How to Open and Work With a DMG File in Windows

Posted by Robert Hayes on June 11, 2019

Though MacOS and Windows are pretty similar when it comes to performing basic tasks
like web browsing, watching Netflix, and writing up documents, there�s some major
differences in how each operating system reads, writes, and installs files and
applications. While Windows devices use .exe files in order to �execute� an action,
Mac OS has its own special file types that allow it to perform all sorts of tasks.
For example, a .pkg file can be installed to your MacBook or iMac, while a .dmg
file allows you to clone existing drives in order to move information and other
content around between machines.

Also see our article

How To Speed Up Windows 10 � The Ultimate Guide

Of course, if someone gives you a .dmg file and you work primarily within Windows,
you may be concerned about how to actually open these drive images on your
computer. While Mac OS allows you to navigate to the drive within Finder in order
to mount the file like a removable drive, Windows may run into some
issues�especially since Windows wasn�t designed to read and use .dmg files in the
first place.

How to open a DMG file in Windows3

In this guide, we�ll be taking a look at how to use .dmg files with Windows, so
that you�ll be able to, at the very least, view inside the drive to gain and
possibly retrieve information. Let�s dive in!

OPEN A DMG FILE IN WINDOWS

Though there isn�t much you can do with a .dmg file within Windows, there are ways
to open the platform within your computer. Despite the differences between the core
of Mac OS and Windows 10, .dmg files can be read with the assistance of third-party
apps.

To open a .dmg file, we turned to 7-Zip, one of our favorite ways to extract files
on Windows. It�s a powerful open-source tool, but it�s far from the only app on the
market today. If 7-Zip doesn�t work for you, both DMG Extractor and Apple Disk
Image Forensics may be able to help you out. Using 7-Zip, we followed these steps:

Download and install 7-Zip or alternative extractor if you don�t have it already.
Right click the DMG file in Windows Explorer and select Extract.
Extract the file somewhere safe. It may take your computer a while to perform this
action as the file may be enormous. You�ll also need enough free space on your hard
drive.
Open the folder 7-Zip created to browse the contents.
Although this won�t help you do much with the actual content within the drive, you
can use 7-Zip to view the content within the disk image itself. If 7-Zip struggles
to extract your file, try right-clicking and using the Open Archive option.

How to open a DMG file in Windows2

CONVERT A DMG FILE INTO AN ISO

If you absolutely need to be able to access the contents of a .dmg file on your
Windows computer, you�ll need to convert it into an ISO file. This allows you to
mount it as normal using the ISO program of your choice. To do this, you�ll need a
conversion tool like AnyToISO, WinArchiver or PowerISO. Most ISO converters aren�t
free, or offer both paid and free tiers, so be aware that you may need to use a
Lite version of the app or upgrade to a paid version in order to enter your file
contents.

USING ANYTOISO

Download and install your converter of choice.

Right click the DMG file and select �Convert to �iso�. The filename will depend on
what your DMG file is called.
Tell the program where to store the ISO and select Start.
Allow the program to convert the file. It can take as little as 10 minutes or
longer depending on the size of the file and speed of your computer.
USING POWERISO

Download and install PowerISO.

Open it, select Tools and Convert.
Set the DMG file as the source and set a destination.
Select OK to begin the process.
Once the process completes, you should have a fully working ISO file that you can
mount within Windows. You should be able to see what the file contains and check
file sizes and properties. However, you won�t be able to do anything with the
contents as they will not work in Windows. Now you have an ISO, you can mount it
within a VM and attempt to load a MAC OS virtual machine. This will only work if
the DMG was a complete image file and not damaged or missing any components. You
will only really find that out when you try to install it. There are better ways to
load Mac OS X onto a VM but this one will work if the DMG file is complete.

You won�t often come across DMG files in Windows unless you�re trying to create a
hackintosh or Apple virtual machine. However, if you do come across one of these
files on your travels as least you now know what to do with it!

Have any other techniques for working with DMG files on Windows? Share them with us
below!