Virtualization Mount or Unmount ISO and IMG File in Windows 11


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ISO_banner.png

This tutorial will show you how to natively mount or unmount ISO and IMG image files in Windows 11.

An ISO or IMG file is a DVD disk image file.

When you mount an .ISO or .IMG file, it will be added as a DVD drive in File Explorer > This PC.


ISO and IMG files cannot be mounted on removable media not formatted with the NTFS or ReFS file system.



Contents



EXAMPLE: Mounted ISO file in This PC

mounted_ISO.png





Option One

Mount ISO or IMG file by Opening


1 Perform one of the following actions to mount and open the ISO or IMG file:




Option Two

Mount ISO or IMG file from File Explorer Command Bar


1 Open File Explorer (Win+E). (see screenshot below)

2 Navigate to and select the ISO or IMG file you want to mount.

3 Click/tap on Mount on the command bar.

Mount_command_bar.png





Option Three

Mount ISO or IMG file using Mount Context Menu


1 Right click or press and hold on the ISO or IMG file. (see screenshot below)

2 Click/tap on Mount.

mount_context_menu.png





Option Four

Mount ISO or IMG file using Open with Context Menu


1 Right click or press and hold on the ISO or IMG file. (see screenshot below)

2 Click/tap on Open with.

3 Click/tap on Windows Explorer.

open_with_context_menu.png





Option Five

Unmount ISO or IMG file using Eject


1 Open This PC in File Explorer (Win+E). (see screenshot below)

2 Perform one of the following actions to unmount the ISO or IMG file:
  • Select the mounted ISO or IMG, and click/tap on Eject on the command bar.
  • Right click or press and hold on the mounted ISO or IMG file, and click/tap on Eject.
unmount_ISO-2.png

unmount_ISO-1.png





Option Six

Mount or Unmount ISO or IMG file in PowerShell


1 Open Windows Terminal, and select Windows PowerShell

2 Type the command below you want to use into PowerShell, and press Enter. (see screenshots below)

(Mount ISO or IMG file)​
Mount-DiskImage -ImagePath "Full path of ISO or IMG file"

OR​

(Unmount ISO or IMG file)​
Dismount-DiskImage -DevicePath \\.\<drive letter>:

OR​

(Unmount ISO or IMG file)​
Dismount-DiskImage -ImagePath "Full path of ISO or IMG file"

Substitute <drive letter> in the command above with the actual DVD drive letter (ex: "F") of the mounted ISO or IMG file you want to unmount.

For example: Dismount-DiskImage -DevicePath \\.\F:

OR

Substitute Full path of ISO or IMG file in the command above with the actual full path of the ISO or IMG file you wanted to mount or unmount wrapped in three quotation marks.

For example: Mount-DiskImage -ImagePath "E:\Image Files\Windows 11\22000.160_EN-US.ISO"


3 When finished, you can close Windows Terminal if you like.

mount_PowerShell.png

unmount_PowerShell-2.png

unmount_PowerShell-1.png





Option Seven

Mount or Unmount ISO or IMG file in Command Prompt


1 Open Windows Terminal, and select Command Prompt

2 Type the command below you want to use into the command prompt, and press Enter. (see screenshots below)

(Mount ISO or IMG file)​
PowerShell Mount-DiskImage -ImagePath """Full path of ISO or IMG file"""

OR​

(Unmount ISO or IMG file without output)​
PowerShell Dismount-DiskImage -DevicePath \\.\<drive letter>: >nul

OR​

(Unmount ISO or IMG file)​
PowerShell Dismount-DiskImage -DevicePath \\.\<drive letter>:

OR​

(Unmount ISO or IMG file)​
PowerShell Dismount-DiskImage -ImagePath """Full path of ISO or IMG file"""

Substitute <drive letter> in the command above with the actual DVD drive letter (ex: "F") of the mounted ISO or IMG file you want to unmount.

For example: Dismount-DiskImage -DevicePath \\.\F:

OR

Substitute Full path of ISO or IMG file in the command above with the actual full path of the ISO or IMG file you wanted to mount or unmount wrapped in three quotation marks.

For example: Mount-DiskImage -ImagePath """E:\Image Files\Windows 11\22000.160_EN-US.ISO"""


3 When finished, you can close Windows Terminal if you like.

mount_command.png

unmount_command-1.png

unmount_command-2.png





Option Eight

Unmount All ISO or IMG files at Once


1 Restart the computer.


That's it,
Shawn Brink


 

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Last edited:
tl;dr version... there's always a way to mount, and unmount. :cool:
I don't mean to be nitpicking, but the reason I had posted is because there was no way to unmount the virtual drive. I had several going and no way to release the memory short of rebooting. Though I can Eject a physical external drive.

(My old Lenovo laptop died unexpectedly and i had to go to Reflect iso's to retrieve files etc. Never Lenovo again.)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 22H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 6525 16"
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 5825U apparently made in 2022
    Memory
    16GB
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD
    Internet Speed
    up to 160Mbps
    Browser
    FF
    Antivirus
    Win11
    Other Info
    Will never again by a laptop without a backlit keyboard.

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 22H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 6525 16"
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 5825U apparently made in 2022
    Memory
    16GB
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD
    Internet Speed
    up to 160Mbps
    Browser
    FF
    Antivirus
    Win11
    Other Info
    Will never again by a laptop without a backlit keyboard.
I don't mean to be nitpicking, but the reason I had posted is because there was no way to unmount the virtual drive. I had several going and no way to release the memory short of rebooting. Though I can Eject a physical external drive.

(My old Lenovo laptop died unexpectedly and i had to go to Reflect iso's to retrieve files etc. Never Lenovo again.)



Well Macrium does things a bit differently.

To mount a Macrium backup, we choose: "Explore Image..."
To unmount or Eject the image...

Image1.png


Mounting a Macrium image is NOT a Windows function. It's a function of the Macrium Reflect program.
That's why it behaves differently.


There's always a way to mount things and unmount things. Sometimes... they're not easy to find.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win 11 Home ♦♦♦22631.3374 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® [May 2020]
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
    Motherboard
    Asus Pro WS X570-ACE (BIOS 4702)
    Memory
    G.Skill (F4-3200C14D-16GTZKW)
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA RTX 2070 (08G-P4-2171-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC1220P / ALC S1220A
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U3011 30"
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1600
    Hard Drives
    2x Samsung 860 EVO 500GB,
    WD 4TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    WD 8TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    DRW-24B1ST CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling 750W Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Cooler Master ATCS 840 Tower
    Cooling
    CM Hyper 212 EVO (push/pull)
    Keyboard
    Ducky DK9008 Shine II Blue LED
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-100
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox (latest)
    Antivirus
    Bitdefender Internet Security
    Other Info
    Speakers: Klipsch Pro Media 2.1
  • Operating System
    Windows XP Pro 32bit w/SP3
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® (not in use)
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (OC'd @ 3.2Ghz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless Edition
    Memory
    TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX (2 x 1GB, DDR2 800)
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA 256-P2-N758-TR GeForce 8600GT SSC
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ViewSonic G90FB Black 19" Professional (CRT)
    Screen Resolution
    up to 2048 x 1536
    Hard Drives
    WD 36GB 10,000rpm Raptor SATA
    Seagate 80GB 7200rpm SATA
    Lite-On LTR-52246S CD/RW
    Lite-On LH-18A1P CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Generic Beige case, 80mm fans
    Cooling
    ZALMAN 9500A 92mm CPU Cooler
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-BT96a
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keybooard 200
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox 3.x ??
    Antivirus
    Symantec (Norton)
    Other Info
    Still assembled, still runs. Haven't turned it on for 13 years?
Mounting a Macrium image is NOT a Windows function. It's a function of the Macrium Reflect program.
That's why it behaves differently.
Bingo, you got it. Yep, I forgot the file extension is *.mrimg

(...and I'm still chuckling over the meme with the guy from Philadelphia, Charlie :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 22H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 6525 16"
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 5825U apparently made in 2022
    Memory
    16GB
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD
    Internet Speed
    up to 160Mbps
    Browser
    FF
    Antivirus
    Win11
    Other Info
    Will never again by a laptop without a backlit keyboard.
Bingo, you got it. Yep, I forgot the file extension is *.mrimg

(...and I'm still chuckling over the meme with the guy from Philadelphia, Charlie :)


I got memes for just about everything.
First day at the gym? I got ya covered...

pan1.png



First time entering the BIOS? No problem...

BIOS 1st time.png



Trying to install the wrong update? Got one for that too...

Updates.png
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win 11 Home ♦♦♦22631.3374 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® [May 2020]
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
    Motherboard
    Asus Pro WS X570-ACE (BIOS 4702)
    Memory
    G.Skill (F4-3200C14D-16GTZKW)
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA RTX 2070 (08G-P4-2171-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC1220P / ALC S1220A
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U3011 30"
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1600
    Hard Drives
    2x Samsung 860 EVO 500GB,
    WD 4TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    WD 8TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    DRW-24B1ST CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling 750W Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Cooler Master ATCS 840 Tower
    Cooling
    CM Hyper 212 EVO (push/pull)
    Keyboard
    Ducky DK9008 Shine II Blue LED
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-100
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox (latest)
    Antivirus
    Bitdefender Internet Security
    Other Info
    Speakers: Klipsch Pro Media 2.1
  • Operating System
    Windows XP Pro 32bit w/SP3
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® (not in use)
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (OC'd @ 3.2Ghz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless Edition
    Memory
    TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX (2 x 1GB, DDR2 800)
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA 256-P2-N758-TR GeForce 8600GT SSC
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ViewSonic G90FB Black 19" Professional (CRT)
    Screen Resolution
    up to 2048 x 1536
    Hard Drives
    WD 36GB 10,000rpm Raptor SATA
    Seagate 80GB 7200rpm SATA
    Lite-On LTR-52246S CD/RW
    Lite-On LH-18A1P CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Generic Beige case, 80mm fans
    Cooling
    ZALMAN 9500A 92mm CPU Cooler
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-BT96a
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keybooard 200
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox 3.x ??
    Antivirus
    Symantec (Norton)
    Other Info
    Still assembled, still runs. Haven't turned it on for 13 years?

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 22H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 6525 16"
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 5825U apparently made in 2022
    Memory
    16GB
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD
    Internet Speed
    up to 160Mbps
    Browser
    FF
    Antivirus
    Win11
    Other Info
    Will never again by a laptop without a backlit keyboard.

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win 11 Home ♦♦♦22631.3374 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® [May 2020]
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
    Motherboard
    Asus Pro WS X570-ACE (BIOS 4702)
    Memory
    G.Skill (F4-3200C14D-16GTZKW)
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA RTX 2070 (08G-P4-2171-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC1220P / ALC S1220A
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U3011 30"
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1600
    Hard Drives
    2x Samsung 860 EVO 500GB,
    WD 4TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    WD 8TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    DRW-24B1ST CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling 750W Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Cooler Master ATCS 840 Tower
    Cooling
    CM Hyper 212 EVO (push/pull)
    Keyboard
    Ducky DK9008 Shine II Blue LED
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-100
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox (latest)
    Antivirus
    Bitdefender Internet Security
    Other Info
    Speakers: Klipsch Pro Media 2.1
  • Operating System
    Windows XP Pro 32bit w/SP3
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® (not in use)
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (OC'd @ 3.2Ghz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless Edition
    Memory
    TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX (2 x 1GB, DDR2 800)
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA 256-P2-N758-TR GeForce 8600GT SSC
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ViewSonic G90FB Black 19" Professional (CRT)
    Screen Resolution
    up to 2048 x 1536
    Hard Drives
    WD 36GB 10,000rpm Raptor SATA
    Seagate 80GB 7200rpm SATA
    Lite-On LTR-52246S CD/RW
    Lite-On LH-18A1P CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Generic Beige case, 80mm fans
    Cooling
    ZALMAN 9500A 92mm CPU Cooler
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-BT96a
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keybooard 200
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox 3.x ??
    Antivirus
    Symantec (Norton)
    Other Info
    Still assembled, still runs. Haven't turned it on for 13 years?
Option Seven, Step 2, you can just run this:
explorer "Full path of ISO or IMG file"
...instead of this:
PowerShell Mount-DiskImage -ImagePath """Full path of ISO or IMG file"""
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Asus TUF Gaming (2024)
    CPU
    i7 13650HX
    Memory
    16GB DDR5
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile
    Sound Card
    Eastern Electric MiniMax DAC Supreme; Emotiva UMC-200; Astell & Kern AK240
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia XR-55X90J
    Screen Resolution
    3840×2160
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD internal
    37TB external
    PSU
    Li-ion
    Cooling
    2× Arc Flow Fans, 4× exhaust vents, 5× heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800
    Mouse
    Logitech G402
    Internet Speed
    20Mbit/s up, 250Mbit/s down
    Browser
    FF
  • Operating System
    11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Medion S15450
    CPU
    i5 1135G7
    Memory
    16GB DDR4
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe
    Sound Card
    Eastern Electric MiniMax DAC Supreme; Emotiva UMC-200; Astell & Kern AK240
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia XR-55X90J
    Screen Resolution
    3840×2160
    Hard Drives
    2TB SSD internal
    37TB external
    PSU
    Li-ion
    Mouse
    Logitech G402
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800
    Internet Speed
    20Mbit/s up, 250Mbit/s down
    Browser
    FF

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