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This wikiHow teaches you how to use an ISO file without first burning it to a disc by "mounting" it onto your computer's CD drive. You can mount an ISO on both Windows and Mac computers.
Steps
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Find the ISO. Click the folder in which your ISO is stored (e.g., Downloads ) on the left side of the File Explorer, then open any additional folders in the main window until you arrive at your ISO file.
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Select the ISO. Click the ISO file to select it.
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Click the Manage tab. You'll find this option in the upper-left side of the window. A toolbar will appear below it.
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Click Mount . It's in the "Manage" section of the toolbar. Doing so will mount your ISO file onto your computer's CD drive.
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Click This PC . This folder is on the left side of the File Explorer, though you may need to scroll up or down on the left-hand column to see it.
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Open your mounted ISO. Double-click your ISO's name below the "Devices and drives" heading in This PC. It will resemble a CD on a drive. Your ISO's contents will open.
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Open Finder. Click the blue, face-like app in your Mac's dock.
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Find the ISO. Click the folder in which your ISO is stored (e.g., Downloads ) on the left side of the Finder, then open any additional folders in the main window until you arrive at your ISO file.
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Double-click the ISO. This will immediately mount the ISO to your Mac.
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Click the ISO's name. In the left-hand column of the Finder, you should see your ISO's name appear below the "Devices" heading; click it here to open the ISO.
- You can also double-click the ISO icon that appears on your Mac's desktop after mounting.
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1Open a terminal window or TTY console if you do not have one open already. See How to Open a Terminal Window in Ubuntu for instructions if you are using Ubuntu.
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2Create a directory to use as a mountpoint. This is the directory you go to to view the contents of the ISO image. Directories in Linux are created with the mkdir command. For example:
mkdir /home/wikihow/iso
will create a directory named iso in the home directory of the user wikihow . -
3Enter the mount command with the proper paths and options
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- If your Linux distribution uses the sudo command, enter sudo mount -o ro /path/to/iso/image /home/wikihow/iso
- If your Linux distribution does not use the sudo command, enter the command su . You will be prompted for a password. After entering it, you will have a root shell. Then enter mount -o ro ' /path/to/iso/image' ' /home/wikihow/iso'
- Note: ISO images are always mounted read-only (ro). Using the -o ro option simply removes the warning about being write-protected.
Community Q&A
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QuestionWhat if I don't have a CD drive?Emberos.exeCommunity AnswerThen you can always extract the ISO files with the UltraISO application. There are a lot of tutorials online on how to use UltraISO.
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QuestionCan I use this with games?Zachary UnderwoodCommunity AnswerYes, if you've downloaded a .ISO file and it is a game, then you can mount it and run setup/play it!
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QuestionWill the Windows 8 section work in Windows 10?joeycode2Community AnswerThere are alternative instructions provided in another answer; however, the instructions may work as-is.
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Tips
- If you want to boot from an ISO in order to install a different operating system, you'll still need to put it on a disc .Thanks
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Warnings
- Just because you can open your ISO doesn't necessarily mean that you'll be able to run it.Thanks
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About This Article
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 683,448 times.
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