Diskferry

How to open a .dmg file on Windows

A .dmg file is a disk image: a whole Mac volume packed into one file. Opening one on Windows depends on what kind of image it is, and on what you want from it.

Three different cases

  • A Mac app installer (you downloaded a .dmg for some program). The app inside is built for macOS and will not run on Windows, whatever opens the image. Look for the Windows version of the program instead.
  • An uncompressed (raw) disk image of a drive, such as a .dmg, .img or .cdr made to back up a disk. Diskferry opens these directly, with no permission prompt, and reads the APFS or Mac OS Extended volume inside.
  • A compressed or encrypted .dmg. Diskferry does not open these in this version. 7-Zip extracts DMG files and "APFS (Apple File System) images that can be used in DMG files" (since 22.00); TransMac opens "dmg, dmgpart, sparsebundle and sparseimage" and lists "Encrypted disk image support (full version only)".

Checked 30 October 2026.

Open a raw disk image with Diskferry

  1. Click Open a disk image

    Pick the .img, .cdr, .dmg (uncompressed) or .iso file. No administrator prompt is needed for image files.

  2. Browse the volume

    The image shows up like a drive, with each Mac volume and its size. Preview files for free.

  3. Copy out and verify

    Copy what you need to your PC; every file is checked against the original by SHA-256.

DiskferryMicrosoft Store

If Diskferry says the file "does not contain an APFS or Mac OS Extended volume", the image is either compressed, encrypted or not a Mac volume at all.

Questions

Can I install a Mac app from a .dmg on Windows?

No. A Mac app is a macOS program and does not run on Windows. Opening the image only shows its files.

Is 7-Zip safe for getting files out of an APFS image?

It opens many images, but check the results. In our test on 27 October 2026, 7-Zip 26.03 extracted six compressed APFS files as 0-byte files without reporting an error. Compare sizes, or use a tool that verifies each copy.

Last updated 30 October 2026. Still stuck? Support replies in person.

Related guides