One of the most common ways to back up CDs or DVDs is to create an image. These images are usually in ISO, IMG, or BIN format. This is good because all the data is contained in a single file, making it easy to transfer and further back up to another location.
Now the question is how to open these image files in Windows.
Just like inserting your CD/DVD into your drive, you can mount ISO files into a virtual CD/DVD drives to access their contents. Here are some of the best programs for Windows.
Table of Contents
Best ISO mount software for Windows 10
1. Use Windows 10’s built-in options
With Windows 10, Microsoft created the ability to mount ISO files directly in File Explorer. This is very useful as you don’t need to install any third-party software to mount an ISO file. Besides ISO files, you can also mount IMG files using Windows 10’s built-in options. To mount an IMG or ISO file in Windows, right-click the file and select the “Mount” option.
Once you select the option, the image file will be mounted immediately. You can see it in the root of File Explorer as a regular CD/DVD drive. That means you can open it like any other drive in Windows 10.
If you only want to access the files inside the ISO or IMG file, just right-click on the file and choose “Open With -> Windows Explorer”. This will open the ISO or IMG file just like a ZIP file. This gives you access to all files within the image file. Note, however, that, unlike the previous method, you didn’t actually mount the image, you just opened it.
Price: Built-in feature of Windows 10. Free to use.
RELATED: Best Gaming Power Supplies by Budget 2023
2. WinCDEmu
WinCDEmu is a small, free piece of software that lets you mount image files to Windows with a single click, no matter what version of Windows you’re using. Simply install the software, right-click on the ISO file, and choose the “Select and mount drive” option.
What I like about WinCDEmu is that you can choose the drive letter you want and it even mounts the image file automatically at system startup. Normally, most software and game CDs/DVDs start the programs they contain automatically when you mount the image file. This is done by a file called autorun. inf inside the image file. You can also use WinCDEmu to stop this behavior. Additionally, you can create ISO image files from existing CD/DVD files if needed.
If you are looking for free software that allows you to automatically mount images on system startup and has additional options to control various settings such as B. offers drive letter options, you should try WinCDEmu. Please note that while WinCDEmu is free for personal use, a license must be purchased for business use.
3. Imitisk Toolkit
If you are looking for free and open-source ISO software for Windows, try iMisk Toolkit.
Imitk Toolkit is free and open-source software that allows you to mount a wide range of image files with a few clicks. In addition to the ISO files, it is possible to mount the normal volumes of the disk, the floppies, and so on, which makes it special compared to other software on this list, as you have greater control over the assembly methods of image files and on this which happens after assembly.
For example, it is possible to mount the image file as a removable unit, in order to find yourself on that unit with hot swap functions. It is possible to create a virtual disc in virtual memory or in physical memory. If necessary, you can also set the mounted image as written or fixed.
RELATED: The 11 Best Websites for Free Clip Art
4. Daemon Lite tools
Daemon Tools Lite is one of the most popular and old ISO assembly software for Windows. Once Daemon Tools Lite is installed, all ISO files are mapped and you can mount them and open them simply by double-clicking on the image file. In addition to mounting ISO files, you can use Daemon Tools Lite to mount various other types of files such as VHD, VMDK, TC, True Crypt files, etc. Whip computers for image files, send files to and from local networks, emulate the DT, SCSI, and HDD units, compress virtual units, etc., etc.
If you are looking for a complete imaging tool with all the trappings, Demon Tools Lite is for you.
Note that the free version is supported by advertising and that the installation program tries to install Adware (Browser Opera) during the installation of Daemon Tools Lite. So be careful and do not forget to select the “Custom installation” option during installation.
5. Gizmo Drive
Gizmo Drive is another lightweight software that can integrate different types of image files such as ISO, IMG, Bin, Cue, NRG, etc. You can also integrate virtual hard disk files such as VHD. Some special features of Gizmo Drive are the possibility of creating encrypted hard disk images, password protection, and support for the simultaneous integration of several virtual drive types and images without a path via the Windows command line.
What I particularly like about Gizmo Drive is the fact that it offers a variety of options with which you can adapt it to your needs. In addition, the software is very well documented, so if you don’t get ahead, you can look up the documents and continue from there.
6. Virtual CloneDrive
Just like the Daemon tools, Virtual Cloneedrive is one of the oldest and most popular software for Windows files for integrating ISOS. In fact, I used it to mount software and ISO data every day. In contrast to the Daemon tools, Virtual Cloneedrive was developed for a single purpose. Therefore, Virtual CloneDrive is lightweight, minimalistic, and easy to use. After installing the software, simply click on the image file and choose the “Mountain” option – and you can already get started.
Although Virtual CloneDrive is lightweight, it supports several image formats such as IMG, Bin, Cue, UDF, etc. One of the things I really like about a virtual clone drive is that it can automatically save the last image file. It also stores a history of all ISO media so that you can mount you again with a single click.
7. Winarchiver virtual drives
Of all programs in this list, Winarchiver Virtual Drive is the smallest and lightest program for integrating Windows Isos. As the name suggests, Winarchiver can also mount archive files such as Rar, ZIP, 7Z, etc. in addition to normal image files. Just like at Wincemu, you can automatically integrate ISOS if necessary.
As good as it is, for some reason, Winarchiver is not integrated into Windows Shell. This means that you cannot right-click Winarchiver and select the Mount option of Winarchiver, but that you open Winarchiver via the start menu, right-click on the Winarchiver icon in the taskbar, select the Mount option, search for the image file, and open them. This is a long and complicated process for a simple task.
Nevertheless, Winarchiver is pretty good at what it is doing. If you are looking for lightweight software to mount isos, you should try it out.
