If you have Windows 7 (or previous), you’ll need a third-party app like the free, open-source, and simple WinCDEmu utility. Just select the image in File Explorer, and then head to Manage > Mount. Windows 8, 8.1, and 10 all let you mount an ISO image without any third-party software. All your apps will treat the image as though it were an actual physical disc.

Mounting an ISO image allows you to mount the ISO image in a virtual optical disc drive. RELATED: Where to Download Windows 10, 8.1, and 7 ISOs Legally How To Mount An ISO Image This comes in handy when downloading the current version of Ubuntu to install on your machine or installing that old game disc on a laptop without a physical drive. Most downloadable operating systems, including Windows and various Linux distros are distributed as ISO images. People can then decide whether they want to mount that image or use it to burn an optical disc. While many people do use ISO images for creating backups of their optical disc, ISO images these days are used primarily for distributing large programs and operating systems, because it allows all the files to be contained in one easily downloadable file. Most operating systems (and many utilities) also allow you to mount an ISO image as a virtual disc, in which case all your apps treat it as if a real optical disc were inserted. The idea behind ISO images is that you can archive an exact digital copy of a disc, and then later use that image to burn a new disc that’s in turn an exact copy of the original. They are a sector-by-sector copy of the disc, and no compression is used. You can think of an ISO image as a complete copy of everything stored on a physical optical disc like CD, DVD, or Blu-ray disc-including the file system itself. The name ISO was taken from the name of the file system used by optical media, which is usually ISO 9660.

Playing an iso file