How to Update unrar on CentOS

This guide covers the package manager commands required to update the unrar utility on CentOS systems. Keeping unrar updated ensures compatibility with newer archive formats and patches known security vulnerabilities. Below, you will find direct instructions for updating the package using standard repository managers like YUM and DNF, along with steps to verify your installation.

1. Enable the EPEL Repository

The unrar package is proprietary and typically hosted in the Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux (EPEL) repository or third-party repositories rather than the default base repositories. Ensure EPEL is active before attempting to update:

For CentOS 7:

sudo yum install epel-release

For CentOS 8 or CentOS Stream:

sudo dnf install epel-release

2. Update unrar Using YUM (CentOS 7)

If you are running CentOS 7, use the yum package manager to check for updates and upgrade unrar.

To check if an update is available:

sudo yum check-update unrar

To update unrar to the latest version:

sudo yum update unrar -y

3. Update unrar Using DNF (CentOS 8 / CentOS Stream)

On CentOS 8 and newer versions, dnf replaces yum as the primary package manager (though yum commands will alias to dnf).

To check for available updates:

sudo dnf check-update unrar

To update unrar:

sudo dnf update unrar -y

4. Verify the Installed Version

After running the update commands, verify that the package was successfully upgraded by checking the installed version:

unrar --version

Alternatively, you can query the RPM database to view package details:

rpm -q unrar