Are my RAR files uploaded anywhere?

Yes — this conversion needs software that cannot run in a browser, so the file is uploaded over an encrypted connection. It is deleted as soon as the job finishes, and the result is removed after 60 minutes.

Is converting RAR to BZ2 free?

Yes, up to 100 conversions a day for files up to 25 MB. That one limit exists because this conversion runs on a server we pay for; nothing else here is metered, and there is no watermark either way.

Does converting RAR to BZ2 lose quality?

No. BZ2 stores the same content without discarding anything, so the result is identical in quality to the original. The files come out byte for byte. What does not survive is anything the container held about them rather than in them — a password, and on some formats the original permissions and timestamps.

Do I need to install anything to open BZ2 files?

No. The conversion runs on our side and gives you a finished BZ2 file; opening it needs whatever software normally handles Bzip2 Archive.

RARtoBZ2

Convert RAR to BZ2

Up to 100 files at once. Mixed formats are fine.

You can convert RAR to BZ2 free and without an account: drop the file above and the BZ2 is ready to download in a second or two. The file is sent over an encrypted connection, converted on our server and deleted as soon as the job finishes.

What RAR and BZ2 are for

A proprietary archive format. Can be unpacked everywhere, created almost nowhere.

Compresses better than GZ and takes noticeably longer doing it.

How to convert RAR to BZ2

Drop your RAR file onto this page, or click to pick one.
Choose BZ2 as the target and start the conversion.
Download the finished BZ2 file.

RAR vs BZ2: what changes

RAR compared with BZ2
	RAR	BZ2
Full name	RAR Archive	Bzip2 Archive
File extension	.rar	.bz2
Media type	application/vnd.rar	application/x-bzip2
Compression	Lossless — nothing is discarded	Lossless — nothing is discarded

Quality: Nothing is lost. The result holds exactly the same picture, text or data as the original.
Where it runs: This conversion runs on our server, because it needs software a browser cannot run.
What can be lost: The files come out byte for byte. What does not survive is anything the container held about them rather than in them — a password, and on some formats the original permissions and timestamps.

RAR to BZ2: common questions

Are my RAR files uploaded anywhere?: Yes — this conversion needs software that cannot run in a browser, so the file is uploaded over an encrypted connection. It is deleted as soon as the job finishes, and the result is removed after 60 minutes.
Is converting RAR to BZ2 free?: Yes, up to 100 conversions a day for files up to 25 MB. That one limit exists because this conversion runs on a server we pay for; nothing else here is metered, and there is no watermark either way.
Does converting RAR to BZ2 lose quality?: No. BZ2 stores the same content without discarding anything, so the result is identical in quality to the original. The files come out byte for byte. What does not survive is anything the container held about them rather than in them — a password, and on some formats the original permissions and timestamps.
Do I need to install anything to open BZ2 files?: No. The conversion runs on our side and gives you a finished BZ2 file; opening it needs whatever software normally handles Bzip2 Archive.