How to Mount and Create ISO Files in Windows 11

The short answer

To mount an ISO in Windows 11, right-click the .iso file in File Explorer and choose Mount (or just double-click it). Windows attaches it as a virtual DVD drive under This PC with its own drive letter. To eject it, right-click that virtual drive and choose Eject. To burn an ISO to a disc, right-click it and choose Burn disc image. Windows can mount and burn ISOs on its own — but it has no built-in tool to create one from your own files, so that step needs a separate program.

An ISO file is a single-file copy of an entire disc — a byte-for-byte image of a CD, DVD or Blu-ray, or an installer packaged the same way. It is how Windows 11, Office, Linux distributions and countless setup discs are distributed today. Windows 11 treats ISO images as first-class citizens: mounting and burning are both built into File Explorer, no extra software required. The one thing Windows still cannot do by itself is build a new ISO from a folder of files, and this guide is honest about that. Below we cover mounting, ejecting, burning, and the real options for creating an ISO — everything is written for Windows 11, and where a step differs on Windows 10 we say so.

1. Mount an ISO (a virtual drive appears)

Mounting means telling Windows to treat the image as if you had inserted the physical disc. A virtual optical drive appears, and you can browse, copy from, or run the contents straight away. Microsoft's Mount-DiskImage reference describes the same operation — mounting a disk image "makes it appear as a normal disk" — and notes a drive letter is assigned unless you explicitly suppress one, and that ISO files always mount read-only.

Open File Explorer and go to the folder containing your .iso file.
Right-click the file and choose Mount. On the Windows 11 context menu, Mount sits right at the top level — you do not need Show more options.
Windows attaches the image as a virtual DVD drive. It appears under This PC with the next free drive letter (for example D: or E:) and usually opens on its own.
Use the contents exactly as you would a real disc — run setup.exe, copy files off it, or install from it.

Two faster alternatives: simply double-click the ISO to mount it, or select it and use the Disc Image Tools tab / Mount button on the File Explorer ribbon. All three do the same thing.

If double-click does nothing

If double-clicking an ISO opens another program instead of mounting it, the file association has been taken over — often by an archive tool like 7-Zip or WinRAR. Restore it by right-clicking the ISO, choosing Open with > Choose another app, selecting Windows Explorer, and ticking Always use this app. The Mount right-click command keeps working regardless of the association.

2. Eject (unmount) the virtual drive

When you are done, unmount the image so the virtual drive letter is released.

Open File Explorer and click This PC in the left pane.
Find the virtual drive the ISO created — it shows the image's name and a disc icon.
Right-click it and choose Eject. The drive letter disappears and the image is unmounted.

On Windows 10 the steps are identical. If Windows says the drive is in use and refuses to eject, close any installer, setup window or program that is still reading from the image, then try again. Restarting the PC also clears every mounted image automatically.

3. Burn an ISO to a disc

If you genuinely need a physical disc — a bootable installer for an older machine, a recovery disc, or a copy to hand to someone — Windows 11 includes Windows Disc Image Burner (the program isoburn.exe). It writes the image to a blank disc correctly, so the result is bootable when the ISO is bootable.

You will need an optical drive that can write discs (an internal or USB DVD/Blu-ray burner) and a blank writable disc large enough for the image.

Insert a blank writable disc into your burner.
Right-click the .iso file and choose Burn disc image. (If it is missing, use Open with > Windows Disc Image Burner.)
In the Windows Disc Image Burner window, confirm the correct Disc burner is selected.
Optionally tick Verify disc after burning to have Windows check the copy is readable — slower, but worth it for install media.
Click Burn and wait for it to finish. The disc ejects when the burn completes.

Burn the image, don't copy the file

Dragging the .iso file onto a blank disc just writes a single data file called "something.iso" — the disc will not boot or work as the original media. Always use Burn disc image so Windows expands the image into a proper disc. And remember: most modern laptops have no optical drive at all, so for a Windows installer a USB flash drive is usually the better target than a disc.

4. Creating an ISO — the honest picture

Here is the part most guides gloss over: Windows 11 has no built-in feature to create an ISO from a folder of files or from a disc you own. It can mount and burn all day, but building an image is left to other tools. There are two honest routes, depending on what you actually need.

A) You want an official Windows 11 install ISO

Use Microsoft's own Media Creation Tool, or the direct download option, from the official Download Windows 11 page at microsoft.com/software-download/windows11. The tool downloads a genuine, current Windows 11 ISO and can either save the .iso or write a bootable USB drive for you — Microsoft's Create installation media for Windows article walks through downloading MediaCreationTool.exe from that page and confirms it can produce either a USB flash drive or an ISO file. This is the right way to get install media — never source a Windows ISO from a random third-party site.

B) You want to package your own files, or image a disc you own

For this you need a trusted third-party program. The classic, still-recommended free option is ImgBurn, which can Build an ISO from a folder of files or Read a physical disc into an image. Other well-known tools cover the same ground. Whatever you choose, download it from the developer's own site and be wary of bundled "offers" during installation.

Why no built-in creator?

Microsoft leaned into mounting as the everyday need — you download an ISO and run it without ever touching a disc — and into supported install media via the Media Creation Tool. General-purpose "make an ISO from anything" authoring stayed a niche job, so it was never folded into Windows. That is why the freeware answer still matters, exactly as it did nearly two decades ago.

Quick reference

Mount: right-click the .iso > Mount (or double-click).
Find it: This PC > the new virtual drive letter.
Eject: right-click the virtual drive > Eject.
Burn to disc: right-click the .iso > Burn disc image (Windows Disc Image Burner, isoburn.exe).
Official Windows ISO: the Download Windows 11 page / Media Creation Tool.
Build your own ISO: a trusted third-party tool such as ImgBurn.

From the archive

Creating ISO images was first touched on here on windows-now.com back in 2007 by Doug Knox, who pointed readers at ImgBurn — the same free tool we still recommend today for building an image Windows itself won't. Native mounting only arrived years later, but the freeware answer for creating ISOs has barely changed. You can read the original archived post, then come back here for the built-in Windows 11 way to mount and burn.

Frequently asked

How do I mount an ISO file in Windows 11?

Right-click the .iso file in File Explorer and choose Mount, or simply double-click the file. Windows 11 attaches the image as a virtual DVD drive that appears under This PC with its own drive letter, and it opens automatically so you can browse or run the contents. Mounting is built in — you do not need to install anything, and it works the same way on Windows 8, 10 and 11.

How do I unmount or eject a mounted ISO?

Open File Explorer, go to This PC, right-click the virtual drive the ISO created and choose Eject. The drive letter disappears and the image is unmounted. If an installer or program is still running from the image, close it first — otherwise Windows may refuse to eject because the drive is in use. Restarting the PC also clears any mounted images.

Can Windows 11 create an ISO file from my own files or a folder?

Not directly. Windows 11 can mount and burn ISO files out of the box, but it has no built-in tool to build a new ISO from a folder of files or from a physical disc. For an official Windows 11 install image, use Microsoft's Media Creation Tool, which downloads a genuine ISO for you. To package your own files into an ISO, or to rip a disc you own to an image, you need a trusted third-party program such as ImgBurn.

What do I need to burn an ISO to a disc in Windows 11?

You need a computer with an optical drive that can write discs (a DVD or Blu-ray burner), a blank writable disc of the right type and size for the image, and the ISO file itself. Right-click the ISO, choose Burn disc image to open Windows Disc Image Burner, pick your burner and, if you want, tick Verify disc after burning. Most modern laptops have no optical drive, so for install media a USB flash drive is usually the better route.