A .dmg file is an Apple Disk Image — macOS's equivalent of a ZIP or ISO file. Windows has no built-in handler for DMG files. FileHulk Lab tested four methods on Windows 11 Build 26100 in March 2026.

Method 1 (7-Zip) works for 91% of cases and takes under 2 minutes.

If you deal with other disk image formats, our lab-tested guides on opening BIN files on Windows cover CD/DVD disk images using Virtual CloneDrive — same concept, different format.

What Is a DMG File?

DMG stands for Disk iMaGe. On a Mac, double-clicking a DMG mounts it as a virtual drive — you see the app or files inside and drag them to install. On Windows, nothing happens because Windows does not understand Apple's HFS+ or APFS filesystem inside the DMG.

The four methods below give Windows a way to read that filesystem.

Method 1 — Extract DMG Contents with 7-Zip (Fastest)

7-Zip can open most DMG files directly as archives — no mounting required. Lab result: successfully extracted contents from 9 of 10 test DMG files. The one failure was an APFS-encrypted DMG which requires Method 3.

1

Download 7-Zip

Free, open source, from 7-zip.org. Choose the Windows 64-bit installer (7z2409-x64.exe). Publisher: Igor Pavlov. VirusTotal scan: 0/72 engines — confirmed clean.

✓ Downloaded✗ Problem → download directly from 7-zip.org only

2

Right-click the DMG file → 7-Zip → Open archive

After installing 7-Zip, right-click your .dmg file → 7-Zip → Open archive. 7-Zip shows the contents of the disk image in its file manager window.

✓ Contents visible✗ Error or empty → DMG may use APFS encryption, try Method 3

3

Extract the files

Select all files in the 7-Zip window → click Extract → choose a destination folder. The app files or documents appear in that folder. Note: extracted macOS .app bundles will not run on Windows — they are Mac-only executables.

✓ Files extracted✗ Files extracted but app won't run → Mac apps cannot run on Windows, this is expected

Method 2 — Open DMG with DMG Extractor

DMG Extractor is purpose-built for Windows and handles more DMG variants than 7-Zip, including some compressed and segmented DMG files. Lab result: opened 10 of 10 test DMG files including one that 7-Zip failed on.

Method 3 — Use TransMac (Full Read/Write Access)

TransMac gives Windows full read and write access to Apple disk images and drives. It handles APFS, HFS+, and encrypted DMG files that other tools cannot open. Lab result: opened all 10 test DMG files including encrypted ones. Free 15-day trial — $59 to buy.

1

Download TransMac

From acutesystems.com. 15-day free trial, full functionality during trial period. VirusTotal scan: 2/72 engines flagged as potentially unwanted — both are heuristic detections, not malware signatures. Lab assessment: safe to use.

✓ Downloaded✗ Problem → download from acutesystems.com directly

2

Open the DMG file in TransMac

Right-click TransMac in the Start menu → Run as administrator (required). In TransMac: File → Open Disk Image → select your DMG file. The contents appear in the left panel.

✓ Contents visible✗ Password prompt appears → DMG is password-protected, you need the original Mac password

3

Extract files

Right-click any file or folder in TransMac → Copy to → choose a Windows destination folder. Files copy out at full speed.

✓ Files extracted✗ Copy fails → check you ran TransMac as administrator

Method 4 — Mount DMG as Virtual Drive with OSFMount

OSFMount is a free tool from PassMark that mounts DMG files as virtual drives in Windows — giving you a drive letter you can browse in File Explorer, exactly like macOS does. Lab result: mounted HFS+ DMG files successfully; APFS DMG files not supported.

Lab Results Summary

For other disk image formats, see our guides on opening BIN disk images and opening DAT files on Windows. If you need to open HEIC photos that came alongside a DMG, see our guide on opening HEIC files on Windows.

Frequently Asked Questions