How to open an ISO file on a computer. How to open a disk image. Opening an image file using standard Windows tools

Yesterday I urgently needed to extract several files from the ISO image, but there was no time to install any programs, so I asked myself the question - how to open an ISO file quickly and without unnecessary movements.

Distributed as ISO images great amount software and operating systems, so you just need to know how to work with this format.

There are several ways to open an iso file, but not everyone knew that it can be opened even by a program that is installed on everyone’s computer. What kind of program is this and what are there alternative ways, read in this article.

What is an ISO image?

So, what is an ISO file and what does it come with? If in simple words, then the ISO image is electronic version optical disk, which is a file with its file system and, in fact, the contents of the disk.

Having a disk image, you can connect it in the operating system as a regular optical disk. There are a lot of options for using disk images! From installing games and programs to work special programs, which operate exclusively from an optical disc. Beta versions of operating systems are also posted in image format, for example in an ISO image you can

How to open an ISO file using UltraISO

The first, and once the most convenient way for me ISO opening files using the UltraISO program. I won’t give a link to the program, you can buy it on the official website paid version, and in open sources there are versions for which you don’t need to pay;).

To open an ISO file, you need to run the UltraISO program, select “ Open”

and specify the path to your ISO image. Then in the program window you will see the contents of the disk image

To extract a file from the image, click on the required file right click mouse and select the menu item “ Extract to…”

How to open an ISO file using DAEMON Tools

Very cool program for mounting images optical disks. Not the best convenient way if you just need to extract a file from a disk image, but I’ll still describe it as an option.

For us, the version of the program is quite enough DAEMON Tools Lite . You can download it from the official website absolutely free of charge.

After downloading the program, install it and run it. An image catalog window will open, add your image

Now you only need to select the added image and click the “ Mount“,

after which you will have a drive in your system (in my case, drive D)

Working with a mounted disc is no different from working with regular optical discs inserted into a DVD drive.

How to Open an ISO File with 7-Zip

My favorite and, in principle, the most convenient way to open ISO disk images. I found out about it relatively recently, and was pleasantly surprised. After all, today almost every computer has a 7-Zip archiver installed. It's free and easy to use.

You can download it from the official website using a direct link:

After installation, open 7-Zip File Manager, it is a regular explorer with archiver tools

To open an ISO image, you just need to go to the folder in which it is located and double-click on it. It will open like a normal folder

You can extract a file from an ISO image by selecting it and clicking on the “ Extract“.

An ISO image is often used to create a copy installation programs for example Windows

An ISO file is an optical image of a CD or DVD disc, containing the ISO 9660 file system.

The image is a simple file. With help specialized programs it can be used instead of a standard CD.

Such a file has less information than the disk itself from which it was copied. The disk may contain information that can protect it from being copied.

Only programs that have this capability can save such information.

You can view ISO file information using archiving programs that can support this format.

Often such a file is used to “pack” as many files and folders as possible into one archive.

This format involves storing and distributing bootloaders and other large files at a higher speed than through removable or other physical media.

Now the ISO format is being used more and more often.

The main difficulty with such files is that the OS Windows Vista and XP initially cannot recognize their format, which is why some inexperienced PC users experience difficulties.

When you try to open it without pre-installed third-party software, older operating systems do not know what to do with this file.

How to open an ISO file?

Read also: 5 easy ways to create a Windows 10 OS image

Rice. 2. Creating a disk image

This format is most often used to transfer information from a CD or DVD via the Internet or media.

All necessary data is saved in the archive, which is then transferred and unpacked on another computer.

IN Lately, this format has begun to be used frequently, therefore, every PC user should know how to open it, because not every computer will be able to immediately select the appropriate program.

This format is used for archiving games and operating system data.

This is done so that you can launch without having physical disk, but in the presence of only his image. In this case, you can do without unpacking.

You can just run the file double click mice. But if you need to extract information from a virtual disk, you will need a special program.

On this moment, there are several more well-known, free programs that are easy to use and accessible to any user. So, how do you open an ISO file?

1 Alcohol

4 WinRAR

5 7-zip

5 Windows 8-10 (System Explorer)

Read also: TOP 15 programs for cleaning your computer from junk

Daemon Tools– a program for creating images of CD/DVD discs.

The disk drive is created programmatically, after which the computer perceives it as if it contains a disk. This allows you to use images as physically existing disks located on the CD-ROM.

It is possible to create images in various formats for subsequent use in this and other similar programs.

A virtual disk drive is created to increase the speed of information transfer and reduce wear on media.

One of the most popular utilities for creating images and unpacking them.

Rice. 3. Utility download page

On the official website of the developer you can find free version, but after the update you will have to buy it. Go to the developer's website and click the "Download" button.

In order to open the files you need, the Lite version will be enough. This version is suitable if you do not need to perform any complex manipulations. It is in second place on the developer's website.

After downloading the program, install it and run it. To create an image, click on the button shown in Fig. 4.

Rice. 4. Creating an image in Daemon Tools

After clicking on this button, you need to select the file you want to convert.

But it will not start in the program, however, it can be found in “My Computer”, like a disk located in the drive.

You can also open it through “My Computer,” but before that you need to launch it in the program. To do this, press the corresponding button shown in Fig. 5.

Fig.5 Putting the image into operation.

After launching the image, it will be visible in “My Computer”, where it can already be opened.

Fig.6 Added disk image.

Via Daemon Tools work quite simple.

Considering the fact that ISO files have become quite popular and widespread recently, this program you need to have it on your PC.

System requirements It is small and takes up minimal memory. Additionally, it can be noted that this utility often installed along with the game, as a required application, if this comes from a disk through a drive.

From reviews:

“An excellent program for virtualizing optical disks, and it’s also free.”

"One of best programs when working with disk images"

“Excellently and efficiently creates a virtual disk and stores data on it”

Alcohol

Read also: Error “Windows cannot complete formatting”: causes of the error and 5 ways to fix it

Paid application for creating disk images.

With its help, you can create up to 31 drives, as well as burn information to a CD.

There is a version of Alcohol 52%, which is distinguished by the absence of the ability to record information on media, and is also absolutely free and intended for non-commercial use.

You can download this program on the official website of the developer.

But it is provided free of charge only for 30 days. Next, the utility asks you to buy a license.

Full version You can, of course, download it on pirated sites, but this is not recommended, as you can download virus software, thereby harming your PC.

By going to the developer's website, you will be taken to home page. On it you need to click “Download trial”.

After this, you will automatically be redirected to the download page, where you need to click the “Download” button, after which the installation file will begin downloading.

Once the download is complete, install the program and run it. The main window will open, in which we select the “File” submenu, and then click “Open”.

Fig.9. The main window of the utility.

Further work with ready-made is no different from working in Daemon Tools - Launch “My Computer”, find required disk and launch it.

From reviews:

“This program is much better than Daemon Tools, much! It’s very easy to create images, and it’s easy to remove (unlike Daemon Tools again)”;

“Cool program for images”;

“A must-have program for any computer. No comments needed.”;

“Cool program is very necessary for gamers!!!”;

“Damn, the program is absolutely a bomb, and even if you know how to use it, download it without fail!!!”

Read also:Create a bootable USB flash drive with utilities for Windows yourself

The program is designed for Windows OS, the main functions of which are creating, editing and converting CD/DVD images.

Has the ability to emulate and create CD burning.

There are paid and free versions. The difference is that in the free version it is impossible to work with images whose size is more than 300 MB. Multilingual interface. Can use own format ISZ.

UltraISO is not only popular, but also easy to use. Its simplicity is what accounts for its popularity. You can download the program for free on any website where it is available. One of the best is SoftPortal. How to download the program:

1 Go to the above site and look for UltraISO in the search bar. Click on the “Download” button.

Fig. 12. Downloading the utility.

The site will automatically redirect you to another page, where you will need to select the download source - the developer’s site or an alternative to it.

Fig. 14. Open the installation file.

When the installation is complete, open the program. After launching the application, proceed to opening the disk image using the “Open” button, as shown in Fig. 15.

Fig. 15. Opening a file to create an image.

In the window that opens, select the desired ISO file to create an image. The content will open as shown in Figure 16.

Fig. 16. Contents of the image.

Everything that is in the image is displayed in this window. Here you can already select what you need and work with the file.

The program is easy to use, so even the most inexperienced beginner can handle it.

From reviews:

“The program is just super, I recommend it to everyone”;

“The program can be useful in a variety of cases, from creating an image from a physical disk to converting formats. There is a function for burning images to disk. Working with the program is quite easy, it is Russified, which helps rapid development all functions. Interior file browser allows you to conveniently browse folders and select files for new projects. I recommend it for use!”;

Developed in 1999, it is still popular among users and open source. source, which is freely distributed under license.

The main platform is Windows OS. Versions available with graphical interface and for the command line.

It is surprising that an ISO file can be opened by a regular 7-zip archiver.

You can download the full free version on the developer's website. On the download page you will need to select the system version.

If your PC has the Windows 7 operating system, then most likely a 64-bit version will do. Having selected the version, click the “Download” button, after which the installation file will begin downloading.

Fig. 10. Utility download page.

Installation has no special features and proceeds in the same way as with any other program.

After the installation is complete, launch the program. If you click on the “Plus” (add) button in the window that opens, another window will open in which you need to select the ISO file to unpack.

The contents of the file will be opened as in a regular folder. To extract what you need, just drag the selected file from the utility onto your desktop using the mouse.

Fig. 11. Adding a file for unpacking.

From reviews:

“It’s a pleasure to work in the program, everything is smooth and hassle-free. Archives can also be unpacked in current folder, and into a folder with a name like the name of the archive itself (which is much more convenient). You can pack the folder (“Add to archive”) and send it by e-mail. You can simply open the archive and view its contents”;

“Very simple, very useful and functional, highly recommend”;

“The program is excellent, I’ve been using it for more than a year. It works well, the developers are great. And most importantly - it's free!!! Place your bet, you won’t regret it.”

Sometimes there is a need to extract files from an ISO image. Do it through standard tools operating system is not very convenient - it is more advisable to use products third party developers. Therefore, in this article we will tell you in detail which software to use to open an ISO image and provide the correct sequence of actions shown in the screenshots. But first, let's explain why ISO images are needed. These files store a variety of contents, so every computer user should know how to properly handle them. Indeed, in certain cases it is necessary to open such an image and perform the necessary manipulations with its contents. For example, install a program or simply look at the list of files located inside.

What is an ISO image?

Let's figure out together what an ISO image is.

This is what you may encounter when downloading software from the Internet. ISO is also used to distribute movies via torrents in high quality.

Having a disk image, the user is able to connect it like a regular optical drive. As already mentioned, ISO is often used to distribute software and computer games. Also this format has an additional purpose - to duplicate valuable data from regular disks. After all, the latter are not very reliable and can fail due to minor mechanical damage.

How to open an ISO file using UltraISO

The most convenient way to open an ISO is to use . If you wish, you can purchase licensed version on the official website by entering search engine corresponding request. And also download it from open sources, where you don’t need to pay. After installing UltraISO, follow the instructions below.

To open an ISO file, you need to run UltraISO and select the “Open” item located on the toolbar with the cursor.

Then you need to specify the path to the disk image. After doing this, you will see a tree list of the information stored in the ISO file.

To extract specific file from the image, you need to hover over it, right-click and select “Extract to...”.

After this, you need to specify the path to save the extracted file and wait a little while the program performs the desired action.

How to open an ISO file using DAEMON Tools

This is a very advanced program for ISO mount images, but extracting files through it is not very convenient. Although this method still worthy of consideration. You may not have any other software on your computer other than DAEMON Tools, and you will need to extract information from the optical disk image immediately. It is enough to complete the task.

DAEMON Tools must be launched and in the window that opens, find the icon with the “disk” icon. You should click on it with the cursor.

Then you need to specify the path to the optical disk image and add it to the directory.

The program will automatically add the new drive to the My Computer folder. You can work with it like a regular optical drive.

How to Open an ISO File with 7-Zip

A fairly simple way to extract data from an ISO image is to use the 7-Zip program. It is a very common archiver that is installed on almost every personal computer. However, not many users know that 7-Zip can work with optical disc images. Therefore, we will tell you how to unpack an ISO container using it.

To do this you need to launch it. Explorer will appear on the screen with additional tools.

To open an optical disc image, find it on your computer and double-click on it. The ISO will open as a normal folder.

To extract a file from an ISO, you need to hover over it and right-click. Then select “Extract” from the menu that opens.

A virtual disk image is sometimes extremely necessary for storing very important information. Thanks to the creation of ISO images, any game can be played without having a real disc. It is enough to create an emulated disk, and then mount it into the drive and you can enjoy the information recorded on it. Today there are dozens of programs from developers from all over the world. Some of them can be purchased, others are distributed completely free of charge. Among such a multitude inexperienced user It's hard to find a truly useful product. let's consider best options, which offer a software manufacturer for producing a disk image.

Option 1: CDBurnerXP

CDBurnerXP - powerful utility, working with any disks and images. Capable of writing, overwriting, erasing data on a disk. Is free product, which has proven itself well among users. Allows you to create any boot disk, save multimedia files to the hard drive. CDBurnerXP easily creates a convenient virtual disk with a *.iso extension. Works with multisession disks in all operating systems windows systems(7,8,10). To create a virtual ISO image, the user needs to follow 3 simple steps:

Option 2: ImgBurn

For ease of use and clear interface this free program can be called one of the most convenient. However, even on the official website you will not find a clean executable file. IN standard package The installer also hides unwanted software.

If this fact doesn’t offend you, or it’s worth powerful antivirus Feel free to take this application and use it. By the way, no suspicious activity was detected in Windows 10, but you should still be careful. Developer website: www.imgburn.com.
ImgBurn - functional program With simple interface. With its help you can create boot disk for installation of operating room Windows shell 7. When downloading by default, the program is downloaded to English language, but, if desired, you can always download the crack file from the official source, and then paste the file with the Russian language into the Language folder.

The application can create virtual images from disks, from files. Creating an image from a file is very simple: just click on the appropriate icon and add files and directories to create the image.

Option 3: ISO Workshop

ISO Workshop is another application option for creating an ISO image. Simple interface, works with *. cue. Working with files of this format allows you to record album images in uncompressed form.

The main function of ISO Workshop can be considered the ability to record an image, as well as extract from it. The program allows you to check disks for errors and also erase them. Link to official resource: http://www.glorylogic.com/iso-workshop.html.

Just select “Convert” and the required window will open in front of you

Option 4: Ashampoo Burning Studio

A convenient program with an attractive interface is absolutely free. Supports a number of formats in addition to the well-known ISO. Works with any disks. Creating emulated drives is just one of the functions Ashampoo Burning Studio. Using this software, you can easily rewrite discs several times and copy any discs. For those who need to create a virtual disk with files, you should follow the following recommendations:

Option 5: UltraISO

It is difficult to analyze utilities without such a giant as UltraISO. The program belongs to the paid representatives of the family of disk drive emulators. Work with big amount files, creates virtual disks and writes the images to a real optical disc.

Every user may at some point encounter the problem of files with the iso extension. It is not always possible to understand how to open a disk image or how to use it the first time. For this purpose, special programs have been created that allow you to unpack or view such files.

What is an ISO file?

By Windows default does not indicate how to open iso extension, and the user needs to select the utility independently. Disk images are saved in this format, which can then be burned or used on a computer. To put it differently, this is an archive that completely collects all data from the media and is its complete copy. You can create it from any CD or DVD media. As a rule, discs with games or operating systems are saved this way.

Often iso format used to create copies of Windows, which can later be written to a disk, flash drive and used for installation on another computer. Many people have a question about how to open an iso image. For example, this can be done built-in operating system tools or use conventional archivers.

How to open a disk image

A person may need to open an image in order to pull out one specific file or to use the entire content. There are two ways for these purposes:

use programs WInRar archiving or 7Zip;
through special utilities with virtual drives.

Opening files with archivers

The easiest way to open a disk image is to use archivers. They are very easy to download and install and are free to use. It is better to download from official sites so as not to introduce viruses along with the installer. The most popular and reliable options for opening archives are WinRar and 7Zip. All modern versions support the Russian language, so it will be easy to navigate the interface.

Both of these utilities provide the same functionality, which is the ability to open an iso and extract from it necessary files. During installation of the archiver, you must check the box “Integration with the operating system shell.” After this, you can simply right-click on the file. In the menu, select the appropriate item where the name of the utility for archives is indicated. Additional list will offer you a choice of several different actions:

open;
extract (you can select any folder);
extract to current folder.

It should be taken into account that this method allows you to work with the image only in read format; you will not be able to write files to a disk or flash drive through the archiver. This allows you to work with content only on the computer itself. For example, if you need to reinstall the operating system, you won’t be able to burn a flash drive with OS files.

Using special programs

A program for reading disk images offers wider functionality for working with iso. As a rule, for them full use you need to buy a license, but to work at home, versions for trial period will be quite enough. At the moment, two utilities are considered the most popular:

Deamon Tools;
Ultra ISO.

Program for mounting disk image Daemon Tools

One of the options for opening iso is Deamon Tool. For use on free of charge can be downloaded Lite version, she is in free access on the official website of the developers. The essence of the utility is that it creates several virtual drives on your PC into which you can mount iso. Install the program: an icon should appear in the tray that will help you quickly disconnect and connect disk images.

One will appear automatically after installation virtual drive, which can be used immediately. For this:

Left-click on the utility icon.
Hover over the drive name. We click on it.
An explorer window will appear, through which you should specify the path to the folder with the iso. Select it.
Go through Explorer to the drive created by the program and perform the necessary actions with the content.

If necessary, you can right-click on the program icon and open the settings and control panel. A more “friendly” and visual version of the utility’s interface can be seen if you run it in full screen mode from your desktop (or from the folder where you installed it). Additional tooltips will pop up in the menu when you hover over the controls.

Open ISO file with UltraISO

Another option for opening an iso is an image program UltraISO disk. The full version must be purchased, but for home use you should always select launch after installation trial version. To install you need to go to official page utilities and download it, there you can also select required language interface before loading. Next, the algorithm is as follows:

Run installing UltraISO, agree with all points. There is no need to check or uncheck any additional boxes.
After installation, you can click on any iso file and select a utility from the list provided. After this, such an extension will open automatically through it.
By double click A window will appear in front of you where the entire contents of the image will be shown.

The main advantage of UltraISO is that you can immediately unpack all the data or start the burning process to disk. To do this in top menu you should select the icon with a burning disk (“Burn CD image”). If you want to install the game, first mount the iso into a virtual drive or unpack it to any folder on your computer. For this: