ISO files are most commonly used to create backup discs on physical CDs, DVDs or Blu-ray discs. Unlike many other file formats, the ISO file extension does not use compression, as it’s a full digital copy of the original disc. This information stored on the ISO file can be “mounted” and used on your computer without a CD player, be opened to explore the contents, or simply burned onto a physical disc of your choice. The ISO file extension does not just store files and folders they house all the vital file system information about the disc’s structure. Hdiutil convert /path/imagefile.cdr -format UDTO -o /path/convertedimage.isoīe sure to plug in the correct paths for the both the input and output file.An ISO file is, simply put, a digital file format replicating a physical CD, DVD, or BD. If you want to be certain the ISO conversion and its headers are accurate, jump to the command line by launching Terminal, found in /Applications/Utilities/, and then using the following hdiutil command: It’s important to point out the file extension method typically works fine on a Mac but if you want to use the resulting image to burn a bootable disk, or burn it through Windows or Linux, you’ll probably want to go with the more complete method shown below. iso and accept the changes by selecting “Use. If you don’t have file extensions showing in Mac OS X you’ll need to do that first, then just rename the extension to. iso disk image, and in fact you can often convert the cdr to iso just by renaming the file extension from the Finder.

Now if you want to get the CDR file to ISO format, there are a few easy ways to do that. It’s also immediately visible in the Disk Utility sidebar if you want to do something else with the file.

Pull down the “Image Format” menu and choose “DVD/CD master”, then click “Save”Ĭonversion happens very quickly and you’ll find the converted CDR file at the destination where you saved it.

dmg image from the sidebar list and then click the “Convert” button in the toolbar

Launch Disk Utility found in /Applications/Utilities/.

Mount the DMG disk image you want converted to CDR format by double-clicking it in the Finder.

Going from DMG to CDR is as easy as it gets:

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