ISO vs IMG
A side-by-side feature comparison.
Summary
ISO and IMG are both raw disc images, but ISO follows the ISO 9660 / UDF filesystem standards while IMG is a generic sector dump. ISO files mount on every operating system; IMG sometimes needs the right tool to interpret its filesystem.
Feature comparison
| Feature | ISO (ISO 9660 image) | IMG (Raw disk image) |
|---|---|---|
| Filesystem | ISO 9660 / UDF / Joliet | Anything (FAT, NTFS, raw) |
| Size | Optical media (~9 GB) | Unlimited |
| Native mount on Windows | Yes (since Win 8) | Often via Disk Management |
| Native mount on macOS | Yes | Sometimes |
| Native mount on Linux | Yes | Yes via loop device |
| Common use | OS install media | Disk and floppy backups |
About ISO (ISO 9660 image)
An ISO file is a sector-by-sector image of an ISO 9660 (or UDF) optical disc. ISOs are the standard way to distribute Linux installers, bootable rescue media, and game discs. Modern Windows can mount an ISO with a double-click and write it to USB with built-in tools.
Read the full ISO (ISO 9660 image) guide →
About IMG (Raw disk image)
.img is a generic name for a raw, byte-for-byte disk image. Unlike ISO it can contain any filesystem (FAT, ext4, APFS, NTFS) and even partition tables. Raspberry Pi OS, Linux distros, and embedded firmware are commonly distributed as .img.gz files for direct flashing to SD cards or USB sticks.
Read the full IMG (Raw disk image) guide →
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