Open DMG Files
DMG files are Mac-formatted Disk Image files. They are most commonly used for installing programs on Mac computers, but they can contain any kind of file. Using DMG files on a Mac is usually as simple as double-clicking it, but things get a little more complicated if you're trying to open the file in Windows.
Contents
[hide]Steps
Using a Mac
- Double-click the DMG file. DMG files are Mac-format disk image files. They are most commonly used for installing applications. When you double-click the DMG file, a new Finder window will open showing the contents of the file.
- If you are using Windows, click here.
- View the contents of the DMG file. Double-clicking the DMG will show all of the contents of the DMG image. These could be documents, pictures, programs, or any other type of file.
- Install programs from a DMG file by dragging them to your Applications folder. If the DMG file contains application files, simply dragging them to your Applications folder should install them.
- Some programs will have an installer that should be run instead of just dragging the files.
- Unmount the DMG image after using it. Once you are done browsing the files or installing the program, you can unmount the disk image from your computer by right-clicking on it and selecting "Eject".
- Make sure you right-click the virtual disk on your desktop, not the actual DMG file.
- Delete your DMG file after installing. As you download more and more programs, your old DMG files will begin to take up a significant amount of space. Drag your old DMG files to the Trash to get rid of them.
Viewing DMG Files in Windows
- Understand what you can do with DMG files in Windows. Since DMG files are formatted for Macs, there is no built-in way to open them in Windows. You will need a third-party program to be able to view their contents.
- If you're trying to install a program using the DMG file, you'll need to download the Windows installer instead. Programs from DMG files cannot be installed in Windows.
- Download a DMG viewer/extractor. There are several programs that can open DMG files so that you can see what's inside. The most popular free options is HFSExplorer. You can get it from catacombae.org/hfsexplorer/.
- During the setup process, make sure to check the "Register .dmg file association" box so that DMG files open in HFSExplorer.
- Double-click the DMG file and select "disk image (Apple_HFS)" from the drop-down menu. If you associated DMG files with HFSExplorer during installation, HFSExplorer should open automatically when you double-click the DMG file.
- If HFSExplorer doesn't open, drag the DMG file onto the HFSExplorer icon.
- Select the file you want to extract. After the DMG file opens in HFSExplorer, you will be shown all of the files and folders it contains. Select any file(s) that you want to extract.
- Click the "Extract" button. This will copy any files that you've selected from the DMG file onto your computer. You will be prompted to select the location you want to save the file(s).
- Select whether you want to include symbolic links. You will be prompted to choose after clicking the "Extract" button. Selecting Yes will preserve the file structure of the DMG file after extracting, but will lead to more space taken and the extraction process will be longer.
- Wait for the extraction process to complete. This may take a while for larger files. Once the extraction is complete, you can start using the extracted files.
- Since DMG files are Mac-formatted, there's a very good chance that all of the included files will also be Mac-formatted. Your options for manipulating these files may be severely limited.
Converting DMG to ISO
- Download PowerISO. This is a paid tool, but you can use the free trial to convert your DMG file to ISO. This will allow you to burn it to a disc in Windows and access the contents.
- You can download it from poweriso.com.
- Click "Tools" → Convert in the PowerISO window.
- Select your DMG file as the "Source file". You can use the folder button to browse for it on your computer.
- Select "ISO" as the "Destination file". Enter in the name you want the file to appear as.
- Click .OK to begin converting. The process may take a while, especially for larger DMG files.
- Burn or mount the ISO. After the DMG file has been converted, you can either burn it to a blank disk or mount it in a virtual drive to access the contents.
- Click here for detailed instructions on burning ISO files to a DVD.
- Click here for detailed instructions on mounting ISO files to a virtual drive.
- Since DMG files are Mac-formatted, there's a very good chance that all of the included files will also be Mac-formatted. Your options for manipulating these files may be severely limited.
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