Creating an ISO image from a CD or DVD is an excellent way to digitally backup your physical media, preserve data from scratches, and run software without an optical drive. Because modern operating systems like Windows and macOS do not include a native, one-click button to generate an ISO directly from a physical disc, you will need to use a simple software tool.
The easiest and safest methods to accomplish this across different operating systems are detailed below. Method 1: On Windows (Using Free, Lightweight Software)
Windows requires a third-party application to read physical discs into the standard ISO format. AnyBurn and WinCDEmu are highly recommended, free, and free of bundled adware. Option A: Using AnyBurn (Recommended) Insert your CD or DVD into your optical drive. Download and launch the free version of AnyBurn.
Click the button labeled “Copy disc to image file” from the main dashboard.
Select your optical drive from the “Source drive” dropdown menu.
Choose your destination folder and name your file by clicking the folder icon.
Set the “Output image file type” dropdown specifically to Standard ISO Images (*.iso). Click “Create Now” to begin ripping the disc. Option B: Using WinCDEmu (Integration with File Explorer) Install the open-source software WinCDEmu. Insert your disc and open This PC / File Explorer. Right-click your optical drive icon. Select “Create ISO image” directly from the context menu. Name your file, choose a save location, and click Save. Method 2: On macOS (Using Built-in Tools)
Mac users do not need to download third-party software, as Apple includes Disk Utility natively. However, macOS initially rips discs into a .cdr format, requiring a quick terminal command to flip it to an .iso. Step 1: Create the Master Image Insert the CD or DVD into your external Mac optical drive. Open Disk Utility using Spotlight search (Command + Space). Select your disc’s volume name from the left-hand sidebar.
Navigate to the top menu bar and click File > New Image > Image from [Disc Name].
Set the format dropdown menu strictly to “CD/DVD master” and keep encryption toggled to “none”. Click Save to generate a .cdr file on your system. Step 2: Convert .cdr to .iso Open Terminal using Spotlight search.
Type the following command structure and press Enter:hdiutil convert /path/to/original.cdr -format UDTO -o /path/to/destination.iso
Note: You can simply drag and drop the files from Finder into the Terminal window to instantly fill out the file paths. Method 3: On Linux (Using the Terminal)
Linux distributions can effortlessly copy an inserted disc to an ISO using a single native command line sequence without any outside programs. Insert the disc and open your Terminal.
Identify your optical drive path (usually /dev/cdrom or /dev/sr0) by entering the command lsblk.
Execute the direct cloning command:dd if=/dev/cdrom of=/home/username/Desktop/my_disc.iso status=progress
Replace /dev/cdrom with your real drive name and adjust the output destination path as needed. Important Tips and Troubleshooting
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