How To Mount A Dmg File In Disk Utility

Method 2: How to Burn DMG to USB in Windows 10 (Bootable) Step 1 Install WizDMG. Download WizDMG to your Windows PC and install the program by following the setup instructions in the wizard. Step 2 Load DMG File into WizDMG. Step 3 Start Burning DMG to USB.

I don’t know about you, but I still haven’t got over the death of TrueCrypt. It was a fantastic program for making encrypted folders in all respects, and its demise was totally unexpected.

Now I know that it has a successor – VeraCrypt – and it is more or less twin siblings. But VeraCrypt still doesn’t feel the same. And I have had lots of issues opening encrypted folders using VeraCrypt, and losing valuable files in the process.

But if you use a MacOS computer, then you don’t need VeraCrypt, because Disk Utility will make your encrypted folders for you.

Encrypted Folders With MacOS Disk Utility

It wasn’t that long ago that I showed you how to format a USB stick or SD card using Disk Utility. Many MacOS users routinely overlook Disk Utility, but it is really a nifty little program. The encryption abilities is just the icing on the cake.

An encrypted folder on MacOS has the file format DMG (similar to many MacOS software installation programs). DMG stands for “Disk Image”, and is not much different than an ISO file on Windows. Once the DMG folder has been created, you simply “mount” it to open it, and you can start dragging items in.

The process to make an encrypted DMG folder is absurdly simple.

Open Up Disk Utility

Obviously you are not going to get very far without opening Disk Utility! You will find it in the “Utilities” sub-folder of the “Applications” folder. It doesn’t matter which area of the computer is currently highlighted. When it comes time to make the disk image, you will be asked where you want to save it.

Start a New Blank Image

Go to the Menu bar and choose File–>New Image–>Blank Image.

Start Filling Out The Details Of The Encrypted Folder

Here is where you set up and configure the container to your specifications. Let’s go through each one.

  • Save As : What you want it to be called on the computer. This will be the name seen by everyone who has access to your computer.
  • Where : Where on the computer you want to save the newly created folder. Obviously you can move this afterwards. It is not fixed in one place.
  • Name : The name you alone will see when it is mounted and open on the MacOS system.
  • Size : The size you want your container to be. One important thing to note is that whatever size you specify will be instantly taken by your computer. So if you specify 100MB, then 100MB will be immediately deducted from your hard drive space – even if there is nothing in the folder yet.
  • Format : Always choose MacOS Extended (Journaled).
  • Encryption : See the next section for this part.
  • Partitions : Always choose Single partition – GUID Partition Map.
  • Image Format : If you want to add and remove files from the image file, then choose read/write disk image.

Choose Your Encryption Protocol

When you drop down the Encryption menu, you are given 2 options. 128-bit AES encryption, and 256-bit AES encryption.

Essentially, both are extremely secure, but the 256-bit version is more secure than the 128-bit version. The only downside (as the menu says) is that if you encrypt with 256-bit, you are going to see a noticeable time-lag.

However, unless you are hiding Top Secret files, or running Wikileaks from your MacOS computer, then the 128-bit version will be more than sufficient.

Set The Password

When you choose the encryption standard that you want, it will immediately ask you to set a password. Obviously it goes without saying to choose an extremely strong password. No dictionary words. Instead, a combination of letters and numbers.

If you can’t think of one yourself, you can make it easier on yourself, by clicking the key icon, and a Password Assistant will open up. Next to “Length“, slide the slider along to the number of characters you want. Under “Type”, choose which kind of password you want. As I said, the letters and numbers one is the most secure, but ultimately it is up to you.

How To Mount A Dmg File In Disk Utility Windows 7

It will then show you a password you can use under “Suggestion”, and under “Quality”, the green bar will tell you how secure it thinks the password is. If for some reason you don’t like that password suggestion, drop the menu down, and you will get lots more suggestions.

Choose one, then copy and paste the password into a secure document. If you lose the password, you lose access to the disk image!

Wait For The Encrypted Container To Be Made

When you have filled in all of the details, and you have clicked “Save”, it will create the disk image folder for you. When it has been made, click “Done”….and you are done.

Go to the Finder location where you told it to save the disk image, and it will be sitting there open waiting for you. To access it, go to the folder name in “Devices”.

Double-Click To Mount & Open The Folder

To normally open the folder (such as when it is closed), double-click the DMG file and a window will jump up, demanding the password. It should be noted at this point that you cannot copy and paste passwords into the box. You need to type them manually.

For obvious reasons, you do not want to have checked “Remember password in my keychain“. Otherwise, when you put the mouse cursor inside the password box, the password will automatically be entered!

Kind of defeats the whole purpose of encryption doesn’t it?

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Drag Your Files Inside The New Window

Once you have successfully entered the password, the folder will appear in the Devices section. Click on it to enter the folder. You can now view the contents, delete files from the folder, and add new files.

When you want to close the encrypted disk image folder again, click the upwards arrow icon next to the folder name. This will dismount the folder and close it.

Conclusion

TrueCrypt and VeraCrypt may have its legions of fans (and I was one of them). But MacOS (and Windows, for that matter) have their own built in encryption tools. You just have to know where to look.

A DMG file is essentially Apple's format for mountable disk images in Mac OS X (macOS) computers. When opened, it mounts a virtual disk on the computer, and is normally used for installing new applications. DMG file is usually encrypted and compressed, unlike ISO, which is an uncompressed disk image format.

While DMG files are usually downloaded from the Mac App Store, they can also be burned to a USB disk when you want to install a utility on another machine. In such cases, you will need to create a boot disk or burn it to a USB flash drive so it can be used on another system. This article shows you four different ways to do this.

Part 1: How to Burn DMG to USB on Mac for Free (Disk Utility)

The native disk image utility on Mac is ideal for burning a DMG to a USB drive. Once you burn the file to the drive, this drive can be used to install the associated application on any other Mac system. The process may vary slightly depending on which version of Mac OS X your computer is running, but the steps below will give you a fair idea of how the process should be carried out.

Step 1: Go to Applications >>Utilities >>Disk Utility and click on it to launch the program.

Step 2 : On the left, you'll see all the available drives. Insert the USB drive and watch as it appears on that list.

Step 3 : Now open a Finder window and locate your DMG file. Drag and drop it under the drive names in the Disk Utility app.

Step 4 : Next, select the file, and then click on 'Burn' in the same window. In the popup that appears, select your destination drive, which is the USB flash drive you want to burn the DMG file to. Click 'Burn' in the popup window.

Once the process is complete, remove the USB stick and use it to install the application associated with that DMG on any other Mac computer.

Part 2: How to Burn DMG to USB (Bootable) via DMG Editor on Mac

UUByte DMG Editor is a versatile application that can help you burn converted DMG files to a USB drive. The interface is very simple, and all you need to do is click a few times and the job is done for you. DMG Editor gives you the option of creating boot disks or boot drives, and is the perfect tool for transporting your DMG files in their ISO avatar. Assuming you have a USB drive with enough capacity, it can hold several programs.

DMG Editor doesn't require any technical expertise because it is specifically designed for new users who may not be comfortable handling disk images. All the hard work is done behind the scenes, and the layout is intuitive enough for any novice to figure out what to do. For first-time users, here's a small guide for using it to get a converted ISO file burned to a USB drive.

Key Features of DMG Editor

  • Make USB bootable after burning to USB.
  • Able to edit DMG file and recreate it.
  • Also support burning to CD or DVD disc.
  • Easily extract files from DMG file.

Step 1: Install UUByte DMG Editor

Install DMG Editor after downloading it from the official site. Insert your USB drive into a free port.

Step 2: Insert USB Drive and Import DMG File

Launch DMG Editor and select the 'Burn' option, which will take you to a new window.

Step 3: Start Burning DMG to USB

Select the DMG file and specify the destination, which is your USB drive. Click on Burn. That's it! In a few moments your USB drive containing the converted DMG file will be ready. You can now use this to install the program or programs to another Mac computer after converting them back to the DMG format.

How To Mount A Dmg File In Disk Utility

Part 3: Convert DMG to ISO and Burn ISO to USB

In certain instances, you may want to use a Windows computer instead of a Mac, which means you won't have the disk utility. Besides, Windows can't natively handle DMG files, so you will need to convert it into an ISO disk image that Windows can work with. Follow the steps below to do this.

Step 1: Download the DMG file and then convert it to ISO using a free online conversion service like YouConvertIt.

Step 2: Once you do this, you can use another utility like ISO Editor to burn the ISO file to a USB drive.

Remember, even if you convert the DMG to ISO, it's still Mac-compatible only, so you can't use it to install the program on a Windows system. However, it's helpful when your own system is a Windows PC and you want to burn the DMG file to a USB drive. In this case, you will need to convert it back to the DMG format for the installation.

Part 4: How to Burn DMG to USB on Windows 10/8/7 (TransMac)

If you're on a Windows PC, another way to burn a DMG file to a USB drive is to use TransMac. This is very useful if your Mac has become unbootable and you only have a Windows alternative. In such cases, you can use TransMac to burn the DMG file for Mac OS X (whatever version you want to install on your broken Mac) to a USB drive and do the installation that way.

To install Mac OS X, you're going to need a USB with at least 16 GB of free space. Also, it's better to take a backup of existing data so you don't lose it during the burn process. Follow the steps below to use TransMac:

Step 1: Download an original copy of TransMac to a Windows PC. The 14-day trial will let you execute the process we're going to describe, so go ahead and install it.

Step 2: Download the DMG file for the version of Mac OS X that you want to install. Now launch TransMac, but make sure to run it as the Administrator. Click on 'Run' once the application is launched, and insert the USB flash drive.

Step 3: The next step can be a little confusing because, normally, you would select the DMG or ISO file first before selecting the destination drive. Here, it's the other way around. In the main window, right-click on the USB drive in the left-side panel, then select 'Restore with Disk Image'.

Step 4: You'll get a warning popup. Select 'Yes' if you've backed up the contents of the USB drive, or else click 'No', backup the drive and then resume the process at Step 3.

Step 5: This is where you select the disk image, so go ahead and choose your Mac OS X .DMG file and click 'Ok'. The DMG file will now be burned to the drive you specified.

How To Mount A Dmg File In Disk Utility Download

Summary

How To Mount A Dmg File In Disk Utility Mac

All of these methods work well, so it's just a matter of preference and convenience, and depends on whether you have a Mac or a Windows PC. On a Mac, Disk Utility may show you some errors when burning a DMG file to a drive. Similarly, when you use a Windows system, converting DMG to ISO could corrupt the file, making it unusable once you convert it back to DMG. That's why we recommended YouConvertIt for that. Based on all these factors, choose the method that will work best for your specific situation.

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