This article shows you how to open a disk image file (or an image file with the extension IMG) on a Windows computer or Mac. An IMG file contains the exact copy of the file system of a storage device and can be opened using a application such as WinZip or by mounting and using it as if it were a real memory unit of the system.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Mount on Windows
Step 1. Press the key combination ⊞ Win + E
The Windows "File Explorer" dialog will be displayed.
Step 2. Navigate to the folder that contains the IMG file to open
Step 3. Double-click the IMG file icon
The Windows operating system will automatically mount the file and display its contents.
- To copy a file from the IMG archive to a folder on your computer, simply drag it to the desired destination.
- At the end of use, unmount the IMG file by following these instructions: scroll down the left sidebar of the "File Explorer" window, select the drive corresponding to the IMG file with the right mouse button, then choose the option Eject.
Method 2 of 3: Using WinZip (Windows)
Step 1. Launch WinZip on your computer
It is normally displayed within the section All apps in the "Start" menu.
If WinZip is not installed on your computer, you can download it for free from this site https://www.winzip.com/win/it/.
Step 2. Click the "Open" icon
It features an open blue folder and is located in the upper left corner of the program window.
Step 3. Select the Disc Images option (*.img, *.iso, *.vhd, *.vmdk) from the drop-down menu located in the lower right corner of the dialog box that appeared
Step 4. Navigate to the folder that contains the IMG file to open
Step 5. Select the IMG file and press the Open button
A confirmation message will be displayed.
Step 6. Press the Yes button, extract files to [folder_name]
In this way the files present in the IMG archive will be decompressed inside the specified folder (which will be created in the same directory where the IMG file is present).
Step 7. Press the key combination ⊞ Win + E
The "File Explorer" dialog will be displayed.
Step 8. Use the pop-up window to access the folder where the IMG file is stored
There should now be a new directory with the same name as the original image file.
Step 9. Double-click the new folder icon that appeared
The contents of the IMG archive should be present in the directory under consideration. At this point you can open any file present with a simple double click of the mouse. Your computer's default application will be used to open the chosen file type.
Method 3 of 3: Mount on Mac
Step 1. Open the Finder window by clicking the icon
It is stored directly on the System Dock which is normally visible at the bottom of the screen.
Step 2. Navigate to the folder where the IMG file is located
Step 3. Double-click the IMG file icon
The archive will be opened in the form of a memory unit and its icon will appear directly on the Mac desktop. A new dialog box will also appear automatically in which all the data in the selected IMG file will be visible.
- To copy a file from the IMG archive to a folder on your computer you simply have to drag it to the desired destination.
- After use, unmount the IMG file by following these instructions: access the Mac desktop, then drag the icon of the memory unit linked to the IMG file in question to the "Eject" icon at the bottom of the screen (where the system recycle bin is normally located).
