The compressed files and installation files for macOS software are kept in DMG files, often known as Mac OS X Disk Image Files. Sadly there is no direct way to open DMG files on Windows PC; instead, you must use third-party software. In this article, we’ll be sharing how to open a DMG file on Windows.
MacOS disk image files are known as DMG files. They resemble ISO files, which are their Windows-based equivalent.
These disk images can be used to store compressed files but typically hold application installation files for macOS software. It should go without saying that you cannot install and use macOS software on Windows. You can still open them up and examine them, though.
Software to use on opening a DMG File
There are tons of applications for you to open or extract a DMG file on Windows. 2 of the best tools are the 7-Zip and the DMG Extractor. We suggest you use the 7-Zip since the free version of the DMG Extractor has some restrictions in it.
DMG Files with 7-Zip
7-Zip is a tool that acts just like WinRAR or WinZip. It is a lightweight app that offers a strong compression tool that is free to download. The majority of compressed file formats, including ZIP, CAB, ISO, RAR, and WIM, to mention a few, can be extracted. Additionally, it enables you to make your own compressed files in the formats of ZIP, WIM, 7z, and a few others.
Once 7-Zip is installed, simply click and open a DMG file so you can start browsing its contents.
You can also extract DMG files via this software.
Once the DMG file is extracted, just like RAR or ZIP files, it can now be accessed as a regular File Explorer window. You can view or edit the files using any of the regular File Explorer features or whatever apps you use.
DMG Files with DMG Extractor
DMG Extractor is another tool that you can use for extracting DMG files. However, like a mentioned earlier, the free version does have some limitations on it, like you cannot extract files that are higher than 4GB, it can’t extract encrypted files, and you can only extract up to 5 files at a time.
You must buy the professional edition ($9.95) if you require any of the features on that list. Because of this, we strongly advise attempting the 7-Zip method we described in the previous section and using DMG Extractor solely in the event that 7-Zip is unable to open a certain file.
To open your DMG file after installing DMG Extractor, simply double-click it. If you simply want to check what’s within the DMG file, you can browse the files right in the DMG Extractor window.
Just like the name itself, the DMG Extractor can extract DMG files. Once you are in the app, just click the Extract button beside the view icon.
Choose where you want to put the extracted files the click it. Always remember that the free version of the DMG Extractor can only extract five files at a time. So that is everything you need to know about what is a DMG file and how to extract it on Windows PC.
