How to mount ISO files with DAEMON Tools

In this article you will learn how to mount disk images like ISO files with DAEMON Tools. A lot of stuff you can download from the Internet nowadays comes in a disc image format like ISO or similar. Basically, it’s a single file that contains the complete image of a disc. Most people know that you can burn these disc images on a CD or DVD, but there is also the possibility to mount these files in a virtual drive on your computer without wasting a blank CD.

How DAEMON Tools works

DAEMON Tools basically creates one or more virtual drives and enables you to open and use your disc image in it. It’s just like putting a CD/DVD in your optical drive, same functionality.

There is a free version of DAEMON Tools that is more than enough for the average user, download the latest version. Be sure to uncheck the toolbar option during the installation, that’s just an unnecessary advertising plugin for your browser.

DAEMON Tools supports the following image file formats: cue/bin, iso, ccd (CloneCD), bwt (Blindwrite), mds (Media Descriptor File), cdi (Discjuggler), nrg (Nero), pdi (Instant CD/DVD) and b5t (BlindWrite 5).

Of course, this is Windows software, Macs and Linux operating systems have the mount feature built-in, no extra software needed.

How to mount ISO files

After installation, you need an image of a CD/DVD. To demonstrate the functionality I will use an Ubuntu CD image with comes as an ISO file.

First, you should see a new icon in in the system tray, right-click it.

To mount our ISO file, click “Virtual CD/DVD-ROM”, then on the first menu point, in my case “Device 0: [ E: ] No Media”. That’s how your virtual drive is called where the image will be mounted. Finally, click on “Mount image” to select the file.

Awesome, it works! Now you can do stuff with this drive just like with any normal optical drive.

To unmount the image, simply go back to the menu again and click on “Unmount image”.

That’s it, very easy procedure. All in all, DAEMON Tools is a light weight and easy to use program that I recommend from personal experience at home and work. Go, get it!