Windows 8, 10 and 11 offer a built-in way to mount ISO disc image files. If you’re using Windows 7, you’ll need a third-party tool.
Mounting an ISO Image in Windows 8, 8.1, 10 or 11
On Windows 8, 10 and 11, Windows has the built-in ability to mount an ISO disc image file. You have three options. You can:
Double-click an ISO file to mount it. This won’t work if you have ISO files associated with another program on your system.
Right-click an ISO file and select the Mount option.
Select the file in File Explorer and and click the Mount button under the Disk Image Tools tab on the ribbon.
Once you’ve mounted the disc image, you’ll see it appear as a new drive under This PC. Right-click the drive and select Eject to unmount the ISO file when you’re done.
Mounting an ISO Image in Windows 7 or Vista
On older versions of Windows, you’ll need a third-party application to mount ISO image files.
You may use WinCDEmu, a simple and open-source disc mounting program. It supports ISO files and other disc image formats.
WinCDEmu is even useful on Windows 8, 10 and 11, where it will allow you to mount the BIN/CUE, NRG, MDS/MDF, CCD, and IMG image files that Windows still doesn’t offer built-in support for.
Install WinCDEmu and give it permission to install the hardware driver it requires. After you do, just double-click a disc image file to mount it.
You can also right-click a disc image file and click Select drive letter & mount in the context menu.
You’ll see a simple interface for choosing the drive letter and other basic options. Click OK and the mounted image will appear under Computer.
To unmount the disc image when you’re done, right-click the virtual disc drive and select Eject.
