Can You Delete Dmg Files

Asked by Old McStopher

Well, the short version of the question is in the title, but I'll explain further. My iMac, my families main computer, is running out of disc space, and after googling/looking for topics on the issue, I still can't find a clean cut answer to the question 'If I delete.dmg files for programs I have already install/use, will the programs become unusable/broken and will my iMac still function. UltraISO can open these image files, directly extract files and folders, edit it and convert other image files to the standard ISO format. UltraISO uses the double window unification user contact inter face, you have the choice to only use the quick buttons and/or the mouse Drag & Drops, you can handle any CD/DVD image file easily. Download Mac OS Sierra 10.12.5 DMG Files. If you looking on the internet a Mac OS Sierra 10.12.5 DMG Files So, you come to the right place now a day shares with you a Mac OS Sierra DMG direct download without an app store this Apple operating system with so many new cool features added and all bugs fixed. You can direct updated to High Sierra from the apple store and download from direct link.

I can also delete.dmg files now, because in the past - seeing the applications weren't installed correctly, deleting the.dmg file caused the application to partially uninstall as it was running the incorrectly installed application.

I know this may stem from a fundamental misunderstanding of the way disk images are intended to work, but even when full permissions are granted on a .dmg file, I am unable to add or remove files on the mounted disk image. Is there any way (natively or via a 3rd-party tool) to do this?

I know that when a disk image is mounted, a checksum verification is done, so I’m guessing that because modifying the image at all would destroy the checksum, this is inherently not allowed, but I’m wondering if there’s a utility that could re-image the disk with a subset of its contents, perhaps recalculating the checksum in the process.

NOTE:Copying all the contents over, deleting, and then re-imaging is not a plausible option, due to the size of the image and the fact that it already fills most of the available space of the external drive on which it resides.

2 Answers

You can edit, add, and remove files on a Disk Image if it is formatted to be readable and writable, which is set at the creation of the Disk Image.

This is a different concept than file permissions: File permissions allow you to read, i.e. mount, an entire Disk Image, or delete it in entirety (as a Disk Image itself is a single large file). How the Disk Image was formatted sets the rules for if you can only read (or both read and write) files within the Disk Image.

Osx Can You Delete .dmg Files

To natively create a readable and writable copy of a Disk Image, you can use the hdiutil of macOS via Terminal.app like this:

hdiutil convert -format UDRW -o ReadableAndWritableCopy.dmg ReadOnlyOriginal.dmg

You can then edit what is in the ReadableAndWriteableCopy.dmg Disk Image and create another copy with your edits that is read-only (like the original was) like this:

hdiutil convert -format UDRO -o ReadOnlyCopy.dmg ReadableAndWriteableCopy.dmg

Answered by aoeu with 1 upvote

A disk image is designated as read-only or read-write when it is created. Simply changing the permissions on the DMG file will have no effect.

Here is one purported solution that I have not tried myself, that uses the hdiutil convert command to make a disk image writable, and hdiutil resize to add extra space if required for any additional content.

Answered by calum_b with 2 upvotes

Add your own answer!

Help others by answering this question!

Mac users often find their Downloads folder filled with disk images that they previously downloaded from the internet, files that – having already installed the apps – they forgot to delete after unmounting the image. As you may already know, installer files for macOS come with a DMG file extension – otherwise known as an Apple Disk Image – and are similar to ISO files.

To install an app – the majority of which just require dragging and dropping – users need to mount this .DMG file just as you might mount a CD when putting it into a CD drive, which makes its contents visible on the Mac. The required software is packed into a special bundle and carries an invisible “.APP” extension.

Download CleanMyMac X from MacPaw’s website and clean up to 500MB of junk data from your computer while enjoying all the features of the software without major limitations.

Users tend to forget about the existence of these disk images after they install the software. The same is true for iOS installer files (IPSW), although using .IPSW to apply an iOS software update is considered to be a more advanced function and therefore more appropriate for tech-savvy users. Even so, it can still happen that even advanced users forget about these storage-hungry installer files.

How To Remove Installer Files

Having one or two installer files in the Downloads folder shouldn't cause any issues unless these files occupy gigabytes of space – Adobe Creative Cloud installer packages, for example. But when you realize that your Mac is running out of free space, this is a good place to check for the remains of installer files to remove them and save space.

Removing these files is as easy as the installation process: select the file and drag it to the Bin. There are cases where the software is more complex, such as Adobe's suite of programs or Mac optimization software OnyX's installer files. If this is the situation, just open the disk image and look for an uninstaller file, or launch the app and find the uninstall options. The uninstall process may differ by app, but in most cases it is hassle-free.

Most Common Issues When Removing Installer Files

The drag and drop removal method, however, may leave some junk data behind since it doesn't remove the supporting files, which, if you frequently install and uninstall apps, may end up eating into your Mac's storage.

Ever since macOS Sierra 10.12, Apple has provided users with the option to trash the installer as soon as its function is finished, a pretty handy feature considering the limited disk space on a MacBook Air.

Fortunately, Mac optimization apps such as CleanMyMac and others include a neat uninstaller utility that helps remove all files associated with the application and its temporary installation files. While this feature won’t remove the installation file, it does find the files associated with specific software after selecting the app(s) that you want removed.

Installer files are easier to remove because they can be considered as .ZIP files. To move the installer to the Trash, however, you should first unmount it, otherwise it will display an error message. After unmounting it, locate the file (usually in the Downloads folder, the default location for files downloaded from the web), and simply press the Command + Backspace keys or drag it into the trash can.

Best Mac Optimization Software of 2021

Get the Best Deals on Mac Optimization Software

Can You Delete .dmg Files

Stay up to date on the latest tech news and discounts on Mac optimization software with our monthly newsletter.