How to Mount an ISO File on Windows 11?

It is possible to mount ISO files on a virtual CD/DVD drive starting in Windows 8. If you still use Windows 7, you’ll need a third-party tool to mount an ISO disk image file. This ISO mounting feature is also available on Windows 10, as well as on Windows 11. If the Mount option is missing on Windows 10, you can enable it by following the link.

An ISO image is a file format for storing a physical disk’s contents (CD, DVD, or Blu-ray). Most software companies distribute their applications and tools using this file format instead of shipping physical media, which is time-consuming and costly. For example, Microsoft uses this format to distribute previews of 11 to testers and many other products.

Windows 11 features native support for mounting and mounting ISO files without requiring additional software, even though there are a number of free image-related applications available.

We’ll show you how to mount and unmount ISO files on Windows 11 PC in this gearupwindows article.

How to Mount and Unmount an ISO File on Windows 11 using File Explorer?

On a Windows 11 PC, you can mount ISO files in two ways:-

Mount ISO Image with a Double-click

To quickly mount an ISO file on Windows 11, open File Explorer by pressing Windows + E keys and then browse to the folder with the ISO image. Finally, double-click the .iso file to mount it.

After executing the above steps, the ISO file will open like any other folder, allowing you to access and extract the contents as necessary. It will also be visible in File Explorer, just like a CD/DVD drive.

Mount image from right-click context menu

To mount an ISO image from the File Explorer context menu, open File Explorer by pressing Windows + E keys simultaneously or any other method. Now, browse the folder that stored the ISO image. Now, right-click the .iso file and select the Mount option.

After performing the above steps, you can access the image file’s contents by opening the virtual drive from File Explorer.

Unmount image on Windows 11

Once you have done with the mounted image and are no longer required, you can quickly unmount it by right-clicking the virtual drive under This PC and selecting the Eject option. Do the following:-

Step 1. Double-click on This PC icon on the desktop and right-click on the virtual CD drive.

Step 2. Click on the Eject from the context menu.

Once you perform the above steps, the ISO file will be unmounted. If you want to reaccess its content, you need to mount it again.