If you want to convert DMG to ISO, it's good to learn a little about disk image file types and what they're meant for. Essentially, a disk image is a snapshot of the content on a DVD, CD, BRD or even a hard drive. It could be just a set of media files, but it can also contain software installation files. In the second case, the disk image will also need to contain boot information in order to boot from the media.
Specifically, DMG is what Apple uses for the macOS environment, while ISO is more widely used in Windows-based and Linux environment. At times, you may need to convert DMG to ISO so you can mount it as a virtual drive on a Windows machine to extract the contents, view them or burn them to create bootable media. The process to convert DMG to ISO is different based on which operating system you're using for the conversion. This article shows you how to convert DMG files to ISO files on Windows, Mac and Linux.
Method 1: How to Convert DMG to ISO on Windows 10 (DMG2IMG)
Jan 15, 2011 DMGExtractor is a Java-based application for extracting and converting Mac OS X dmg (Disk Image) file content into widely used image file formats, such as, BIN, ISO, and IMG.According to the developer, it is capable of manipulating CUDIFDiskImage based disk images while all other AES-128 encrypted disk images can also be handled. The DMG image format is by far the most popular file container format used to distribute software on Mac OS X. Here’s how to convert a DMG file into an ISO file that can be mounted on a Windows PC. First head over to this website and grab yourself a copy of dmg2img by clicking on the win32 binary link.
DMG2IMG is a software utility that converts DMG files into Apple's older IMG format as well as the universally used ISO format. The process is simple, but it requires some command line work. The steps to use DMG2IMG to convert DMG to ISO have been detailed below:
Step 1. Download and install DMG2IMG on your Windows computer. Once the installation is done, open File Explorer and go to the location where you downloaded the application.
Step 2. Right-click on the folder where the software has been downloaded, and select 'Open command window here…' to launch Command Prompt.
Step 3. In Command Prompt, execute the following command (click Enter after typing in the command):
dmg2img 'C:UsersSample UserDesktopsample.dmg' 'C:UsersSample UserDocumentsConvertedRandom.iso'
Step 4. Please note that the double-quotes are required only if you have a space in your file path. In this example, there's a space between Sample and User, so the quotes are needed. If there are no spaces, you can do away with the quotes.
This method only works in 32-bit Windows versions. The conversion is usually done accurately, but you may come across errors that can corrupt the output ISO file. If you're going to be doing a lot of such conversions from DMG to ISO, we recommend getting a proper software utility.
Method 2: How to Convert DMG to ISO on macOS (Disk Utility)
Mac OS X and macOS offer an easier way to convert DMG to ISO, which is only natural because DMG is the native disk image format used by Apple. The Disk Utility that's built into Mac will help you do the conversion from DMG to ISO. Follow the steps below to convert your disk image files:
Step 1. Launch Disk Utility in Mac from Applications > Utilities.
Step 2. Open a Finder window and double-click on the DMG file to mount it. You should be able to see it on the left panel in Disk Utility.
Step 3. Right-click the DMG file in the left panel and select 'Convert'. In the new window that appears, select 'DVD/CD Master' as your output and click on Save. This will save your DMG file in a format with the extension .cdr.
Step 4. Rename the file by replacing .cdr with .iso. The file is now in the ISO format.
The exported ISO file can now be burned to a disk, or mounted within Mac as a virtual drive so you can view or extract the contents. The conversion process is quick, and it's convenient because it does not require any additional software.
Method 3: How to Convert DMG Files to ISO on Linux
In a Linux machine, you can use Terminal to convert DMG to ISO. For this, you will first need the Linux version of DMG2IMG. You can get it using a Terminal command, as shown below:
Step 1. Execute the following command in Terminal:
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install dmg2img
Step 2. You can now proceed with the conversion command: dmg2img example.dmg example.iso
Step 3. You can also define a specific file path for the output (converted) file, but this basic command is what you need to use for the conversion.
As with any file conversion, the process to convert DMG to ISO could present some hurdles, such as corrupted files at output. If you see this happening multiple times, it's possible that the source file itself is corrupted. In such cases, it's better to try and get an authentic download rather than struggle with a corrupt file. In any case, if you're sure the DMG file is verified, these methods to convert DMG to ISO in Windows, macOS and Linux should work for you.
Related Articles & Tips
Here are ways that you can convert dmg files to iso files on Mac OSX, Windows and Linux.
Before we start, let’s download a dmg file from the public domain. I found one on Apple’s article about The XMLHttpRequest Object website while I was learning Ajax and that can be downloaded from this link. This is just a 150KB dmg file and will be handy if you want to have something to test with while you’re following this tutorial.
How To Convert DMG Files To ISO Files On Mac
Hdiutil Convert Dmg To Iso
Method 1: Using the Mac terminal
1. Open a terminal window from Finder > Applications > Utilities > Terminal.
2. Assuming that you have a disk image called apple.dmg in the current directory, type
hdiutil convert apple.dmg -format UDTO -o apple.iso
3. This will actually create a file called image.iso.cdr in the current directory (even though we asked for the output to be image.iso). This file can be safely renamed to image.iso, copied to a Windows server or machine, and burned with your CD/DVD burner of choice.
Generally, the command hdiutil can be used this way:
hdiutil convert /path/to/filename.dmg -format UDTO -o /path/to/savefile.iso
Method 2: Using DMGConverter (freeware)
1. DMGConverter is a disk image (.dmg, .cdr, .iso) creation and conversion tool which is simple and easy to use. It is a very useful tool for the collective processing of more than one file and every folder, and it can deal with all the fundamental processing with the drag & drop of the file/folder. For Mac Only.
How To Convert DMG Files To ISO Files On Windows
This is for Windows users who might have downloaded a dmg file and wondering how to extract the content, or not even knowing how and what to do with the dmg file. I’ve been there at a certain stage. the sharewares mentioned are fully functional and allows you to use the “convert dmg to iso” function even when it’s not registered yet.
Method 1: Using MagicISO (shareware)
1. Download MagicISO, install and run program.
2. Click to open dmg file.
3. Click to open “Properties” dialogs.
4. Uncheck Apple HFS and Apple HFS+
5. Check “ISO 9660” “Joliet” “UDF”
6. Click OK
7. Click to save as to iso image, or click to burn to CD/DVD without saving.
Method 2: Using UltraISO (shareware)
UltraISO basically does the same thing, but it can save you time from doing step 3 to 6 compared to method 1.
Convert Iso To Dmg Windows
Alternative Solutions: dmg2iso (freeware) and isobuster (shareware)
Convert Dmg File To Iso
I’ve heard and read that some people had been able to convert dmg files into iso files using dmg2iso (freeware). I’ve tried dmg2iso, converted my dmg file to iso without problem, but the converted iso file is corrupted and can’t be open by any tools (Daemon Tools, Alcohol, MagicISO, UltraISO and ISOBuster) that I’ve tested. It might work for you, but no guarantees.
ISOBuster is pretty similar to MagicISO and UltraISO. But too bad that the function to “convert dmg to iso” is restricted and won’t be functional until you buy the software.
How To Convert DMG Files To ISO Files On Linux
Free open-source app AcetoneISO provides a great deal of disc image manipulation tools not found in the Gnome desktop. It can mount/unmount a variety of image formats (ISO, DMG, MDF, NRG, BIN, NRG), convert images, create, encrypt, and decrypt ISOs, play DVDs (with the required codecs installed), and much more. It is particularly useful for mounting proprietary formats found in Windows and Mac boot discs. AcetoneISO is a one-stop-shop for all of your CD/DVD image manipulation needs, and is a free download for Linux only. This works on all famous linux distro such as Ubuntu, SUSE, Fedora, Mandrake, and Redhat.
So there you have it, and this should get you covered no matter what operating system you’re using.