You download a file. Double-click. Nothing happens. Right-click, and macOS offers no help. The file ends in .rar, .7z, or some other format the built-in Archive Utility refuses to touch. You need Keka.

Keka is a file archiver for Mac that compresses and extracts almost every archive format in existence. It's what Archive Utility should have been.

What Keka Actually Does

Keka compresses files into smaller packages and extracts files from compressed archives. The app supports 16 compression formats including 7Z, ZIP, TAR, GZIP, BZIP2, XZ, LZIP, LZ4, BROTLI, ZSTD, LRZIP, AAR, SNAPPY, WIM, DMG, and ISO. For extraction, it handles even more—over 30 formats total, including RAR, which macOS can't open on its own.

Drop files onto the Keka icon in your Dock, select your compression format, and you're done. Extract by double-clicking compressed files or dropping them onto Keka. The interface stays out of your way.

Compression Formats You'll Use

ZIP remains the universal standard for sharing files across platforms. Everyone can open a ZIP file. Keka creates them instantly.

7Z offers better compression ratios than ZIP but requires recipients to have extraction software. Use it for large archives you're storing locally or sharing with people who know their way around compression tools.

TAR combined with GZIP or BZIP2 creates compressed tarballs—the format developers and system administrators use constantly. Keka handles these without extra steps.

Security Through Encryption

Keka supports AES-256 encryption for password-protected archives. Set a password during compression, and nobody accesses those files without it. The encryption works with multiple formats including ZIP and 7Z.

You can also split large archives into smaller pieces. This matters when you're uploading files to services with size limits or transferring data across multiple storage devices.

Affiliate disclosure: some links in this article are Amazon Associate links. If you buy through them, Next Level Mac may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you, and we only recommend products that genuinely bring value to your Apple setup.

Storage for Your Compressed Archives

Compressing files saves space, but you still need somewhere to store those compressed archives. An external SSD gives you fast, reliable storage for large compressed files without filling up your Mac's internal drive.

The Samsung T9 Portable SSD delivers transfer speeds up to 2,000MB/s over USB 3.2. The drive handles large compressed video projects, RAW photo backups, and archived work files without slowdown. Its compact aluminum casing resists drops up to three meters, and the rubberized exterior provides grip during travel.

Dynamic Thermal Guard prevents overheating during sustained file transfers. The included USB-C to USB-C cable works directly with modern MacBooks, while the USB-C to USB-A cable supports older Macs. Samsung's Magician software adds hardware encryption and monitors drive health.

Where you can get the Samsung T9 Portable SSD 2TB (Amazon Affiliate Link):

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CHFS9K14?tag=nextlevelmac-20&gbOpenExternal=1

Finder Integration

Keka integrates with macOS Finder through a system extension. Right-click any file or folder, navigate to Keka in the contextual menu, and choose to compress or extract without opening the app.

The app works with macOS 10.10 or later and fully supports macOS Tahoe 26 with the new Liquid icon design. Updates arrive regularly with support for new compression formats and macOS features.

Format Verification

Keka includes compression verification to confirm your archives are error-free. After creating an archive, enable verification in preferences, and Keka checks the compressed file's integrity. This prevents corrupted archives from wasting storage space or causing data loss later.

The app also detects file formats automatically. Drop a file with an unrecognized extension onto Keka, and it analyzes the file structure to determine the actual format. This works for up to 10 files at once.

Price and Availability

Keka costs $5.99 on the Mac App Store, which includes automatic updates and supports continued development. A free version exists on the developer's website, but the App Store version simplifies updates and supports the developer directly.

You can also tip the developer through in-app purchases ranging from $0.49 monthly coffee support to one-time tips up to $49.99. These optional purchases fund ongoing development without blocking features behind a paywall.

Using Keka Daily

Set Keka as your default app for archive formats in Finder. Navigate to Finder Preferences, select a compressed file, choose Get Info, and set Keka to open all files of that type. Now double-clicking RAR, 7Z, or TAR files automatically launches Keka.

Keep Keka in your Dock for quick drag-and-drop access. Drop files to compress, drop archives to extract. The app remembers your last-used compression format and settings.

For batch operations, select multiple files in Finder, right-click, and use the Keka service to compress them all into a single archive or extract multiple archives simultaneously.

Why macOS Needs This

Archive Utility, macOS's built-in compression tool, handles ZIP and a few other formats. That's it. Try to open a RAR file, and you're stuck. Try to create a password-protected archive, and you need the command line.

Keka removes those limitations. It makes every archive format accessible through simple drag-and-drop actions. The app uses proven open-source compression tools including 7-Zip, UnRAR, and XZ Utils, ensuring compatibility with archives created on any operating system.

The developer responds to user feedback, adds format support regularly, and maintains compatibility with every macOS release. Version 1.6.1 arrived in December 2025 with macOS 26 support, updated compression libraries, and improved XAR extraction.

Download Keka from the Mac App Store for $5.99 or visit keka.io for the free version. You'll use it every time you need to compress files, open unfamiliar archive formats, or create secure encrypted backups of important data.