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Make an ISO file to back up data or run software
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This wikiHow teaches you how to create a disc image file (ISO) from a folder, CD, or DVD on your Mac or Windows PC. ISOs can be mounted and run like a CD or DVD without inserting a disc into your computer. You can also burn an ISO file to a disc to create your own running CD or DVD. You can only make an ISO from a CD or DVD if it isn't copyright-protected.
Creating an ISO Image Easily
Install WinCDEmu, a free ISO creation tool for Windows. Create a new folder containing all the files you want to add to your ISO. Right-click the folder, select Build an ISO image , name the ISO, and click Save .
Steps
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Install WinCDEmu. Windows has no built-in tool to create ISO images, so you'll need to download third-party software. WinCDEmu is a free, open-source option that makes it easy to create ISOs on Windows.
- First, if your goal is to make a bootable Windows installation flash drive or DVD, see this wikiHow guide instead.
- Otherwise, go to https://wincdemu.sysprogs.org/download in a web browser.
- Click the green Download button and save the file to your computer. If needed, click Save to save it to your computer.
- Double-click the downloaded file and click Yes to give it permission to run.
- Click the Install button.
- Click OK when the installation is complete.
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Insert the disc you want to copy (optional). If you want to duplicate a CD or DVD by creating an ISO, insert that disc now.Advertisement
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Open File Explorer . You can do this by pressing Windows key + E or right-clicking the Start menu and selecting File Explorer .
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Add the files you want in the ISO to a single folder. Skip this step if you're starting with a CD/DVD or have already added your files to a single folder. Otherwise, here's how to create a new folder:
- Right-click a blank area of the right panel and select New > Folder .
- Type a name for the folder and press Enter .
- Drag all the files you want to include inside the folder. Alternatively, you can select individual files (hold down the Ctrl key as you click each file name), press Ctrl + C , and then right-click the new folder and select Paste .
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Right-click the folder or drive. If you inserted a CD or DVD, right-click the optical drive instead of a folder. A context menu will expand. [1] X Research source
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Select Create ISO Image or Build ISO Image . The option you see depends on whether you're copying from an optical drive or using files on your computer.
- If you're using Windows 11, click Show more options on the menu to display this option.
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Enter a name for the ISO. The "ISO" file type is already selected from the drop-down menu at the bottom, so you'll just need to enter a name (e.g., MyISO) into the File Name field.
- If you want to choose a different location to save the ISO to, navigate to that folder now.
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Click Save . WinCDEmu will begin building the ISO from the selected files. A progress bar will keep you updated on how much time remains in the process.
- When the process is complete, click Close on the window, and the ISO will be available at the selected location.
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Add the files you want to include in your ISO to a folder. If the files are already in a folder, or if you're creating an ISO from a CD or DVD that's inserted in your optical drive, you can skip this step. Here's how you can create a new folder:
- Open Finder by clicking the two-toned smiley face icon on the Dock.
- Click the Desktop folder in the left panel, or choose another location if you want to create your new folder somewhere else.
- Click the File menu and select New Folder .
- Type a name for your folder—use something that will reflect the content of the ISO you're creating.
- Press Return .
- Drag the files you want to include into the new folder.
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Open Disk Utility. An easy way to do this is to click the magnifying glass at the top-right corner to open Spotlight, type disk utility , and then click Disk Utility in the search results.
- You can also open Disk Utility in Finder by clicking the Go menu and selecting Utilities > Disk Utility .
- While Disk Utility doesn't create ISO files, you can use it to create an image in the CDR format. Once converted, you can use a simple command-line tool to convert the CDR to the ISO format.
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Click the File menu and select New Image . A menu will expand.
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Select Image from Folder or Image from (disc) . If you're creating an ISO from a folder, choose the Folder option. If creating one from a CD or DVD in your optical drive, select Image from (disc) , where "(disc)" is the name of the disc in your optical drive. [2] X Research source
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Select the folder with the ISO files and click Open . You can skip this step if you selected an optical drive in the last step.
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Enter a name for your ISO. Type the name you want to use into the "Name" field at the top of the window.
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Select Desktop as the "Where" location. Choose this option, as it'll make the steps you'll need to do later more straightforward.
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Select DVD/CD master from the "Format" drop-down menu. This option ensures you can use the ISO with third-party applications on different platforms.
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Click the Save button. It's at the bottom of the window. This saves the selected folder or CD/DVD as a disk image. The image will initially be created as a CDR file, which is identical to an ISO image on a Mac, but requires additional conversion to become an ISO that will work on PCs. Continue with this method to convert the file to an ISO.
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Convert the completed file into an ISO file. While unnecessary if you're going to use this file on your Mac, the created CDR file won't work on a PC. Here's how to convert it to the proper format:
- Open a Terminal window. You can do this by opening Finder, selecting the Go menu, choosing Utilities , and then clicking Terminal .
- Type cd ~/Desktop and press the Return key.
- Type in hdiutil makehybrid -iso -joliet -o [filename].iso [filenamename].cdr , making sure to replace both [filename] sections with the CDR file's name. [3] X Research source
- Press Return to convert the CDR file to the ISO format. The ISO is now on your Mac's desktop.
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Community Q&A
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QuestionHow can I download a video from the internet onto a flash drive?Community AnswerDownload the video to your computer and then copy the file onto your flash drive.
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QuestionI don't see any option in the winrar method to save as ISO. The only options are RAR, RAR5 and ZIP. What should I do?Community AnswerWInrar is a compression tool and not a file. You can use winrar to open RAR and ZIP files.
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QuestionWhere can I find the option of saving files in an ISO format in Winrar?Community AnswerYou can't. Its not for making ISO files, it's for saving compressed files . See above for how to make an ISO.
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Tips
- You cannot create an ISO for most video games or movies, as these are usually copyright-protected.Thanks
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About This Article
Article Summary
X
1. Install WinCDEmu, a free, open-source tool.
2. Add all files to a single folder or insert a CD/DVD to copy.
3. Right-click the folder or drive and select Create/Build ISO Image
.
4. Enter a name and choose a saving location.
5. Click Save
.
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