To create a bootable USB drive from a DMG file on Windows, you will need to have the right utility. That's because DMG is not native on Windows. It is the Mac equivalent of an ISO file that has been in use since Apple transitioned from the IMG format with Mac OS X. A DMG file, like ISO, can be used to install macOS operating system or Mac apps. If the Mac computer was broken or crashed and couln't get into the system, but you only have access to a Windows PC, there's still a way to make a bootable macOS install USB on Windows.
Transmac Alternative Free
Report a problem TransMac is not available for Linux but there are a few alternatives that runs on Linux with similar functionality. The most popular Linux alternative is GParted, which is both free and Open Source.
![Transmac Alternative Transmac Alternative](/uploads/1/1/8/5/118507293/560131910.png)
This article looks at three applications that you can use to create a bootable USB drive from a DMG file in Windows. All of them have their advantages and disadvantages, which we have highlighted. You can make the best choice for you based on the information provided below. They are in no particular order of preference.
DMG Editor - Make Bootable USB from DMG File on Windows
- Top 13 TransMac Alternative and Similar Softwares Dec 2020. TransMac Details (open Mac disks and dmg files on a Windows PC). Open Macintosh format disk drives, flash drives, CD/DVD/Blu-ray media, high density diskettes, dmg and sparseimage files. Runs under Windows 7.
- TransMac Details (open Mac disks and dmg files on a Windows PC).
It is not easy to find an user-friendly application when it comes to make bootable macOS Install USB. That's the reason why we spent months to develop such an app. Our latest product, DMG Editor, is a fairly robust application for creating bootable USB from a DMG file. And it works well on both Windows and Mac platforms.
It is packed with modern UI and the steps are very step to follow. After several mouse clicks and wait a couple of minutes, a bootable macOS USB is ready for OS installation or system repair. You won't find any other applications on Windows that is better than UUByte DMG Editor!
Step 1: Download UUByte DMG Editor setup.exe from this website and follow the prompt to install the software on a Windows PC. Currently, it works well on Windows 10, Windows 8 and Windows 7.
Step 2: After installation, UUByte DMG Editor will be opened automatically. And you will see three options on the main screen. At this time, click 'Burn' tab And you will be lead to a new window.
Step 3: Insert an USB drive to Windows PC and the name will show up at the right side of USB icon. If the drive name was wrong, you can click 'Change' button to pick up the right device. Next, click 'Browse' button to add the .dmg file into the program.
Step 4: When the dmg file is loaded from local hard drive, click 'Burn' button to start burning dmg to USB drive. This process will be finished in less than 10 minutes and you have to wait before you can do anything with the device.
You will be notified when the burning task is completed. Now follow the link listed on the screen to start installing macOS from USB drive
. Convert DMG to ISO and Create macOS Boot USB from Windows
Since ISO is a better format for Windows, you can also convert the DMG to the ISO format and then use the ISO disk image to create the bootable USB. Please note that you can't boot your Mac from bootable USB made from an ISO file, which means you'll have to convert it back to DMG prior to that. Still, it's an effective way to create bootable media for a Mac computer. Here's how it works:
Step 1: Once you have the macOS install DMG file on a Windows PC, click on Windows + R to open the run dialog box, and type in CMD, then hit Enter. When the Command Prompt opens up, use the following command to convert the file to ISO:
hdiutil convert /path/sourceimagefile.dmg -format UDTO -o /path/targetmage.iso
hdiutil convert /path/sourceimagefile.dmg -format UDTO -o /path/targetmage.iso
Step 2: Download and install UUByte ISO Editor on your PC, insert the USB drive and launch the application.
Step 3: Click Burn button on the main screen and point to the converted ISO file. The drive will be automatically detected and click on Burn icon to burn the ISO to the USB drive.
Once the ISO is burned to the file, you can insert it into a Mac and convert it back into the DMG format. Since you're converting the file twice, there's a chance that the file could get corrupted in the process. If that happens repeatedly, then try this next method.
PowerISO: Make Bootable Mac Install USB on Windows 10/8/7
This Windows utility allows you do create bootable USB from DMG on a PC. You can also edit the DMG or extract the contents, and there's also an option to copy it to a disk. For this particular exercise, we'll show you how to use PowerISO to create a bootable USB drive on Windows without having to convert the disk image into another format like ISO.
Step 1: Download and install the application on your PC.
Step 2: Insert your USB drive and launch PowerISO.
Step 3: In the Tools menu, select 'Create Bootable USB Drive… '. You will need to give admin privileges to the software. Alternatively, you can run the program as admin when you launch it.
Step 4: Select the USB drive in the section called Destination USB Drive.
Step 5: Leave all other default as they are and click on 'Start' to burn DMG to the USB drive.
You should be able to see the progress, and a new popup will appear when the bootable media is ready. You can now eject the media and use it to run the DMG on a Mac computer.
Conclusion:
All of these methods are workable, so select the right one for you based on your level of knowledge and your preference.
TransMac is an excellent disk management application that allows you to manipulate and handle Apple-formated hardware such as drives, disks, and DMG disk image files. One of its main uses is to create macOS installer disks on Windows. Some other features include:
- Reading APFS volumes
- Accessing Mac-formatted storage devices
- Formatting drives for Mac
- Copying to DMG and HFS+ disks
- Create DMG files
It does a great job with most functions but it doesn't have a very modern or user-friendly interface. For that reason, users always look for better alternatives to TransMac. This article highlights three slimilar applications to help you manage DMG files and create USB installers for Mac on a Windows system.
TransMac Alternative #1: UUByte DMG Editor
UUByte DMG Editor is a versatile utility being packed with powerful features to help you create, copy, and edit DMG disk image files. You can also create error-free macOS install USB using its flexible and easy-to-use software; in fact, the user-friendly interface is one of the things that makes this application so appealing to Windows users who regularly work with Apple-formatted hardware, files, and storage devices.
Features of UUByte DMG Editor
- Burn DMG to create a bootable USB or disk with just two clicks.
- Available for Windows and macOS systems.
- Support over 10 types of disk images and multiple OS installation files.
- Burn DMG to several USBs or disks simultaneously.
- Verify disk images before burning.
Step 1: Download UUByte DMG Editor
Click the download link to download .exe or .dmg file from this website; then follow the screen guidelines to install the software on a PC or Mac. Below is an example of Windows 10.
![Transmac Alternative Transmac Alternative](/uploads/1/1/8/5/118507293/489521158.png)
Step 2: Add USB Drive and DMG File
Attach an USB drive to the computer where UUByte DMG Editor is installed. Now click the Browse button to load .dmg file into this program. Besides DMG, it also supports, IMG, ISO, ZIP, BIN, GZ, etc.
Step 3: Start Making Bootable macOS USB
Click the Burn button to start burning .dmg file to USB. This takes 15 minutes approximately and you can see it running from progress bar.
Step 4: Verify and Install macOS from USB
The disk will be verfied after burning to make sure it is working well as a bootable USB. There is a step-by-step guide for installing macOS from USB drive after click the link at the bottom of burning successful screen.
The creation process for a USB installer for macOS is very simple. Just install the application on your PC or Mac, load the DMG file into the program, insert your media, and hit the Burn button. That's it!
Free Transmac Alternative
TransMac Alternative #2: Paragon HFS+ for Windows
The advantage of using Paragon HFS+ for Windows rather than TransMac is that it claims to be the only solution that will give you full read-write access to Apple's HFS+ partitions on any drive or storage device. It also works with Boot Camp drivers, which means you can use it on a Mac that's running an instance of Windows as well. Some key features are mentioned below.
Paragon HFS+ Key Features
- Full support for all Windows versions from Windows 7 to Windows 10.
- Comprehensive HFS+ and HFSX support.
- Read and Write modes.
- Compatible with Boot Camp Assistant and third-party ‘Windows on Mac' applications
Using Paragon HFS+, you can also write DMG files to a drive, by first formatting it to Apple's standard. Once the disk is formatted, the DMG file can be burned to it in Write mode.
TransMac Alternative #3: MacDrive
MacDrive is available in Standard and Pro editions and is an ideal tool for mounting and managing Apple drives on Windows. It can also be used to verify Mac disks and even supports RAID sets that are Mac-formatted. Some of its top features are listed below.
MacDrive Key Features
- Read and Write to Mac disks using a Windows Explorer interface.
- Repair corrupted Mac disks and drives.
- Compatible with Boot Camp Assistant.
- Copy from or to disks that are Mac-formatted.
- Support multiple partition types like APT, GPT, and MBR.
MacDrive is certainly a powerful utility as an alternative to TransMac, but it's meant for professionals who need to work on a Windows system using Mac-formatted drives and other media. You can also use it to write a DMG to a regular drive but you will need to first format the drive to HFS, HFS+, or HFSX using the same tool.
Wrapping Up
All these three alternatives to TransMac for Windows are great applications in their own right. However, we recommend UUByte DMG Editor as the primary option, especially for new or inexperienced users attempting to create a DMG installer on Windows for the first time. The easy-to-use interface will ensure that you don't make any mistakes during the burning process. The software does all the heavy lifting in the background, so a couple of clicks is all you need to get the job done properly. In addition, you can also verify your DMG files to make sure you don't waste valuable time burning a corrupt disk image to a USB or pen drive.
Finally, if you're using these applications on a Mac system running Windows 10, make sure that you have all the appropriate drivers installed so you can leverage any additional hardware that might be connected to your Mac. For example, Boot Camp won't support Thunderbolt 3 for reasons that Apple hasn't bothered to share with its user community. Additionally, you may come across complex issues without knowing the steps to troubleshoot them. Try UUByte DMG Editor as a safe bet when compared to other TransMac alternatives.