a
.revrecovery volume instead, not the in-archive recovery record. - Forgotten passwords — recovery records address data integrity, not access.
The size trade-off
| Recovery record % | Approximate archive size increase | Protection level |
|---|---|---|
| None | 0% | No repair possible if damage occurs |
| Low (e.g. 3-5%) | Small increase | Handles minor, scattered corruption |
| Higher (e.g. 10%+) | Larger increase | Handles more extensive corruption, at the cost of archive size |
Because the recovery record adds to the archive's total size, it's a trade-off between resilience and storage or transfer cost. For archives you're sending over an unreliable connection, or storing long-term on media prone to bit rot, adding a recovery record is worthwhile. For a quick, disposable transfer, it's often skipped.
To actually use a recovery record after damage occurs, open the archive in WinRAR and choose the repair option; see corrupted RAR file for the full repair walkthrough.
Frequently asked questions
Does every RAR archive have a recovery record?
No, it's an optional setting chosen when the archive is created. Archives without one have no built-in repair capability.
Can a recovery record fix a completely truncated download?
Usually not. Recovery records handle scattered internal damage up to a certain amount, not large missing sections like an incomplete download.
Does adding a recovery record slow down compression?
It adds some extra data and processing when creating the archive, but the effect is generally minor compared to the size of the recovery record itself.
How do I use a recovery record to fix a damaged archive?
Open the archive in WinRAR and use its repair function, which checks for and applies any recovery record automatically. See [corrupted RAR file](/corrupted-rar-file).
Is a recovery record the same as a backup?
No. It only helps with partial in-place damage to that one archive file, not with loss of the whole file or forgotten passwords.
Related guides
- What Is a RAR File?A RAR file (.rar) is a compressed archive that bundles one or more files together using RARLAB's proprietary compression format.
- The RAR File Format ExplainedRAR is a proprietary archive format with its own header structure, versioning, and optional features like solid compression and recovery records.
- How to Fix a Corrupted RAR ArchiveA corrupted RAR archive can sometimes be repaired, and sometimes can't. Here's how to test one, what recovery tools actually do, and when re-downloading is the real fix.
- What Is a Multi-Volume RAR Archive?A multi-volume RAR archive is a single archive split across multiple files, so it can be stored, uploaded, or transferred in smaller pieces instead of one large file. See [multi-part RAR files](/multi-part-rar-files) for the extraction-focused version of this guide.
- RAR Archive Has Missing Volume: What to CheckA missing-volume error means the extractor found a gap in a sequence of RAR parts it expected to be complete — one or more `.rar` or `.partNN.rar` files simply aren't in the folder.
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