DMG to ISO Converter

A DMG opens with a double-click on a Mac and with nothing at all on most other systems. Converting it to ISO puts the same files into a disc image that Windows, Linux and virtual machines mount natively.

or drop ZIP, ZIPX, RAR … files here ·

Max 95 MB per file· Up to 20 files· Deleted after 30 minutes

Output

Convert to

Files are processed on our servers and deleted after 30 minutes.

How to use this tool

1
Upload the DMG
Add the .dmg file, or up to 20 of them, each up to 95 MB. If the image asks for a password when opened on a Mac, enter it in Current password under Advanced settings.
2
Keep ISO selected
Convert to is set to ISO (disk image). Folders and dates are kept, and Skip hidden system files drops .DS_Store and similar Mac clutter.
3
Convert to ISO
Press Convert to ISO, download, and double-click the image on Windows to mount it.

DMG vs ISO: two kinds of disk image

DMG is Apple's disk image format, introduced with Mac OS X as UDIF (Universal Disk Image Format) and replacing the older NDIF images of classic Mac OS. A DMG is a virtual disk: it contains a whole Mac file system, HFS+ (1998) or APFS (2017), and can be compressed with zlib, bzip2, LZFSE or LZMA, encrypted with AES, or both.

ISO comes from optical discs. ISO 9660, standardized in 1988, describes the file system of a CD-ROM; Microsoft's Joliet extension added long Unicode names, and UDF from 1995 covers DVDs and larger files. Windows, Linux and macOS all mount ISO images natively, and every virtual machine app accepts one as a virtual DVD.

Outside a Mac, a DMG's file system is the problem. Windows has no HFS+ or APFS driver, so even an uncompressed DMG is unreadable there. 7-Zip can open many DMGs on Windows, but converting to ISO means nobody has to install anything. If you want an ordinary archive instead, see how to unzip files on any device.

DMG

Apple Disk Image

DMG is Apple's disk image format, used mainly to distribute macOS apps. When opened, it mounts as a virtual drive from which users drag the app to their Applications folder. DMG files can be compressed, encrypted and code-signed. Windows and Linux cannot mount them without third-party tools, and the apps inside usually run only on macOS.

Compression: Lossless
Transparency: –
Animation: –
Introduced: Apple

DMG converter

ISO

ISO disc image

An ISO file is an exact sector-by-sector copy of an optical disc, typically using the ISO 9660 or UDF file system. It is the standard way to distribute operating system installers, such as Windows and Linux, and to back up CDs and DVDs. Windows and macOS can mount ISO files as virtual drives, and tools can write them to USB sticks. ISO files are large because they contain the entire disc.

Compression: Lossless
Transparency: –
Animation: –
Introduced: 1988 · ISO / Ecma International

ISO converter

DMG files mount only on a Mac, so people convert them to ISO when documents, drivers or media inside must open on Windows, Linux or in a virtual machine; ISO to DMG is rarely needed, because macOS already mounts ISO files with a double-click.

DMG to ISO at a glance

	DMG	ISO
Defined by	Apple, with Mac OS X	ISO and Ecma, 1988
File system inside	HFS+ or APFS	ISO 9660, Joliet or UDF
Compression	Optional: zlib, bzip2, LZFSE or LZMA	None
Encryption	Optional AES-128 or AES-256	None
Mounts natively on	macOS	Windows 8 and later, Linux, macOS
Typical use	Mac app downloads	Disc copies, OS installers, virtual machines

Use the converted ISO on Windows, Linux or a VM

Windows 8, 10 and 11

01Double-click the ISO, or right-click and choose Mount.
02Open the new drive under This PC.
03Right-click the drive and choose Eject when done.

Linux

01Right-click the ISO and open it with Disk Image Mounter.
02Or mount it from a terminal with mount -o loop.

VirtualBox or VMware

01Open the VM's storage settings.
02Attach the ISO to the virtual optical drive.
03Browse it from inside the guest system.

DMG to ISO myths

MythConverting a DMG to ISO lets a Mac app run on Windows.

FactThe .app is copied as is and remains a macOS program; Windows cannot launch it.

MythAn ISO made from a macOS installer DMG will boot a PC.

FactThe ISO holds the installer's files, not a bootable system.

MythA DMG can be renamed to .iso.

FactRenaming changes nothing inside. The file still holds an Apple image or a Mac file system that Windows cannot mount.

DMG to ISO questions

Can Windows 10 open the converted ISO without extra software?

Yes. Since Windows 8, File Explorer mounts an ISO as a virtual drive when you double-click it or choose Mount from the right-click menu.

Can I turn a macOS installer DMG into a bootable ISO for a virtual machine?

Not here. Full macOS installers run to many gigabytes, beyond the 95 MB upload limit, and the ISO would hold files rather than a bootable system. Apple's license also allows macOS virtual machines only on Apple hardware.

How is this different from running hdiutil convert on a Mac?

hdiutil can write the DMG's raw blocks to a .cdr file that people rename to .iso, but that copy still contains HFS+ or APFS, which Windows cannot read. Here the files are read out of the DMG and written into a standard ISO file system.

Does the ISO keep Finder tags, custom icons and other Mac extras?

Expect them to be dropped. ISO file systems store names, folders, sizes and dates, but have no place for macOS extended attributes such as Finder tags. The files themselves are unchanged.

Should I convert the DMG to ZIP instead of ISO?

If you only want the files, yes: pick ZIP or Extract files in Convert to. Choose ISO when something expects a disc image, such as a virtual machine's optical drive or a disc-burning app. The archive converter lists every target.

Can the ISO be password-protected like the DMG was?

No. ISO has no encryption of its own, so a protected DMG becomes an open ISO once converted. If the contents are private, convert to ZIP or 7z instead and set a New password.

Repack other archives
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