CCD (CloneCD image) file format

.ccd · .img · .sub · disk image · introduced 2000 by Elaborate Bytes

What is a CCD (CloneCD image) file?

CCD is the CloneCD image format — a triple of .ccd index, .img sector data, and .sub subchannel data. CloneCD targeted bit-perfect backups of copy-protected CDs and DVDs, so CCD images carry full subchannel data that simpler ISO images discard.

Most readers reach this page after double-clicking a .ccd file and finding their operating system unsure what to do with it. The good news: CCD (CloneCD image) is a well-understood format with mature tooling on every major platform. It is supported in one click by mainstream archivers on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

How to extract a CCD (CloneCD image) file

Opening a .ccd file is straightforward on every modern operating system. The exact steps depend on which platform you are on:

On Windows

Locate the .ccd file in File Explorer.
Right-click the file. If you have 7-Zip installed, choose 7-Zip → Extract Here. On Windows 11 the built-in extractor handles ZIP, 7z, RAR and several other formats directly through Extract All…
If prompted, pick a destination folder and click Extract.
The extracted files appear in a folder next to the original archive.

On macOS

Find the .ccd file in Finder.
Install The Unarchiver from the Mac App Store, or Keka for both creating and extracting.
Right-click the file → Open With → The Unarchiver (or just double-click after Unarchiver is set as the default).
The extracted folder appears next to the archive.

On Linux

Use your file manager: right-click the archive → Extract Here (file-roller on GNOME, Ark on KDE).

On the command line, run one of:

7z x archive.ccd    # works for almost any format

The files appear in the current directory.

How to create a CCD (CloneCD image) file

To pack files into a .ccd archive, you typically need an archiver that supports writing this format. Not every tool can create every format — for example, only WinRAR can create real RAR files. The sidebar lists the software known to read and write CCD (CloneCD image).

On the command line, the canonical create command is:

# Use 7-Zip, PeaZip, or the format's reference tool to create .ccd files.

If you regularly create archives at scale, a dedicated archive automation suite can wrap this command in scheduled jobs, integrity checks, and offsite replication.

Strengths

Preserves subchannels
Handles SafeDisc and SecuROM era discs

Weaknesses and limitations

Three-file format
Closed
Largely supplanted by ISO + cuetools for non-protected discs

Typical use cases

CD-DA backups
Copy-protected disc preservation

Technical details

CCD (CloneCD image) uses the None algorithm and is identified on disk by the magic byte sequence (plain text CCD index). The standard MIME type is application/x-clonecd. The format is a proprietary specification and is subject to license restrictions for some uses (notably creation).

Frequently asked questions

Is CCD (CloneCD image) safe to open?

Archive files are containers — they are only as safe as what they contain. A .ccd from a trusted source is fine; one received from a stranger can hold malicious executables, scripts, or files engineered to exploit bugs in your archiver. Always keep your archiver updated, and never run unknown executables that come out of an archive. A safe workflow is to extract into a sandbox and scan the contents before opening anything.

What is the maximum file size?

Modern implementations support archives in the multi-terabyte range. The practical limit is your filesystem (FAT32 caps at 4 GB; ext4, NTFS, APFS, and exFAT all comfortably handle multi-TB files).

Can I password-protect a CCD (CloneCD image)?

Some archivers can wrap CCD (CloneCD image) files in an encrypted container, but the format itself does not always include built-in encryption. Check your archiver's documentation.

How does CCD (CloneCD image) compare to other formats?

See our format comparison pages such as ZIP vs 7z, ZIP vs RAR, and tar.gz vs tar.xz for side-by-side feature tables.