How to open a dmg file in windows

Whether you are an avid Mac programmer using a Windows PC, or you just found a DMG file on your Windows machine, it can be useful to know what it is and how to open it. Luckily it's easy to open on Windows if you know how.

What Are DMG Files?

DMG files are macOS disk image files. They are much like ISO files—their Windows-based counterpart.

These disk images normally contain program installation files for macOS apps, but they can also be used to hold compressed files. If it's an app written for macOS, you obviously won't be able to install and run the app on Windows. But, you can still open them up and take a look.

You can't open DMG files directly in Windows, though. For that, you'll need a third-party tool.

Open DMG Files in Windows By Using 7-Zip or DMG Extractor

There are a lot of different tools you can use to extract DMG files in Windows. Our two favorites are 7-Zip and DMG Extractor. In our testing, we found a few DMG files that would open with one of those apps but not the other. However, we found no DMG files we couldn't get open with one of those two apps.

We recommend starting with 7-Zip because the free version of DMG extractor has some limitations—the biggest of which is only being able to extract five files at a time. If 7-Zip cannot extract your DMG file, then you should try DMG Extractor and, optionally, decide whether it's worth buying the professional version.

Open DMG Files with 7-Zip

7-Zip is a lightweight, but powerful compression tool that is free to download. In addition to extracting DMG files, you can use 7-Zip to extract most types of compressed files out there, including ZIP, CAB, ISO, RAR, and WIM, to name just few. It also lets you create your own compressed files in ZIP, WIM, 7z, and a few other formats.

After installing 7-Zip, you can simply double-click a DMG file to open it and browse its contents.

How to open a dmg file in windows

If you'd like to extract the files from the DMG so they're easier to work with, right-click the DMG file, point to the "7-Zip" menu, and then choose one of the extraction options. Choose "Extract Files" to select a folder where the files are extracted, "Extract Here" to extract files to the same folder where the DMG file is, or "Extract to foldername" to create a new folder named after the DMG file and extract the files to that new folder.

How to open a dmg file in windows

The speed of the extraction depends on the size of the DMG file and the speed of your PC.

How to open a dmg file in windows

When the extraction is finished, you can browse the files in a regular File Explorer window.

How to open a dmg file in windows

You can view or edit the files using any of the regular File Explorer features or whatever apps you use.

Open DMG Files with DMG Extractor

DMG extractor provides another choice for extracting DMG files. The free version works well, but it does have some limitations:

  • You cannot extract files bigger than 4 GB
  • You cannot extract encrypted files
  • You can only extract 5 files at a time, which can be a pain if you need to extract an entire DMG file.

If you need any of the features on that list, you'll have to purchase the professional version ($9.95). For that reason, we highly recommend trying the 7-Zip solution we outlined in the previous section and resorting to DMG Extractor only if 7-Zip cannot open a particular file.

We're going to use the free version for this tutorial, but aside from those limitations, the professional version works the same.

After installing DMG Extractor, all you have to do is double-click your DMG file to open it up. You can browse the files right in the DMG Extractor window if you just want to see what's inside the DMG file.

How to open a dmg file in windows

If you need to extract the file, click the "Extract" button on the toolbar, and then choose one of the extraction options. You can extract all files to the desktop or a folder of your choosing, or you can extract only files you've selected.

How to open a dmg file in windows

Just remember that the free version only allows you to extract five files at a time.

That is essentially all you need to know when it comes to extracting the contents of DMG files to your Windows PC. If you do not want to download these programs, one other option is to follow our guide on how to convert DMG files to ISO's. After that conversion is done, you can mount the ISO in Windows and access the files that way.

File Type Apple Disk Image

What is a DMG file?

A DMG file is a mountable disk image used to distribute software to the macOS operating system. The file is typically downloaded from the Internet by a Mac user, then double-clicked to install an application on the computer.

Today, software developers typically build and distribute applications for Mac users as DMG, .APP, or .PKG files. DMG files are especially common since their contents can be verified upon installation to ensure they have not been tampered with and they can also be compressed to reduce the size of the installer.

When a Mac user downloads a DMG file, he can simply double-click it to open it with the DiskImageMounter utility that comes with macOS. When the DMG file is opened, it mounts a virtual disk on the desktop and in an Apple Finder window as if it was a CD or a USB flash drive that was just inserted into the computer.

In the Finder window, the Mac user can double-click the program icon, which is an APP file, to run the app. Or the Mac user can drag the program icon to the "Applications" folder icon to move it to the "Applications" directory in macOS.

After the software stored in the DMG file is installed, the DMG file is no longer needed. Therefore, DMG files can be deleted after installing the software.

While DMG files are Mac-specific and not intended for use in Windows, there are several Windows programs that can extract their contents or convert them to other formats. Some programs include 7-Zip, PeaZip, and DMG2IMG.

NOTE: The DMG format replaced the .IMG file format, which was previously used in Mac OS Classic.

By Petty Madison | Last Updated: Oct. 8, 2019

Typically, .dmg is a file exrension specially for Mac disk image and many apps use it as setup file of installation. In many ways, it is similar to the ISO format used in the Windows environment. However, there are some significant differences. The biggest difference is that while a DMG file that does not contain software installation files and can't be opened on a Windows machine in default. DMG that is meant for installing software can not be executed in Windows. In this article, we will show you how to open and view DMG files on Windows machines.

To view a DMG installation file on Windows 10, you will need a special application such as UUByte DMG Editor. Although you will be able to open the file in Windows, please note that the setup file can not be used as an executable in this case.

  • Part 1. Open DMG in Windows with PeaZip
  • Part 2. Open DMG Content on Windows with UUByte DMG Editor
  • Part 3. Extract a .dmg File with DMG Viewer
  • Part 4. Convert DMG to ISO and View it Later

Part 1: Open a DMG File in Windows 10/8/7 with PeaZip

PeaZip is a free and open-source file manager for varios types of compressed files. It can be used to open and view archive file formats such as DMG, ISO, RAR and many more. If the DMG file in question is not meant for software installation, you can use this program to view the contents of the file.

Step 1: Download PeaZip 64 Bit 6.6.0 on a Windows 10 64 Bit computer. Install the program and launch the application.

Step 2 : There are several ways in which you can open the DMG file at this point. The first way is to import the file from within the PeaZip software using the "Add" button. The second way is to double-click the DMG file, but this will only work if DMG is not associated with another program. The third option is to right-click on the DMG file and open with the PeaZip archive utility.

Step 3 : Once you have the file open in PeaZip, you will be able to view the contents and copy them to another location if you require. Depending on the type of files inside the DMG, you will require different applications to open individual files.

Cons:

  • Pop-up ads all the times.
  • Big challenge to find the correct information on its website.
  • Only available for 64 bit Windows OS.

Part 2: View a DMG File on Windows with UUByte DMG Editor

The second app we recommend in here is UUByte DMG Editor, which is a robust application is available for both Windows and Mac OS X systems. Using it, you can directly view the contents of an DMG file as well as edit the contents of the file in several different ways. It is fully compatible with all the latest versions of Mac OS as well as the latest Windows 10 update.

One feature that makes DMG Editor stand out from the crowd is the extensive testing that it has gone through on different brands of Windows PC’s and a wide range of computers running Mac OS X. Another important feature is that it requires zero technical expertise to use. As such, if you are not very familiar with DMG and ISO file formats, this would be the ideal tool for you.

Here's a short guide on opening DMG files on Windows and extracting data from them.

Once installed, DMG Extractor will run automatically.

Open DMG Extractor and select the DMG file you want to extract

Click the "Open" menu icon on the top-left of the window.

If the DMG archive is password protected, DMG Extractor will prompt you for its password:

How to open a dmg file in windows

DMG Extractor opening an encrypted DMG

DMG Extractor will load the file you selected. If you have a large DMG file, a progress bar will show until the DMG file is loaded.

How to open a dmg file in windows

DMG Extractor opening a 4GB+ DMG file

Now you should be able to see all the files contained within the DMG file and navigate folders and files.

Extract the files you want

Click "Extract", next to the "Open" button. You can choose whether to extract the whole of the DMG's contents into the same folder, or into a specific one chosen by you. If you don't need to extract all the files, just select the files you want and on the "Extract" menu click "Selected files to…"

That's it: extraction complete! Your selected files should now have been converted from the DMG file and saved onto your Windows computer ready for you to use.

If you are an avid Mac user using a Windows PC, and suddenly find a DMG file in your windows system, you would definitely want to open it up to see what it contains. Though the installation files or compressed files it contains will not be compatible with your windows PC, yet there are some ways you can check out what it withholds. But before proceeding with the ways to open or view a DMG file, it is better if we have a thorough knowledge of what a DMG file exactly is. DMG files are actually Mac OS disk image files. It is very similar to ISO files in windows, or rather a counterpart of ISO files.

The images usually comprise installation files of softwares and operating systems and sometimes, compressed files. Since you are using a windows PC, surely you won't be able to run it on your Window OS, but at least there are ways by which you can have a look at its contents. And that is what we are going to discuss in this article – ways to view the DMG files on Windows 10/7/8.

  • Way #1: Open DMG Files on Windows with 7-ZIP
  • Way #2: Open DMG Files with DMG Extractor
  • Way #3: View DMG files on Windows with UltraDMG

Way #1: Open DMG Files on Windows with 7-ZIP

7-ZIP is a lightweight freeware which is easily available on the internet market. It not only extracts DMG files but all other of compressed files, such as ZIP, CAB, ISO, RAR, WIM, etc. But we would restrict our discussion here only upto DMG. Read the steps below to know the tool's usage:

Step 1. Download the 7-ZIP program file in any of your working computer and install it.

Step 2. After installation is done, locate the DMG file that you wish to open or view in your directory or desktop, and right-click on it.

Step 3. From the context menu, click on "7-ZIP" which will not appear as a part of your system since installed.

Step 4. From the next sub-menu that follows click on "Open archive" and your DMG file will be opened and you can view the contents inside.

Cons :

  • You cannot view or extract files bigger than 4 GB.
  • You cannot view or extract encrypted files.
  • You are only allowed to extract 5 DMG files at a time.

Way #2: Open DMG Files with DMG Extractor

DMG Extractor is another professional tool to open and extract .dmg files without first converting them into .iso or .img files. It's interface is very user-friendly and even a beginner can use it without any difficulty. Just go through the steps below to pull off the task:

Step 1. First of all, download the DMG extractor program file from the internet and install it in your personal Windows PC.

Step 2. Run the application with admin rights and in the main UI of the tool's screen, click on "open" button in the upper menu bar to browse the required DMG file. The file will be loaded into the software's screen.

Step 3. After the file is loaded, you will be displayed all the contents contained within the DMG file.

Cons :

  • You cannot view or extract files bigger than 4 GB.
  • You cannot view or extract encrypted files.
  • You are only allowed to extract 5 DMG files at a time.

Way #3: View DMG files on Windows with UltraDMG

UltraDMG is yet another very powerful professional tool which can open, burn, extract, create, edit, convert, any kind of disk image files. It can process every kind of image files, be it BIN, DMG, ISO, DAA, etc. Here we would burn the image file into a CD/DVD or USB and then will open it from the disk storage to check out what it contains. But before you head on the tool's usage, better have a look at its specifications to use it in a better way.

Step 1. Get the program file downloaded from the official website and install it in your Windows computer.

Step 2. Launch the utility with admin privileges and then insert a empty Disk (CD/DVD or USB) in your computer. Then click on "Extract" option from the menu.

How to open a dmg file in windows

Step 4. Now the "DMG Extractr" option will be shown in the UltraDMG Window's screen.

Step 5. Click on "Load DMG " button to fetch the required DMG files from your computer's directory.

How to open a dmg file in windows

Step 6. Once the DMG file is loaded on program, all the files will be expended in aВ collectionВ ofВ trees, just select the files, folders or the entire DMG image, then click Extract button to save the files to your computer. Open the disk from "My computer" and click on the DMG file to view what it contains.

How to open a dmg file in windows

Conclusion:

After going through all the methods mentioned above, you must have realized by now that the first two tools implemented have got several demerits and thus can be not relied upon fully. So in order to have all the facilities with disk images, better stick to way 3 for a guarantee result.

Vicky is a professional Windows technology author with many experience, focusing on computer technology. She's very much enjoy helping people find solutions to their problems. Her knowledge and passion always drive her to discover everything about technology.

Robert Hayes Robert is a freelance editor and writer living in Colorado. Read more September 29, 2020

Though MacOS and Windows are pretty similar when it comes to performing basic tasks like web browsing, watching Netflix, and writing up documents, there are some major differences in how each operating system reads, writes, and installs files and applications.

How to open a dmg file in windows

While Windows devices use .exe files in order to "execute" an action, MacOS 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.

How to open a dmg file in windows

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 issuesвЂ"especially since Windows wasn't designed to read and use .dmg files in the first place.

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!

How to Open a DMG file in Windows 10

To open a .dmg file in Windows 10, we turned to 7-Zip, an open-source tool that can be used to extract files on Windows. Alternatives like DMG Extractor should also be considered if 7-Zip doesn't work for you.

How to open a dmg file in windows

Follow these steps to open a .dmg file with 7-Zip:

  1. Download and install 7-Zip or an alternative extractor.
    How to open a dmg file in windows
  2. Right-click the DMG file in Windows Explorer and select Extract.
    How to open a dmg file in windows
  3. Extract the file to a safe location and wait for it to complete.
    How to open a dmg file in windows
  4. Open the folder 7-Zip created to browse the contents.
    How to open a dmg file in windows

Although this won't help you do much with the 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 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, so be aware that you may need to use a Lite version of the app or upgrade to a paid version in order to access the file contents.

AnyToISO

First, let's take a look at how to convert files with AnyToIso.

How to open a dmg file in windows

  1. Download and install the converter.
    How to open a dmg file in windows
  2. Right-click the DMG file and select вЂ˜Convert to …iso’. The filename will depend on what your DMG file is called.
    How to open a dmg file in windows
  3. Tell the program where to store the ISO and select Start.
    How to open a dmg file in windows
  4. Allow the program to convert the file. It can take as little as 10 minutes or much longer depending on the size of the file and speed of your computer.

PowerISO

PowerISO is another effective application for converting DMG files to ISO files.

How to open a dmg file in windows

  1. Download and install PowerISO.
    How to open a dmg file in windows
  2. Open it, select Tools >Convert.
    How to open a dmg file in windows
  3. Set the DMG file as the source and set a destination.
    How to open a dmg file in windows
  4. Select OK to begin the process.

Once the process completes, 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.

Final Thoughts

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 happen to come across one of these files, you now know what to do with it!

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

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What can DMG extractor open?

What is the software for?

DMG Extractor is ideal if you need to:

Functionality & features

  • It automatically extracts the contents of the files to your computer
  • Opens encrypted or non-encrypted DMG files
  • Extract 4GB+ DMG files
  • Easy to use software, no technical knowledge required
  • No spyware or ads
  • Small download, rapid install
  • Powerful free version

Screenshots

How to open a dmg file in windows

Main screen: Choose what to recover.

How to open a dmg file in windows

Encrypted DMG support: Recover encrypted DMG files.

How to open a dmg file in windows

.IPA file extraction: Extract any .IPA zip or DMG file.

How to open a dmg file in windows

Extract the .IPSW restore file: from an iOS backup.

Start extracting DMG files in 3 easy steps

Download

Allow DMG Extractor to be installed to your computer

Setup

Follow the setup wizard to install the software

Open DMG Files

DMG EXtractor will open and extract Mac OS X dmg files on PC

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How to open a dmg file in windows

If you're someone who must use Windows and Mac in the course of your day, you've probably experienced problems when dealing with files in proprietary formats. One of these is DMG disk images. Don't worry, because it's easy to open Apple DMG Files on Windows 10. Here's how to do it.

More About DMG Files

An Apple Disk Image is a common file used by macOS. When opened, it's mounted as a volume within the Macintosh Finder. It can be structured in several proprietary disk image formats, including the Universal Disk Image Format (UDIF) or New Disk Image Format (NDIF). Typically, an Apple Disk Image has the .dmg extension, which is the one we're discussing here.

Best Option to Open Apple DMG Files on Windows 10

When it comes to opening DMG files on your Windows 10 machine, the best solution is to use 7-Zip. The free-to-use app has been around for a long time and is simple to use.

Once you have 7-Zip installed on your computer, follow these instructions to extract the DMG files:

  1. Right-click on the DMG file.
  2. Choice a solution from the list; ideally, select Extract Here or Extract Files.

Once 7-Zip is done, you'll find the extracted files in the location you selected. That's it! Whatever files that were in the DMG are now available on an individual basis. Note, however, that doesn't necessarily mean those files are readable on your computer, only that they are now viewable.

How to open a dmg file in windows

Then wait while the image is extracted to your computer.

How to open a dmg file in windows

Alternative Solution

If you don't want to use 7-Zip, an alternative solution to open DMG files on Windows 10 is DMG Extractor. In many respects, this is a better solution because of its straightforward, modern interface. And yet, to unlock all of its features, you'll need to purchase a $10 license. The free version limits you to five files from a DMG, and it won't work with encrypted files or those larger than 4GB.

Besides extracting content from Apple DMG files on Windows 10, DMG Extractor will also extract IPSW restore files from an iOS beta and contents from IPA files.

What About Mounting?

Converting a DMG file to an ISO file on your Windows 10 machine might be necessary as an additional step. If this is the case, you'll need to use a conversion tool like AnyToISO, WinArchiver, or PowerISO. Although paid versions are often necessary to unlock all of the app features, many are free solutions.

One Final Concern

Mixing files intended for Mac on Windows isn't always a smooth experience, and it's something you should keep in mind. Depending on the type of files inside, the extraction process could stop unexpectantly or leave incomplete results. If this is the case, it's wise to see if there's a Windows-centric alternative solution to your needs that will allow you to bypass the DMG file.

In summary, most folks aren't going to need to extract Apple DMG files on Windows 10. However, it's nice to know that it's (probably) possible. Either through 7-Zip, DMG Extractor, or another solution, extracting these files is most useful on Macs with a virtual copy of Windows 10 installed; however, it will work on a stand-alone Windows box.

DMG file refers to Apple Disk Image, which is a common file format for Apple MAC users. If you are an Apple MAC user, you might have seen this file extension previously. Generally, when you create a recovery disk of OS X, your system create a .dmg file that users mainly need to burn on a DVD or USB drive to work further.

On Apple's native platform, you can easily extract .dmg file and do your work without having third party tool. However, if you have a Windows PC and your friend has sent a .dmg file to check that out, you may face problem. This is because Windows OS cannot read .dmg file without any reader. That means, you need a software to open .dmg file on Windows PC.

Therefore, today I am going to introduce some well-known software those can aid you to open .dmg file on Windows PC.

How to open .dmg file on Windows?

This is however very easy when you have the right software.

This is the best tool for Windows to open .dmg file within seconds. You know that 7-Zip can deal with .rar, .zip and more other file formats of compressed files. Apart from those known extensions, 7-Zip can also handle .dmg file. You do not have to spend more than 30 seconds to open .dmg file on Windows using 7-zip. At first, choose the .dmg file and right click on it. Before doing so, make sure that you have already installed 7-Zip on your PC. After that, select Extract Here to extract the .dmg file. That's all! After completing the process, you can work with the extracted .dmg file.

PeaZip

This is yet another useful software to open .dmg file on Windows. You can easily open your desired file on Windows without having any kind of issue. PeaZip is available for 32bit as well as 64bit Windows 7, 8 and 8.1. Not only .dmg file but also you can work with 7z, ZIP, TAR, PEA, QUAD, ISO, JAR, EAR, RAR, SMZIP, UDF, WIM, XAR, XPI, TZ and more others. Just drop a .dmg file into this tool and extract the content.

TransMac

This is last but not the least software for Windows to extract .dmg file. Although, TransMac is available to download at free of cost but that is only for first fifteen days. After that, you will have to spend $48 to purchase the restriction free edition of TransMac.

How to open a dmg file in windows

TransMac comes with several awesome features and .dmg file opener is just one of them. If you have used GBurner, you can find some similarities. However, you can convert a DMG file into ISO image, which is readable on Windows. On the other hand, you can use TransMac to burn that converted ISO file or the original DMG file on DVD or USB Drive.

To extract .dmg file using TransMac, at first, download and install it. After that you will get option in your right click menu related to extraction.

Editor's Note

This is not very difficult to open .dmg file on Windows when you know that working software. However, when it comes to the best software to open .dmg file on Windows, I would suggest you to use 7-Zip. This is free, simple and very easy to use. However, if you need an all-in-one tool, don't think twice. Just go for TransMac.