What Is a DMG File? A file with the DMG file extension is an Apple Disk Image file, or sometimes called a Mac OS X Disk Image file, which is basically a digital reconstruction of a physical disc. For this reason, a DMG is often the file format used to store compressed software installers instead of having to use a physical disc. A DMG file is a mountable disk image used to distribute software to the macOS operating system. The file is typically downloaded from the Internet by a Mac user, then double-clicked to install an application on the computer.
File TypeApple Disk Image
| Developer | Apple |
| Popularity | |
| Category | Disk Image Files |
| Format | Binary |
What is a DMG file?
A DMG file is a mountable disk image used to distribute software to the macOS operating system. The file is typically downloaded from the Internet by a Mac user, then double-clicked to install an application on the computer.
Today, software developers typically build and distribute applications for Mac users as DMG, .APP, or .PKG files. DMG files are especially common since their contents can be verified upon installation to ensure they have not been tampered with and they can also be compressed to reduce the size of the installer.
When a Mac user downloads a DMG file, he can simply double-click it to open it with the DiskImageMounter utility that comes with macOS. When the DMG file is opened, it mounts a virtual disk on the desktop and in an Apple Finder window as if it was a CD or a USB flash drive that was just inserted into the computer.
In the Finder window, the Mac user can double-click the program icon, which is an APP file, to run the app. Or the Mac user can drag the program icon to the 'Applications' folder icon to move it to the 'Applications' directory in macOS.
After the software stored in the DMG file is installed, the DMG file is no longer needed. Therefore, DMG files can be deleted after installing the software.
While DMG files are Mac-specific and not intended for use in Windows, there are several Windows programs that can extract their contents or convert them to other formats. Some programs include 7-Zip, PeaZip, and DMG2IMG.
NOTE: The DMG format replaced the .IMG file format, which was previously used in Mac OS Classic.
Open and view .DMG files with File Viewer Plus.Programs that open DMG files
Dmg Extension Download
The table below provides useful information about the .dmg file extension. It answers questions such as:
- What is the .dmg file?
- What program do I need to open a .dmg file?
- How can the .dmg file be opened, edited or printed?
- How can I convert .dmg files to another format?
Table of Contents
- 🔄 .dmg file converters
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1 extension(s) and 0 alias(es) found in database
✅ Mac OS X Disk Image
DMG file is a Mac OS X disk image. You can burn it or just mount it in a virtual drive.
Dmg Extension Meaning
Other types of files may also use the .dmg file extension.
🚫 The .dmg file extension is often given incorrectly!
According to the searches on our site, these misspellings were the most common in the past year:
Is it possible that the filename extension is misspelled?
We found the following similar file extensions in our database:
🔴 Can't open a .dmg file?
Dmg Extension
When you double-click a file to open it, Windows examines the filename extension. If Windows recognizes the filename extension, it opens the file in the program that is associated with that filename extension. When Windows does not recognize a filename extension, you receive the following message:
Windows cannot open this file:
example.dmg
To open this file, Windows needs to know what program you want to use to open it...
If you don't know how to set the .dmg file association, check the FAQ.
🔴 Can I change the extension of files?
Changing the filename extension of a file is not a good idea. When you change a file's extension, you change the way programs on your computer read the file. The problem is, changing the file extension does not change the file format.
If you have helpful information about the .dmg file extension, write to us!