Does unrar Preserve File Timestamps by Default?

When extracting files from a RAR archive using the unrar utility, the tool preserves original file modification timestamps by default. Users extracting files through standard commands do not need to supply extra arguments to keep the original modification dates intact, as the extraction process automatically applies the stored metadata to the newly unpacked files.

Default Timestamp Behavior

When a RAR archive is created, it automatically stores the last modification time (mtime) of each file. During extraction via standard commands such as unrar x archive.rar or unrar e archive.rar, unrar reads this metadata and restores the exact original modification timestamp for each extracted file.

However, standard filesystems track three distinct timestamps:

  • Modification Time (mtime): Preserved by default.
  • Creation/Birth Time (ctime / crtime): Not preserved by default unless specifically captured during compression and supported by the target operating system.
  • Access Time (atime): Set to the time of extraction by default unless explicitly archived and restored.

Managing Timestamps with the -ts Switch

To control how timestamps are handled, unrar provides the -ts (time stamp) switch. This allows fine-grained control over modification, creation, and access times during unpacking:

  • Restore All Timestamps: If the archive contains creation and access times, you can restore them alongside modification times using: 
    unrar x -ts archive.rar
  • Ignore Stored Timestamps: If you want extracted files to reflect the current system time instead of the original archive dates, disable timestamp restoration with -ts-: 
    unrar x -ts- archive.rar
  • Target Specific Timestamps: You can selectively restore specific attributes using modifier letters:
    • -tsm+: Restores modification time (default behavior).
    • -tsc+: Restores creation time (if present in the archive).
    • -tsa+: Restores last access time.

Directory Timestamps

While file modification times are restored cleanly, directory timestamps can behave differently depending on the operating system. When unrar extracts files into a folder, the host filesystem updates the folder’s modification time to reflect that new items were added inside it. Using full path extraction (unrar x) ensures that directory structures and metadata are handled as accurately as the filesystem permits.