Program for reading ISO images. How to open .ISO file

17.03.2022

An ISO image is often used to create a copy of installation programs such as Windows.

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

The image is a simple file. With the help of 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 boot and other large files at a faster rate 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 Windows Vista and XP cannot initially recognize their format, which is why some inexperienced PC users experience difficulties.

When you try to open without a 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.

Recently, 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 data. operating systems.

This is done so that it can be launched without having a physical disk, but with only its image. In this case, you can do without unpacking.

You can simply launch the file by double-clicking the mouse. 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 is a program for creating CD/DVD images.

The drive is created programmatically and then treated by the computer as if it contains a disk. This allows you to use images as if they were physical disks located on a 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

You can find a free version on the developer's official website, 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.

Through Daemon Tools the work is quite simple.

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

Its system requirements are small and the amount of memory it takes is minimal. 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 the best programs for 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.

The full version can, of course, be downloaded from 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 the main 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 the finished image is no different from working in Daemon Tools - Launch “My Computer”, find the desired 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 native ISZ format.

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 facilitates the rapid development of all functions. The internal 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 is open source, which is freely distributed under a license.

The main platform is Windows OS. GUI and command line versions are available.

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 be unpacked both into the 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.”

- Extension (format) is the characters at the end of the file after the last dot.
- The computer determines the file type by its extension.
- By default, Windows does not show file name extensions.
- Some characters cannot be used in the file name and extension.
- Not all formats are related to the same program.
- Below are all the programs with which you can open the ISO file.

Bandizip is a convenient archiver for Windows operating systems. The program supports most different formats and has a unique algorithm for skipping incompressible files. Bandizip is integrated into the context menu of Explorer, which greatly simplifies the management of the program itself, because all necessary operations, for example, creating archives or unpacking data, can be performed directly from Explorer. In addition, it has an encryption algorithm that allows you to protect the file from unwanted opening. In addition, the program has the function of setting a password for a file. This password is known to be impossible to hack...

CDBurnerXP is a powerful and versatile program for burning CDs and DVDs, including Blu-Ray and HD-DVD. Writes data from hard drive and from ISO files, burns data CDs and audio CDs. Allows you to create bootable discs, extract audio data and save to your hard drive in MP3, OGG, WMA, WAV, and save CD images as ISO files. CDBurnerXP can work with both regular and rewritable discs. Adding files for recording can be done either using the program explorer or by dragging them with the mouse from anywhere on the computer into the program’s working window. In addition, using the program you can produce...

BurnAware is a simple and at the same time very powerful program for burning and copying any discs - CD, DVD, Blu-Ray and HD-DVD, as well as copying CDs and DVDs. BurnAware allows you to perform all basic recording tasks: working with media: recording Audio CD and DVD-Video, copying and burning images, disk cloning, multisession support. It also has additional tools for creating copies of CDs and DVDs with photos, documents, movies, games and music and much more. There is a multilingual interface, including Russian and support for Windows 8. BurnAware supports all types of optical media and a wide range of recordable discs...

UNetbootin - universal utility, which helps in creating a bootable USB flash drive with operating membrane Linux. The program creates a bootable device from an ISO image. The program supports operating mode via a hard drive or portable device. Using UNetbootin you can create boot images of Backtrack, NTPasswd, Parted Magic, Smart Boot Manager (SBM), FreeDOS Super Grub Disk. The program supports a large number Linux distributions. Thanks to the program, the user can boot the system directly from a flash drive to get acquainted with it or install it directly onto the hard drive. In both cases, the ability to work with Windows is...

WinCDEmu is a simple program that helps users create virtual CD and DVD drives. Allows you to quickly launch disk images existing on your computer. WinCDEmu integrates perfectly into the operating system explorer. Manipulations with the launch of the virtual drive can be carried out through the context menu. Just right-click on the desired image and mount or unmount it. Thus, the user will be able to quickly mount the image, avoiding unnecessary manipulations. WinCDEmu, like its analogues, supports the main formats for virtual images.

ISO Workshop is another program for working with optical disc images. The program has a convenient and simple interface, and also has some features that are quite rare in other similar products. For example, this program can work with cue format images, which makes it easy to burn an uncompressed image of an album to disk. This can be useful for creating your own music library, as well as in cases where you need to play a full flac album on a music center or player. In addition, the ISO Workshop program works with other images. The most...

Universal Extractor is a convenient utility for unpacking various archives, as well as some additional file types. This program, first of all, is suitable for those users who create archives on a computer, but only download various archives from the Internet and then unpack them. The Universal Extractor utility copes with this task quite well. It allows you to unpack all known archives, as well as dll files, exe, mdi and other file types. In fact, the program can serve, to some extent, as a kind of program installer, because it allows you to unpack some of the installers and then run...

Free Any Burn is a program for burning optical discs that allows you to burn almost all image formats to media, as well as create them yourself. It is small in size, but the range of functions of this program is quite extensive. Free Any Burn, as mentioned above, can read images of any format and then write them to any optical media. The main thing is to have recording equipment. At the same time, the program recognizes not only well-known formats, for example, NRG, but also some others, for example, cue. In the latter case, when recording this image, you get a full-fledged audio CD, unless, of course, fla...

DAEMON Tools Lite is, in its functionality, a very reliable software for emulating virtual CD, DVD, Blu-ray drives and for creating various disk images with support for different protection systems. Can create mds, iso, mdx and mdf images of CD, DVD, Blu-ray with the function of protecting and compressing images using a password. This unique program can mount all known images. Can create up to 4 virtual drives in total. This will be an indispensable thing, for example, for netbooks, because they do not have optical drives in their kit. Despite its relatively small size, the program has all...

WinToUSB is a program that allows you to run the Windows operating system from a removable USB drive. You can burn the OS to a flash drive using an ISO image, or from a CD/DVD disc. The program is very easy to use, just select an image, device and start recording. She will format the flash drive herself and write a fully working OS onto it. Already supports new Windows. The program also supports WindowsToGo. This is a development that allows you to have a fully functional Windows 8 from a USB drive, which does not happen with Windows 7, as it can sometimes cause problems with drivers or system activation if run on different computers...

HaoZip is a Chinese clone of the popular Winrar archiver, both in terms of functionality and interface as a whole. The archiver can work with all popular formats, including 7Z, ZIP, TAR, RAR, ISO, UDF, ACE, UUE, CAB, BZIP2, ARJ, JAR, LZH, RPM, Z, LZMA, NSIS, DEB, XAR, CPIO, SPLIT, WIM, IMG and others. In addition, using Haozip you can mount ISO images and view images through the built-in viewer, which is a very useful feature for archivers. As for the interface, the Chinese developers have done a good job here. They not only copied the design and functionality from the Winrar archiver, but also added...

Free Disc Burner is a convenient application that burns discs. The utility supports most known disk formats. Performs simple recording, multi-session, and also allows you to delete previously recorded information. Works great with Blu-Ray format. Supports buffer protection technologies such as BurnProof, JustLink. Allows you to determine the recording speed of discs. You can specify the file system required for the user. Supports fast erasing of data from the disk, thorough erasing of information. Allows you to create virtual ISO images for a number of well-known formats, including Blu-Ray. Supports...

A beautiful and simple program for archiving files. It works without any problems with any archive. An excellent replacement for old WinRAR or 7zip style programs. Includes all the functionality of the previous ones and has a new improved algorithm that will allow you to create archives more than 2 times faster. It is also good because it uses the capabilities of multi-core processors in the best possible way, optimally tuning compression and performance. It has special functions for splitting large files, which makes it easy to pack an archive of the required size. The archiver is very good with its intuitive, understandable and accessible to everyone interface...

WinRAR is a well-known program designed to work with archives. The utility includes a wide range of built-in capabilities. WinRAR compresses data faster than its competitors, saving disk space and user time. Supports well-known archive formats and is suitable for compressing multimedia files. Automatic file format recognition, a special data compression algorithm and an optimal packaging method are the advantages of the application. WinRAR can compress executive, multimedia files and object module libraries. The application allows you to divide archives into separate volumes and save them on different storage devices.

MakeMKV is a small but effective application that makes it easy to convert DVD video files and other file types to MKV format. The installation procedure is quick and without complications. The interface is quite primitive and consists of a window that displays a list of found DVDs. You can use the file browser to select a disc with a different format. You can immediately determine the output directory and convert DVD titles individually. When you get acquainted with the program settings, you can set the number of reading attempts, the buffer size, and determine a different language for the interface. The program allows you to enable...

BootLine is an application that allows you to create multiboot flash drives that can accommodate multiple operating systems along with recovery tools. The program interface is extremely simple, there are no complex settings. To run the program, the user needs to select a USB drive, specify the path to the image and start the process. BootLine allows you to place up to 10 boot files on one flash drive at the same time. If the user needs to reinstall or restore the operating system, he can select one of the operating system types located on the USB drive.

Alcohol 52% is a free program for emulation and image creation. This program allows you to create several virtual drives and then write an image to them. In this case, you can either take the image from the Internet or any source, or first create it from disk. Emulating an image using a virtual drive in some cases allows you to avoid using physical media. This is necessary when you borrow a disk from a friend, or you simply don’t want to constantly take it out from the shelf, but the program requires it. Then you can use the function to create a virtual drive.

IsoBuster is a program from Smart Projects that is designed for data recovery. It is useful in that it can be used to open files on CD/DVD discs if Windows cannot open them. Even when they cannot be read using your operating system, IsoBuster will recover the files. The peculiarity of the program is that it works directly with tracks, disk sessions and sectors. Free version The program supports almost all CD and DVD formats, but unfortunately does not support Blu-ray disk and HD DVD. The program also works with virtual drives, images and can convert files. Multilinguals are also available...

Universal USB Installer is a program for installing a bootable Linux operating system on removable media. It works very easily, first you need to select the desired Linux distribution, then the removable media port and finally click on “Install”. It is important to note that the distribution must be in ISO format. Allows you to format the flash drive, if necessary, before installing the operating system. Universal USB Installer also supports the Persistent function. This is the amount of memory free memory on a flash drive that the user selects, which will be intended for free space on the future operating system, which in turn...

Peazip is a universal and powerful archiver with a graphical shell. An excellent replacement for its paid counterpart - Winrar. PeaZip supports data encryption, creating multi-volume archives, working with several archives simultaneously, exporting a task as a command line, and installing filters on archive contents. In addition, the archiver supports all known and even unknown archive formats including 7Z, 7Z-sfx, BZ2/TBZ2, GZ/TGZ, PAQ/LPAQ, TAR, UPX, ZIP and others. The PeaZip interface is very primitive and at the same time rich useful features. You can use the assistant to integrate it into Windows Explorer or return it back, install...

Astroburn Lite is a small free program for creating and burning discs. Astroburn Lite is a stripped-down version of its paid counterpart, and therefore not all functions are available in it. However, the program supports recording on any type of media and also works with most drives. The program allows you to add files to your project with just a couple of mouse clicks. The only thing it can’t do is create folders, so it’s better to do this yourself before recording. Additionally, Astroburn Lite works great with almost all image formats. It is possible to record even audio albums recorded without...

Linux Live USB Creator is a special program for Windows that allows you to create a bootable Linux disk on removable media. This is a great tool that will allow you to always have your operating system with you on a flash drive. The program is very easy to use, you just need to select a removable media volume, choose where to install Linux, for example from a disk, from an image, or download from the Internet. LLUC is easy to use, so every user can handle it, and the distributions do not lose any qualities. The Persistence function also works, which, unlike Live CD, makes it possible to save data on a flash drive, when...

When developing the FreeArc archiver, the author decided to create a program that compresses files at maximum speed. This required the best qualities of the LZMA, PPMD and GRZipLib compression libraries. During the packaging process, the archiver forms files by type and performs compression using the most appropriate algorithm. When working, the archiver uses more than ten different algorithms and filters. If you compare this with common archivers, then 7-zip has only three, and RAR uses only seven algorithms. The archiver is easily adaptable for installation on various systems. It is developed on an open platform giving...

TUGZip is a convenient archiver that has a clear user interface, and also having a number additional features. The TUGZip program allows you to work with almost all popular archives. However, the capabilities of the TUGZip program are not limited to this. The TUGZip utility allows you to work with optical disk images, for example, img, nrg, iso, etc. Also, the TUGZip program can be integrated into the context menu. But if most archivers only add submenus to it, then the TUGZip program boasts the ability to use various scripts to automate the process of creating archives, or decomposing them...

7-Zip is a well-known open source archiver. This feature allows you to make changes to the structure of the program, adding certain functions to it. The program has a clear and simple interface and has unique algorithms that speed up data archiving and unpacking. Also, this program can perform standard operations with the archive, for example, you can set a password for the file, or set the compression level of the archive. Also, if necessary, you can create a self-extracting archive with the necessary parameters, which are specified in special comments to the archive.

DVDFab Virtual Drive is a free program for creating DVD, CD and BD drives. DVDFab Virtual Drive was written by one of the Chinese companies. When writing it, the emphasis was on speed, simplicity of the interface and support for popular image formats. DVDFab Virtual Drive is integrated into the system tray, from where it is very easy to launch it later. Additionally, an additional panel and icons are built into Windows Explorer. This program is compatible with all operating systems starting from Windows XP. The program allows you to create up to 18 virtual drives, each of which...

Dolphin is an emulator that allows you to run games released on GameCube and WII consoles. This application features support for third-party textures, as well as a number of other features. For example, the program supports the Xbox 360 controller with feedback, i.e. with vibration. It is also open source, which makes it easy to make changes to the application as needed. If, of course, you have enough knowledge and skills for this. Another feature of the program is the ability to save games anywhere and the presence of a virtual memory card manager. All this allows you to completely emulate the console. In addition, Dolphin...

IZArc is a convenient program for working with archives, featuring a clear and simple interface, as well as a number of additional features. IZArc supports a huge number of formats, including the most popular rar and zip. Unique algorithms used in the program allow you to increase the speed of working with archives. However, the main feature of IZArc is that it can easily convert archives from one format to another. This is especially necessary if you need to transfer some files to another user who does not have the appropriate archiver. In addition, IZArc allows you to view...

ISO format files can be opened with special programs. There are 2 types of ISO formats, each of which is opened by different programs. To open the desired type of format, study the file descriptions and download one of the proposed programs.

How to open an ISO file

ISO is a format used as a virtual image of an optical disc. The extension belongs to the category of disk images and can be opened on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux platforms.
The ISO format is very popular because:

allows you to easily and conveniently create an exact copy of any CD, DVD5, DVD9, BD, including boot;
allows you to store any content: movies, games, audio files, software, operating systems;
allows you to conveniently transfer data to external and internal media, upload files to the Internet or download them.
copying and mounting occurs as quickly as possible;
the content remains intact even when stored in an ISO file for a long time.

Programs for opening iso files

A number of operating systems allow you to mount an ISO disk and work with it as with a regular disk without installing additional programs. Such systems include MacOS, Linux, Windows 8.
You can also view and extract the contents of the ISO image using an archiver or software that creates a virtual CD-ROM drive.

Windows (all versions):
- IsoBuster
- Magic ISO
- Daemon Tools
- Alcohol 120%
- Ultra ISO
- Poweriso
- WinISO
- ImgBurn
- Nero 2014
- ImDisk Virtual Disk Driver
- Microsoft Windows Disc Image Burner
- WinZip
Linux:
- Brasero
- Poweriso
- ISO Master
- Canonical Furius ISO Mount
Mac OS X:
- Poweriso
- Apple Disk Utility
- Parallels Desktop 7 for Mac
- VMware Fusion
- Roxio Toast 11

The programs have advanced capabilities: recording, extraction, conversion, encryption, mounting, etc.

Conversion

If necessary, files with the ISO extension can be converted to other formats. This can only be done with the help of special programs. The most popular conversion software include:

UltraISO:
IMG ISO, ISZ, BIN/CUE, NRG, MDF/MDS, IMG/CCD/SUB, B5T, C2D, CCD
Aimersoft Video Converter Ultimate:
AVI
Xilisoft DVD to AVI Converter:
AVI
AnyToISO:
BIN, MDF, UIF, B5I, IMG, DEB, DMG CD/DVD-ROM, etc.
AVS Document Converter:
PDF, DOC, DOCX, RTF, TXT, JPEG, TIFF, EPUB, etc.
IsoBuster:
BIN, C2D, CCD, IMG
Power ISO:
BIN, C2D, IMG

Computer-aided design drawing created by Arbortext IsoDraw, a program used for creating 2D technical illustrations. Often used to store drawings for parts catalogs, user manuals and assembly instructions. Can be used to align imported 3D drawings into 2D format for printing and publishing purposes.

Arbortext IsoDraw illustrations can also be stored in the compressed .ISOZ format to reduce file size and distribute them via email.

Download the program for the format

A standard CD or DVD disc image format based on the ISO-9660 standard. Contains a complete copy of the data from the original disk. Includes data that is stored on the disk as well as information file system, such as directory structure, file attributes, and bootstrap code. Often used to create copies of CDs and DVDs.

ISO files (read as ISO) are used to create copies or backups of CDs and DVDs as they copy every bit of data from the discs. This is different from copying all the files on a disk because the disk title information is lost during the copying process. The ISO file can be used to restore the original version of the disc.

Windows 7 includes a utility called Windows Disc Image Burner that burns ISO images to CDs and DVDs. This utility is located in the \Windows\System32\ directory and is called isoburn.exe.

Note: Some ISO files can be loaded onto Sony PSP using the Fast Loader utility.

MIME type: application/x-iso9660-image

In this section of the catalog we present to you best programs for working with disks. You can download them to your PC right now and completely free. The utilities have been tested for the absence of virus code, they are safe to use and multifunctional.

Daemon Tools Lite

Despite its rather light weight, the utility has great power and a wide range of tools. With Daemon Tools Lite you can play literally all possible disk images (B5T, BWT, ISO, etc.) made by one of the copying programs. One of the features of the software is that it allows you not to use the original disk every time.

In addition, Daemon Tools Lite will allow you to run pirated copies. The program has several special modes that are necessary for the normal operation of disk copies with an advanced level of protection ( useful option for discs with modern toys).

Among the advantages of the utility, we need to highlight a simple and intuitive interface, multilingualism, and functionality. With it, you can use any image of CD and DVD discs as if they were recorded on a disc located on the CD-ROM itself.

(opens in a new tab)

Alcohol 120%

Another free and useful utility. Alcohol 120% will allow you to copy to protected and unprotected discs, burn to CD and DVD. You will be able to create exact images of the disk, and then load them into virtual drives without using physical media.

The list of program advantages includes support for literally all CD and DVD formats, as well as modern formats such as ATAPI SCSI. You can create up to 6 virtual drives, all of which support disk imaging at 200x speed. The list of possible disc formats is very extensive (CUE, CCD, MDS and many others). There are several custom image file extensions. You can create up to 31 disk images completely free of charge.

How to open an ISO file? Review of programs, the best fast and free solutions for viewing and running ISO images.

When downloading movies and games on the Internet, it’s common to come across .avi, .exe formats. Sometimes you come across similar ones. For example, after downloading the necessary materials, you may stumble upon an .iso file. How to open something like this, and what is the significance this format, you can find out from this article.

What is the ISO format for?

This type of material is very common. Its popularity is due to its practicality and ease of use. Answering the question “what is ISO needed for?”, it’s worth starting with the fact that this format is an image (an archive with the full contents of a disk) of a CD, DVD, as well as BR (an abbreviation for the Blue Ray format).
ISO files are designed to be opened in so-called virtual drives. There are special programs for this. The difference between virtual and classic drives is that the former do not physically exist, but if you connect a file with .ISO resolution to one, the PC will perceive it as a standard CD, BR or DVD.

Important! The ISO format allows you to back up and access discs without having to use the standard disc that came out of the box. This ensures ease of use and extends the life of standard media, which can wear out over time.

Despite all the convenience of working with this format, there is one significant feature - it can be opened using special programs for the so-called burning of discs. We’ll talk further about how to do this and through what tools.

Overview of programs for opening ISO files

So, if an .ISO file has entered your PC, a program that writes data to the disk or cleans it will help you open it. Suitable ones include the following:

Alcohol 120%
DAEMON Tools
Ultra ISO

Important! Even the standard WinRAR archiver will help with the issue of opening ISO materials. Other versions of programs for similar purposes are also suitable, for example, 7z.

Alcohol 120%

A very popular program for working with this kind of materials. It has two important features that need to be taken into account:

the licensed version is paid
For beginners, Alcohol 120% may seem a little difficult

If, nevertheless, you plan to use this particular utility, then to open and launch the materials you need to perform the following sequence of actions.

Download and install the program on your PC
At the moment when the installation takes place, a proposal to create a virtual drive will appear. It needs to be accepted
Once the installation is complete, restart your PC. Upon completion of this operation, you will be able to see a new, virtual drive in the general list of available drives.
Select the desired .ISO file and right-click on it. A context menu will appear in which you need to select the “Mount image” option.
Next, a dialog box will open. It requires you to specify the required file
After these manipulations in automatic mode, Alcohol 120% ISO file will open for viewing and launching the content

DAEMON Tools

This utility is no less popular than the previous one. In addition, it is free, and the algorithm for its use is somewhat simpler.

Open the program. In its main menu, select the “Add image” option
Select the file we need and click on the button called “Open”
You need to right-click on the shortcut of the open file, thereby calling up the context menu. In it, select the option “Mount Drive” (Mount image)

After this, it will start automatically.

-

Ultra ISO

The utility is designed specifically for working with materials of this type. UltraISO is a simple and easy-to-use program.

After installing the utility, run it and in the section called “File” select the “Open” option
Specify the location of the required file and open it in UltraISO
The material will appear on the right side of the window. All files contained in the image can be extracted to a PC and run

WinRAR

This utility is built into the standard set Windows programs. Winrar unpacks ISO files similarly to other archives. Just right-click on the image of interest, click the “Extract” option in the context menu and in the dialog box that appears, specify the location for storing the unzipped materials. All that remains to be done after this is to wait for the process to complete.

Nero

Previously, the familiar utility package from Nero had a special project that supported an ISO image (Nero Image Drive). He is not active now. Therefore, this program, unfortunately, is not suitable for launching virtual drive files.

Important! All the described utilities have Russian-language versions. This, combined with a simple and intuitive interface, makes using such programs extremely easy.

The presented list of solutions is quite suitable for choosing one of the most acceptable options for opening ISO images. Working with each of them is simple and does not require special skills. You can clearly see the process of using the utilities in the video review.