What is a .cbr file?
Comic Book RAR · eBook · Comic reader community · 2000s
A CBR is a comic book file, the same idea as CBZ but the pages are packed in a RAR archive instead of a ZIP. Comic readers open it the same way; the only real difference is the compression used inside.
What is a .cbr file used for?
A CBR holds a comic's pages as image files inside a RAR archive, sorted into reading order. To a comic reader it behaves exactly like a CBZ.
The one practical difference is creation: making a RAR needs WinRAR's paid tools, so people who build their own comics usually choose CBZ, which any ZIP tool can produce.
You can open a CBR in a comic reader, or rename it to .rar and extract the images with a free tool like 7-Zip or The Unarchiver.
What opens a .cbr file?
The .cbr format opens in the following apps, grouped by operating system. If one app does not work, try another from the same list.
Windows
- YACReader
- CDisplayEx
- rename to .rar and extract with 7-Zip
macOS
- YACReader
- Simple Comic
- rename to .rar and extract with The Unarchiver
Linux
- YACReader
- MComix
Web
- Some online comic readers
Open a .cbr file step by step
- Confirm the file really is a .cbr. Drop it into the WhatFileType identifier, which reads its signature in your browser without uploading anything.
- On Windows, open it with YACReader or CDisplayEx.
- On Mac, use YACReader or Simple Comic.
- On Linux, try YACReader or MComix.
- Still stuck? Convert the .cbr to CBZ, which opens more widely.
Why can't I open my .cbr file?
Almost always because no installed app understands CBR. Install one of the apps above, or convert the file to a format your existing software already reads. If double-clicking opens the wrong program instead of nothing at all, the file association is set to the wrong app rather than the file being broken.
The other possibility is that the file is not really a .cbr at all. Drop it into the file identifier to check it by its bytes instead of its name. Nothing is uploaded.
How to convert a .cbr file
You can convert a .cbr file to CBZ, PDF using a conversion tool or the export menu of an app that opens it.
What is the .cbr file signature (magic bytes)?
A .cbr file starts with the hex bytes 52 61 72 21 1A 07, which read as Rar!.. in ASCII. Programs identify CBR by those bytes, not by the filename, so a renamed file still gives itself away.
These are the documented signatures for CBR. For a full breakdown, see the RAR file signature page.
| Hex signature | Offset | ASCII | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 52 61 72 21 1A 07 | 0 | Rar!.. | RAR header; a CBR is a RAR of image pages |
See the full magic-numbers reference for every format.
Frequently asked questions
What is a .cbr file?
A CBR is a comic book file, the same idea as CBZ but the pages are packed in a RAR archive instead of a ZIP. Comic readers open it the same way; the only real difference is the compression used inside.
How do I open a CBR file?
Open it in a comic reader like YACReader or CDisplayEx. Or rename it to .rar and extract the images with 7-Zip on Windows or The Unarchiver on Mac.
Which is better, CBR or CBZ?
They read identically. CBZ is generally preferred because it uses ZIP, which is free to create and open everywhere, whereas making a CBR needs paid RAR tools.
Related formats
Sources
Details on this page were checked against authoritative references. How sources are ranked and what is deliberately left out is set out in the methodology.