A .DMG file is a container file commonly used to distribute applications for Mac OS X. Installing software from one of these requires you to mount the image and move its contents to your computer’s “Applications” directory.
One of the most common mistakes I see among new Mac users is fumbling with how to install and open .dmg files or new software. The process for installing new applications on your Mac can be confusing at first because it differs greatly from Windows’ software installation process. Nevertheless, the Mac method of installing software is actually quite simple and intuitive once you are accustomed to it. If your desktop is littered with DMG files and white “drive”-looking icons, read on!
- The bundle on this site just installs everything the usual Mac way via a dmg file as a selfcontained application. The default graphics backend in MacPorts is X11 and therefore requires the X Server. The bundle is configured to use the GTK+ Quartz backend - so the bundle does not need an X Server.
- DMG Canvas builds disk images from template documents that you create. Simply design your disk image’s appearance using the graphical editor and click Build. Each time you release a new version of your disk image, simply click Build again and DMG Canvas will pull together all of the latest versions of your files.
- DMG Canvas lets you create and build disk images using the slick WYSIWYG designer. Simply drag and drop your files into place, add text, images, and change the background image for the mounted window, and you can even add stylized license agreements to your disk images, which — believe us — is a massive pain otherwise.
Converting a.dmg File to a.pkg File Before Deployment. Jamf Now only supports.pkg files for package deployment. If you have an app that is not available in the.pkg file type, you will need to repackage the.dmg file as a signed.pkg file before distributing with Jamf Now. Apple Developer Program account ($99.00/year). Creating a DMG File Manually Download Article 1 Create a New Folder for your files. Place the files you would like in your disk image into this new folder for easy access later in the process.
Contents
What are .DMG Files?
DMG stands for Disk Image, and is a format commonly used to distribute files and applications among Apple computers. A DMG file is like a virtual DVD or hard drive. They can be “mounted” on your Mac in order to work with their contents, or even burned to an actual physical disc.
In order to understand the concept of a DMG disk image, think of a storage volume such as a CD, DVD, hard drive, or external drive. A DMG file is like one of these devices in that it serves as a means to encapsulate documents, images, software, and other files. The difference is that with a DMG, there is no physical storage medium. There is only the DMG file, which can be written to a hard drive, burned to a CD or DVD, or sent over the Internet.
In order to work with the contents of a DMG file, you must mount the the disk image to your system. This may sound daunting, however “mounting” a DMG file with Mac OS X is no more complicated than double-clicking it’ icon. The operating system will load the load image and place a new icon both on your desktop, and in the sidebar of the Finder. The icon will have the same name as the DMG, and you’ll be able to browse through its contents like any other folder.
Once you are done working with the contents of the file, you will want to remove or “unmount” it from your system. Do this by opening the Finder and clicking the eject icon next to the virtual drive’s icon. Or, go to the Desktop, click once on the icon, and press CMD+E.
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How to Install and Open .dmg Files on a Mac
Software installation with Mac OS X is very different than in the Windows world. On a Windows PC you run an installer, tick off a few checkboxes, and wait for the progress meter to reach completion. There usually is no such “installation wizard” on a Mac &emdash; you simply drag and drop the program into your computer’s “Applications” directory. The trick is that most Mac applications are distributed as images called DMG files, and many new Mac users end up running applications directly from the image instead of installing them to the “Applications” directory.
Enough explanation, here’s how to install an OS X app from a DMG file:
- Find the downloaded file, which usually ends up in your Desktop or Downloads folder.
- Double-click the .DMG file to mount it. A new Finder window showing its contents should appear.
- If the window also contains a shortcut icon to “Applications”, drag and drop the app onto the shortcut.
- If not, double-click the mounted volume on your desktop and drag the app icon from there to the “Applications” icon in the Finder sidebar.
Further Explanation
Alright, that was the abridged version. Here’s the long version. I’ve just downloaded the DeskLickr application, and the DeskLickr_1.2.dmg is sitting on my desktop. I double-click it and a new icon labeled “DeskLickr 1.2” appears on my desktop. Here’s what my desktop looks like at this point:
Since most of the time a new Finder window also pops up when the image is ready for use, this one is now sitting on my desktop:
Different applications are going to show you slightly different Finder windows. Each application’s designers like to add their own artwork. Glitter aside, most applications are trying to tell you the same thing. See the arrow pointing from the DeskLickr icon to the “Applications’ shortcut? It’s telling you to drag and drop the icon into that folder. Once you’ve done so, the app will be installed.
If a program doesn’t provide a shortcut to the Applications folder, you’ll need to pop open a new Finder window. Press CMD+N to open a new window, then drag the program over to “Applications” in the left-hand side of the window.
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House Cleaning
Once the new program is installed it’s time to do some house cleaning. You no longer need the disk image you downloaded, so follow these steps:
- Close any Finder windows that have been left open.
- Eject the disk image (not the .DMG file). Click on its desktop icon, then press CMD+E.
- Delete the .DMG file by dragging it to the trash.
That’s it! Your new Mac application is ready to use. But wait…
Bonus Tip: Add Your New Application to the Dock
I knew you were going to ask, so I figured I would cut you off at the pass. In order to add the new application to the dock, follow these steps:
- Open up a new Finder window.
- Click on “Applications”.
- Locate your new program’s icon.
- Drag the icon to your Dock, and drop it wherever you like.
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My last tutorial focused on the creation of a Windows installer for Unity games, now I want to show you two useful tools to create a fancy, customized Mac DMG for your Unity game.
It’s very easy to create an Apple Disk Image, even from command line:
hdiutil create name.dmg -srcfolder /path/to/folder/
But how do you create one of this fancy designed and highly polished Mac DMG files? You can do this from command line as well, but there are handy tools that ease up this process and let you work in a WYSIWYGkind of way.
Preparation
You need following files/resources to create the disk image:
- An actual build of your game! (MyGame.app)
- A nice background image
Optional
- (An alias to your Applications folder)
- Your license and/or other notes prepared as .txt or .rtf documents
- An icon for the DMG
- Extra files (Documentation, License, Credits, …)
PS: You can convert a .png/.jpeg/.gif into an .ico file easily with one of the bazillion online converters out there, for example ConvertIcon! (clean & ad free).
Unity Mac Build Dmg Files
Open Source
The open source option is dmgCreator and it’s available at SourceForge.net completely free!
Description
dmgCreator is a Mac OS X Application which allows simple and easy creation of customized dmg disk images with custom background images. It ensures the correct presentation of the disk image content irrespective of the current Finder configuration.
Features
- Creates compressed and internet enabled DMG files, i.e. for software distribution
- Add a background image and a custom volume icon
- Add a symbolic link to the Applications folder
- Content positioning at a pixel level
- The disk image’s content will always look the same
Shareware
The shareware variant is DMG Canvas, available reasonably priced for 15$.
Description
DMG Canvas builds disk images from template documents that you create. Simply design your disk image’s appearance using the graphical editor and click Build. Each time you release a new version of your disk image, simply click Build again and DMG Canvas will pull together all of the latest versions of your files. DMG Canvas also allows you to specify the license agreements displayed when the disk image is mounted, and use localized versions for non-English end users.
DMG Canvas can do the very same as dmgCreator. However it has some nice extra features like the possibility to change the size of the icons, text tools, help with aligning items and more. It’s also possible to do automated builds using the command line. All in all there are a lot of comfort features and the handling is very good.
Unity Mac Build Dmg File Viewer
Notes
I didn’t do a real tutorial because I think the apps are full self-explanatory and very easy to use. Just download them, try them out and decide yourself which one suits your needs. If you want to see a nice designed disk image, please go ahead and download the DMG of Of Light & Shadow!
Source: Martin Klappacher
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