How Do I Open a DMG File in Windows and Delete Duplicate DMG Files?

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DMG files are used on the macOS to distribute software and data files & folders. They are similar to ISO files in Windows. DMG files can be mounted or opened similarly to a physical disk.

If you’re a Mac user who has recently switched over to Windows, we know it can be a difficult task to navigate through different Windows features. Maybe you’re looking to open your favorite DMG files on Windows to access important files and folders. Thankfully, there are multiple ways to do so.

 

Method 1: Using a Virtual Machine (Free)

VirtualBox is a freeware application that lets you create multiple virtual machines. A virtual machine is a virtual environment that consists of a virtual memory, processor, network card, internal storage, etc. You may create a virtual machine and install the macOS to open your preferred DMG files. This is the native method to open your DMG files.

Steps:

  1. Download, install and open VirtualBox.
  2. Click on the Add icon (plus symbol) on the toolbar.
  3. Specify a name for your virtual machine. For example: Mac.
  4. In the Type drop-down box, select Mac OS X.
  5. In the Version drop-down box, select the version of the Mac you’re trying to install.
  6. Click on Next.
  7. In the next page, allocate no less than 8 GB of RAM to your virtual machine (you may use the slider control to do so) and click Next.
  8. On the next page, select Create a virtual hard disk now, and then click on the Create button.
  9. Specify VDI (VirtualBox Disk Image) option on the subsequent page, and then click on Next.
  10. Select Dynamically allocated, and then click on Next.
  11. Specify a virtual machine size (for example: 40 GB), and then click on Create.
  12. A new virtual machine will be created. Select it, and then click the Settings icon on the toolbar.
  13. In the Settings dialog, click the System tab on the left.
  14. Click on the Motherboard tab on the right panel.
  15. Uncheck the Floppy option under Boot Order.
  16. Click on the Processor tab.
  17. Set the number of CPUs to at least 2 (preferably 4).
  18. Make sure that the Enable PAE/ NX checkbox is selected.
  19. Click on the Display tab on the left panel.
  20. Set the Video Memory to 128 MB.
  21. Click on the Audio tab on the left.
  22. Make sure that the Enable Audio Output and Enable Audio Input features are selected.
  23. Now click on the Storage tab.
  24. In the Storage tab, select the Empty icon under Controller : SATA.
  25. Click on the Optical Disk icon,  and choose your MacOS ISO file.
  26. Make sure that the Use Host I/O Cache feature is enabled.
  27. Once done, click on OK.
  28. Do not start the virtual machine as of yet.
  29. Exit VirtualBox.
  30. Click on Start, type CMD. Right-click on Command Prompt, and select Run as Administrator.
  31. In the Command Prompt window, execute the following commands one by one:
    • cd “C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox\”
    • VBoxManage.exe modifyvm “Replace this with your Virtual Machine’s name” –cpuidset 00000001 000106e5 00100800 0098e3fd bfebfbff
    • VBoxManage setextradata “Replace this with your Virtual Machine’s name” “VBoxInternal/Devices/efi/0/Config/DmiSystemProduct” “iMac11,3”
    • VBoxManage setextradata “Replace this with your Virtual Machine’s name” “VBoxInternal/Devices/efi/0/Config/DmiSystemVersion” “1.0”
    • VBoxManage setextradata “Replace this with your Virtual Machine’s name” “VBoxInternal/Devices/efi/0/Config/DmiBoardProduct” “Iloveapple”
    • VBoxManage setextradata “Replace this with your Virtual Machine’s name” “VBoxInternal/Devices/smc/0/Config/DeviceKey” “ourhardworkbythesewordsguardedpleasedontsteal(c)AppleComputerInc”
    • VBoxManage setextradata “Replace this with your Virtual Machine’s name” “VBoxInternal/Devices/smc/0/Config/GetKeyFromRealSMC” 1
  32. Relaunch VirtualBox.
  33. Select your macOS virtual box, and then click on the Start icon to start the virtual machine and MacOS installation.
  34. Follow the on-screen installation to install Mac in your virtual machine.

 

Features:

  • VirtualBox is a freeware application. You do not need to pay for it.
  • It provides a native way to open DMG files. No compatibility issues, errors of any kind while opening DMG files.
  • Supports opening of password-protected or encrypted DMG files.
  • You can configure your virtual machine using plenty of customizations offered in the machine’s setting.

 

Limitations:

  • Too complicated for the average user/ beginner.
  • The Mac operating system has not been originally designed to run on non-Apple hardware. In fact, Apple discourages users from installing Mac onto non-Apple hardware by making the entire process difficult. Therefore, you will need to perform special configurations/ hacks to install it.
  • You must have at least 16 GB of RAM on the host machine to use the Mac comfortably in the virtual machine.
  • You will experience poor performance and compatibility issues, especially while using graphics-intensive applications.
  • Installing Mac operating systems onto non-Apple hardware is a violation of Apple’s End User License Agreement (EULA).
  • Virtualized environments may not provide the same experience as the host machine. For example: Some hardware-dependent and networking features may not work or work in an unexpected manner.
  • Running a virtual machine can cause higher CPU usage/ RAM usage, and temporarily impact your host machine’s performance.
  • You’ll need to start the virtual machine every time you want to open a new DMG file. This can be inconvenient for many.

 

Method 2: Using DMG2IMG Software (Free)

DMG2IMG is a freeware and open-source software. It supports various DMG compression methods.

Steps:

  1. Download, install and open DMG2IMG software.
  2. Click on the Select button, and browse & locate the DMG file you want to open.
  3. Once your preferred DMG file is opened in the application, select the Convert option.
  4. This may take some time. Once the file conversion is successful, you can open that converted IMG file using a freeware application such as 7-Zip File Manager.

 

Features:

  • DMG2IMG is a freeware and open-source application. You don’t have to pay to use it.
  • Supports various compressed DMG images including zlib, bzip2, and LZFSE.
  • It is compatible with various Windows versions up to Windows 10.
  • It supports batch conversion of DMG files.
  • It has a simple and straightforward interface. It is beginner-friendly.

 

Limitations:

  • The application has not been updated for long. Although it works on Windows 11, since it is not officially supported, there is no guarantee that it will continue to work.
  • There is no direct way to open a DMG file. You must first convert it to the IMG file format to open with third-party tools.
  • It doesn’t support opening password-protected or encrypted DMG files.

 

Method 3: Using TransMac Software (Paid)

TransMac is a paid software for Windows from AcuteSystems. You’ll have up to 15 days to try TransMac for free. You can open DMG files using TransMac and do much more.

Steps:

  1. Download, install and open TransMac.
  2. Click on the File menu, and select Open Disk Image.
  3. Choose the DMG file you want to open.
  4. Once the file is opened, click on the File menu again, and select the Extract All Files option.
  5. After the files have been extracted, you will be able to access the contents of your DMG file.

 

Features:

  • Much like DMG2IMG, TransMac supports batch conversion of multiple DMG files.
  • Provides advanced options to expand, split DMG files, read USB flash drives and hard drives formatted using Mac.
  • Supports various file systems including HFSX and HFS+. The use of these systems help open DMG files not compatible with other software.
  • Apart from opening DMG files, you can create your own DMG files, or even burn them to a DVD/ CD or a USB flash drive.

 

Limitations:

  • TransMac is not free software. You will need to purchase it in order to use all of its features.
  • Doesn’t support opening password-protected or encrypted DMG files.

 

Identify & Delete Duplicate DMG Files

DMG files are often too large in size. This means downloading multiple DMG files can take up significant storage space.

If you’re using the Virtual Machine method, your downloaded DMG files will increase the size of your virtual machine, and your system will shrink the storage of your host machine to compensate for the required storage. Since the storage allocated to your virtual machine cannot be shrunk manually, it may run out of storage.

If you’re running low on storage or using the Virtual Machine method, it’s highly recommended to scan for duplicate DMG files and delete them.

You may use the Clone Files Checker to scan and delete DMG files. Here’s how:

  1. Download, install & open Clone Files Checker.
  2. Click on the Add button.
  3. Select the folder/ drive containing your DMG files.
  4. Start the scan.
  5. Once the results appear, click the Review & Fix button.
  6. Click on the Select Duplicates button to automatically mark/ unmark files.
  7. Click on Select Action, and choose the Delete option.

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