If you’re staring at a file with a CBR extension, it’s likely that you’re about to read your favorite comic book or manga. Whatever the case, let’s open it first.

What is a CBR file?

A CBR file is just a compressed set of images that are archived in RAR format. You can extract images from a CBR file with any application that supports RAR format, such as WinZip or WinRAR.

But, if you’re planning to read a comic book, I wouldn’t advise you to do that, because the uncompressed images may not be displayed in the correct order. Instead, what you need is a comic book reader.

How to open a CBR file

There are dozens of free comic book readers that you can use to open CBR files on your windows laptop. We’ve listed three of the best below. They are compatible with Windows 10, 8, and 7.

1. CDisplayEx

CDisplayEx is probably the most popular CBR reader on the web. It opens files with .cbr, .cbz, .cbt, or .cba extensions – these are the equivalents of RAR, ZIP, TAR, or ACE archive files.

Some useful features in CDisplayEX are color correction, customizable language, keyboard shortcuts, and easy controls.

CDisplayEx

2. ComicRack

Another free tool for skimming through comic books on your computer. This one supports major file formats and has some helpful additional features like rotate screen viewing, several screen modes, and font size customization. Get it from this link.

comic Rack user interface

3. SumatraPDF

This tiny program is not only simple to use but also powerful. In addition to CBR files, it can open CBZ, ePub, PDF, DjVu, and XPS file formats. Fetch the installer from Sumatra’s official page.

Author: Victor WachangaWriter, 3D artist, and thinker. Tech is fascinating. Tech is scary

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