What to do with the dmg file. How to open a dmg file

Some files, for example, game files or data folders, take up a lot of space on the hard drive and need to be compressed to write them to disk. Different systems and utilities have an individual extension of the saved data, for example, the dmg image corresponds to the Mac OS operating environment. Specific files can only be opened using special software.

DMG file - what is it?

For those who see the dmg extension for the first time, it is not immediately clear what it is and how to use it this file. Anyone who works with disk images can encounter it. What is a DMG file - this is data that was recorded on a computer from Apple with their operating system. This extension was developed to achieve maximum optimization when working with archives for all Macintosh owners. As a rule, they save it this way boot disk Mac OS if necessary, reinstall.

For everyone Apple computers this format does not cause problems because there is a built-in program for working with images - Apple Disk Utility. In some cases, it is necessary to unpack files in another working environment, for example, Android or Windows. This cannot be done with standard tools, so you will have to resort to help special utilities. Most of them are free and very easy to learn. You can extract data or convert the image to another format.

How to open DMG format on Windows

Most problems with this extension occur among Windows users because it cannot be opened by standard applications or through command line. There are many options for extracting documents. different programs, which perform the same function, but differ in interface, quantity additional functions. You can change the contents of the image, but they will be saved on your hard drive, and inside the archive there will be the previous version. If you come across the DMG format, how to open it in Windows will be described below.

One of the most convenient, popular programs for opening this format. Externally, the interface is very similar to standard archiver utilities. The main difference from them is the presence of a button called “Extract”, which means “Extract”. When you click on it, documents are copied from the image to the computer, which can be used or modified. The current version can always be downloaded from the website of the creators of the utility. The Extractor menu looks like this:

  1. Open. When you click, a explorer will appear in front of you through which you need to select the archive.
  2. Extract. After opening the archive, you need to click on this button and you will be offered three options to choose from: send documents to the folder with the image, save all files in another location, save only the selected ones.
  3. Settings.
  4. Help.

On the website you can find a link to download the free version of this application. All functions will be available, but the maximum image size you can work with cannot exceed 4 GB. This is the only negative in the Free version. If you have an archive larger than this volume, you will not be able to work with it. This restriction will be lifted immediately after purchasing the license.

This is another option for opening DMG. The utility is completely free, provides the ability to view images from file system HFS+, which is used by Mac OS X. Images of any size (without restrictions) can be opened without problems with this software. The only disadvantage of this option is that you will not be able to emulate or convert data to a virtual disk. To use the utility, you must install Java Runtime. After installing HFSExplore, all DMG files will change the appearance of the shortcut and will automatically open when double-clicked.

This is a powerful tool that helps you open many different formats, including DMG. The utility is paid, but you can download and install a version with a trial period from the official website. The main advantage of this option is that you can convert a Mac image into a standard one for Windows. Instructions for use:

  1. Once opened, you will need the "File" section from the top menu. Click on it and select “Open”.
  2. A conductor will appear in front of you, through which you should specify the path to the archive.
  3. Wait until the utility completes the opening process.
  4. Right-click on the file, select "Extract to"
  5. Specify the location on the disk where you want to save the open data.

How to open a DMG file using 7-Zip archiver

The easiest way to open DMG is to use 7-Zip. This is a universal tool that can work with a huge number of archives. It can be used both to read content only and to work on it:

  • editing;
  • copying;
  • deletion;
  • content change.

The same applies to the format in question. The application is distributed free of charge, you can download and install it from the Internet from the official website. Instructions on how to open a DMG file using the 7-Zip archiver:

  1. Install 7-Zip on your computer.
  2. Find the desired document in Explorer, right-click.
  3. Select the “Open in 7-zip” menu item.
  4. An interface will open in front of you through which you can manage content.
  5. If you make changes to the source archive, it will change after you finish working.

How to open DMG using DAEMON Tools

This tool has been used for a long time to work with disk images. This is another option for opening DMG. The application itself is small, but its functionality is great for working with files of this type. There is a wide selection of formats with which the program is compatible. As a rule, they use DAEMON Tools as a virtual drive that launches disk images and makes it possible to install any games or software from them. The main task when choosing this utility is to carry out the installation correctly. This is done as follows:

  1. Download and run the DAEMON Tools executable file.
  2. In the window, select “Free installation”.
  3. In the next menu, uncheck the line with permission to send anonymous statistics.
  4. Next, you need to specify the location where Deamon should be installed.
  5. When the installation process is completed, there will be another window in which you need to uncheck all the boxes to avoid installing unnecessary software.

Once launched, the application will collect data from your computer and find all the files that it can open. After this, the way to open DMG through DAEMON Tools will become very simple:

  1. You need to find the folder with the archive.
  2. Right-click on the document.
  3. Select the “Mount” item.
  4. Go to the virtual drive and you can start working with documents.

DMG: how to open on Android

Modern portable devices (smartphones, tablets) are based on the Android OS (except for Apple products). Some people look through the necessary documents, work from such devices and do not know how to open DMG. The most simple solution in this case there will be use of ZArchiver. This free application, which is available for download from the official Google store. Next you need to do the following:

  1. Copy the image to a card or internal disk of the device.
  2. Find in Google Play ZArchiver and install it on your gadget.
  3. After installation, run the utility.
  4. Using File Explorer on your device, open the archive storage location.
  5. Tap on it and select the “Open as archive” option.
  6. Click on the required file, select “Copy”.
  7. Next, open the folder to store this document.
  8. Click the leftmost button in the bottom menu to save.

Wait for extraction, after which you can use the obtained information. ZArchiver is equally suitable for use on tablets and smartphones. The utility is capable of opening and copying not only Mac OS archives, but also any others. The unzipping procedure is the same for all types of documents. The only difficulty is that you will have to transfer one document at a time, but this is the most affordable, simplest option for performing this procedure.

Video: how to open a DMG file

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From time to time, users come across files in the DMG format, but they do not understand how to open DMG and find out the contents of a particular document.

Moreover, these can be various films, games, music or photographs - when a user downloads one of these, he discovers that the file he downloaded has a DMG extension.

Of course, most users encounter this for the first time and at first do not know what to do with it.

On the Internet you can even come across the opinion that a file in the DMG format is some kind of virus that it is better not to mess with. In fact, this is just a myth.

Therefore, it would be useful to consider how to open the DMG and whether it is as difficult as it might seem at first glance.

Before you can figure out how to open these files, you first need to understand what they actually are. Any DMG file is a disk image.

This means that the information is recorded as if it were on a regular CD or DVD disc, but without the blank itself.

Only it is used not in Windows, but in Mac OS X. Such images in Windows have an ISO extension.

Most likely now ordinary users It has become clearer what this very DMG format is, but the question of how to open a document in this format remains open.

How to work with DMG

In Mac OS X, any file with this format can be opened by double-clicking the mouse. But in Windows, which we are all familiar with, everything is somewhat more complicated. Here you can open it in one of the following ways:

  • One of the free utilities for opening DMG.

Let's look at each of these methods in more detail.

7-zip archiver

In fact, the archiver is an almost universal tool that can recognize and open a variety of extensions, not only for reading, but also for fully working with them - copying, deleting, changing content and other manipulations.

The same goes for DMG. The opening process itself is absolutely standard and consists of clicking “File” in the main window (highlighted in Figure No. 1), and then selecting the “Open” command from the drop-down menu.

The pictures below show how this all happens.

What to do if such an archiver is not installed on your computer? No problem! It can be downloaded and installed within a few minutes.

This is the official website. On this page we will need to select one of two options – for 32-bit or for 64-bit. They are designed for different systems depending on the bit capacity.

If you have Windows 7 and higher, select the 64-bit version.

On the download page, click on the “Download” button next to the required document, after which the download will begin.

To install the archiver, you just need to run it and follow all the instructions.

The disadvantage of this method is that in order to edit a file, you will need to extract it from the image.

This means that you cannot edit something and leave it in the image in a modified form. In principle, the same applies to the following methods.

Free utilities

In fact, to open a file whose format is DMG, there is more than one special program. But the paradox is that they all work exactly the same as the aforementioned 7-zip archiver.

They also cannot be used to change the contents of the image itself. Any file can be edited, but in the image it will remain in its original form.

But the user will be able to take all the necessary information.

One of the most popular programs in this category is DMG Extractor.

This program looks quite standard. Moreover, its interface is very similar to the most common archiver.

True, there is a button “Extract”, that is, “Extract”, which, in fact, allows you to take the contents of the image and use it at your discretion.

The DMG Extractor interface looks like shown in Figure 4.

As you can see, the buttons are indicated by numbers in the figure. Their meanings are as follows:

  • Open file. By clicking on this button, the already familiar dialog appears for selecting the location of the file, the format of which is DMG.
  • Extract file. In order to use this function, you just need to click on the file in the image and click on this button. After this, three options will be available:
  1. all files to the last location;
  2. all files in ... (assumes that the user will choose their location);
  3. selected files in...
  • Write to the creators.
  • Help.

In general, there is nothing complicated here, and, as we see, this terrible format is quite amenable to viewing and editing.

On home page you can find a large button “Download free edition now”, that is, “Download the free version now”.

There is also a paid edition, the disadvantage of the free one is that it will not be able to process images that weigh more than 4 GB.

I was prompted to write this article, so to speak, by a question from a user on a fairly well-known computer forum. The point is this: the guy downloaded an image of a certain image onto his computer, which weighed about 10 GB. The problem itself is that he simply could not open this image using one well-known program for reading images. Why? In fact, everything is simple - images in DMG format are created exclusively on Apple computers, so they are intended for PCs and laptops using MAC OS.

What to do, what to do? There are actually a few simple tricks that allow you to open DMG on various operating systems. And you can verify this right now by reading this article to the end.

UltraIso (Windows)

For operating room Windows systems(from XP to 8) the UltraIso program can be used, the main functions of which are creating, editing and converting various formats of CD and DVD images. It can also be used to burn and emulate discs.

One of the main features of UltraIso is its support for a huge number of image formats (over 30): .ccd, iso, .img, .pxi, .dmg, bwi, .bwt, .b5t and so on.

UltraIso functionality:

  • Creation of optical images, hard drives, USB flash drives, floppy disks.
  • Creating images from files located directly on your hard drive or CD/DVD.
  • It is possible to add, create and delete files within the image.
  • Joliet and ISO 9660 support.
  • Optimizing the image structure.
  • Using our own ISZ format, which, although it has a number of disadvantages, is supported third party programs for creating and editing images.

The only thing that some users do not like is the cost of the program, which at the time of writing is $29.95. However, the developers allow you to try UltraIso in trial mode, which should probably be enough for you.

Apple Disk Utility (MAC OS)

Apple Disk Utility is actually a utility included with Mac OS, so it is a must-have on your MAC OS-equipped computer.

Apple Disk Utility is the main tool for managing storage devices in MAC OS. It is located in the following directory: /Applications/Utilities/Disk Utility.

In addition to working with the DMG format, the utility is equipped with the following functions:

  • Manages hard drives, from formatting to correcting errors and partitioning the disk.
  • Provides information about all drives that are currently connected to the computer.
  • Works with CD/DVD discs, allowing you not only to read information from them, but also to format the discs or write data to them.
  • Creates RAID arrays.

HFSExplorer (Windows, MAC OS, Linux)

Users of all operating systems have the opportunity to use HFSExplorer - this is the main feature of this utility. In particular, it “sees” disks in the HFS+ format, which are also used on MAC OS and iPod players. The program allows you to view the contents of the disk in a sort of Explorer-type browser.

HFSExplorer is most often used by Intel Macs users who run Windows via Boot Camp, as well as MAC emulator users who want to see the contents of disks from the outside.

HFSExplorer is distributed free of charge.


No version of the Windows operating system supports the DMG file format. Therefore, for those who have already downloaded files with the .dmg extension and want to open them, you will also need to install one of the programs on your computer or laptop, which will be discussed in this article.

Let's look at three free tools for opening DMG in Windows 7 and 8.

DMG Extractor

DMG Extractor is probably the first and only tool designed exclusively for opening DMG files on Windows. Using this particular program allows you to avoid converting .dmg files to other formats.

The only catch when working with free version DMG programs The only downside to Extractor is that it can only open a DMG file that is no larger than 4GB, but that shouldn't be a problem for most users.

DMG Extractor is very easy to use. First, download (the file is located a little lower in this article) and install it on your computer. After that, right-click on the DMG file and select “ To open with» → « DMG Extractor».

Download DMG Extractor for free

HFSExplorer

Second free program to open DMG files. It is less popular because it also requires Java installation SE Runtime Environment 5.0 or higher version. And this is already an extra waste of time.

Also, notably, HFSExplorer does not support all types of the DMG format. Which ones specifically, unfortunately, I cannot clarify. But this program also has its own advantage - it has no restrictions on the amount of memory of disk image formats, unlike DMG Extractor.

Unfortunately, not a single one Windows version cannot handle DMG format out of the box. You may know that the DMG extension is an OS X disk image file and is exclusively supported in operating system Mac OS X. Therefore, to open DMG files on Windows we will need to consider third-party applications.

If any of you have experience working in the Mac OS X environment, then he will know that this format is used to install applications on a Mac. To explain all this in other words, by downloading a DMG file from the Internet, you can install it by double-clicking on it, but this is if you have Mac OS X installed.

However, I have especially selected for you the most convenient ways to open a DMG file in Windows environment.

How to open a DMG file? 3 easy ways

DMG Extractor is perhaps the only one available in the Windows environment that is designed specifically to open DMG files. Since DMG Extractor was created specifically for opening these files, it has the greatest capabilities, it can open encrypted *.dmg files without the need to convert them to other formats

Raw, Bzip2, Zlib - all this is supported and works perfectly in the DMG Extractor utility

The only fly in the ointment is that the application is paid, and without purchasing the program you can work with DMG files no larger than 4 gigabytes in size. I think this won't be a problem for most users.

DMG Extractor is very easy to use. After installing the application, you need to select the DMG file you are interested in and right-click on it. In the menu that appears, select “Open with... DMG Extractor.” Of course, no one forbids you to first open the program itself, and only then select “OPEN” there and find the DMG file we need there.

To extract the necessary data from the image, you need to click the “Extract” button and select a place where to save all this stuff.

Download DMG Extractor

Other free utility, which can be installed on your Windows computer to extract DMG files - HFSExplorer. With this program you can open both Mac disk images and Windows disk images.

While HFSExplorer is relatively easy to use, you need Java SE Runtime Environment 5.0 or higher to run it. It also does not support all types of DMG format, including the DMG UDF format.

However, the program earns a big plus for the fact that it does not have any restrictions on the size of the file that can be opened

Instructions on how to use HFSExplorer to open a DMG file

Step 1: Download and install Java SE Runtime Environment version 5.0 or higher.

Step 2: Visit this page to download HFSExplorer and install it.

Step 3: Launch HFSExplorer, click the “File” menu and in the menu that appears, click “Load...” and specify the path to the DMF file.

If you know The best decision to open DMG files in Windows, then I will be very glad if you share your experience in the comments.

7-Zip

Most Windows users are familiar with the 7-Zip archiver as an excellent alternative to the paid WinRar, but few people know that in addition to all this, 7-Zip supports the DMG file format. However, it is worth noting that 7-Zip only supports decompressing DMG files.

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