.dmg = .exe basically?

Joined
Nov 28, 2007
Messages
25,564
Reaction score
486
Points
83
Location
Blue Mountains NSW Australia
Your Mac's Specs
Silver M1 iMac 512/16/8/8 macOS 11.6
No. .exe is a Windows system file and .dmg is a Macintosh Disk Image.
 
Joined
May 19, 2009
Messages
8,428
Reaction score
295
Points
83
Location
Waiting for a mate . . .
Your Mac's Specs
21" iMac 2.9Ghz 16GB RAM - 10.11.3, iPhone6s & iPad Air 2 - iOS 9.2.1, ATV 4Th Gen tvOS, ATV3
And you cant run a .exe file on Mac as its a executable windows file .... Some say you can with crossover but there is a lot of conjecture going around about this !!!!
 
M

MacInWin

Guest
The .exe is an executable program for Windows, the .dmg is a disk image for Mac that may hold an executable program for Mac. The .dmg mounts as a disk drive, and from there you can run the program or installer, whichever is on the .dmg. If it has the application on it, you can just copy the application from the .dmg to the Applications folder and you're done with installing. You can then eject the .dmg and delete the .dmg image and the application will still be there.

I went through all this for you because as a relatively new switcher myself, it took a little while for me to appreciate the full differences in a .dmg.
 
Joined
Feb 14, 2008
Messages
443
Reaction score
13
Points
18
Location
Chicago
Your Mac's Specs
MacBook(3,1): C2D 2.2ghz, 4g RAM, 10.7.5; iMac(12,1): 2.5ghz i5, 16gb RAM, 10.9.1; iPhone5S iOS7.04
Actually, a .dmg on a Mac is kinda like a .DMS on Amiga, except on a Mac you can actually mount it as a drive. In fact, that's basically what a .dmg is -- it's sort of a virtual drive, in a way.
 
OP
O
Joined
Dec 28, 2009
Messages
396
Reaction score
5
Points
18
Your Mac's Specs
Macbook Unibody 2.26 Dual, 2GB RAM, 250 GB HDD
Ok I misphrased sorry...a .dmg to Apple, is like an .exe to Windows, in that both of them are basically files from which you install programs, in layman's terms?
 
Joined
Mar 17, 2008
Messages
6,879
Reaction score
191
Points
63
Location
Tucson, AZ
Your Mac's Specs
Way... way too many specs to list.
Nope, a .dmg is more like a .iso they're images that can be mounted and from there you can install programs. You can also burn them to disk.
 
OP
O
Joined
Dec 28, 2009
Messages
396
Reaction score
5
Points
18
Your Mac's Specs
Macbook Unibody 2.26 Dual, 2GB RAM, 250 GB HDD
Ok I understand. Thanks!
 

dtravis7


Retired Staff
Joined
Jan 4, 2005
Messages
30,133
Reaction score
703
Points
113
Location
Modesto, Ca.
Your Mac's Specs
MacMini M-1 MacOS Monterey, iMac 2010 27"Quad I7 , MBPLate2011, iPad Pro10.5", iPhoneSE
Dysfunction is correct.

The whole .EXE with Crossover is not a controversy here at all. Not all EXE's will run in Crossover. Some try to say most will. That is an exgeration of the truth.
 

bobtomay

,
Retired Staff
Joined
Dec 22, 2006
Messages
26,561
Reaction score
677
Points
113
Location
Texas, where else?
Your Mac's Specs
15" MBP '06 2.33 C2D 4GB 10.7; 13" MBA '14 1.8 i7 8GB 10.11; 21" iMac '13 2.9 i5 8GB 10.11; 6S
... Not all EXE's will run in Crossover. Some try to say most will. ...

lol, typically the ones that just heard of Crossover a week ago
 
OP
O
Joined
Dec 28, 2009
Messages
396
Reaction score
5
Points
18
Your Mac's Specs
Macbook Unibody 2.26 Dual, 2GB RAM, 250 GB HDD
No Crossover here lol...just a very basic question from a n00b, and it was answered thanks!
 
Joined
Oct 10, 2004
Messages
10,345
Reaction score
597
Points
113
Location
Margaritaville
Your Mac's Specs
3.4 Ghz i7 MacBook Pro (2015), iPad Pro (2014), iPhone Xs Max. Apple TV 4K
.dmg = .iso

.exe = .app
 
Joined
Sep 18, 2009
Messages
70
Reaction score
1
Points
8
Location
D/FW Texas
Your Mac's Specs
Macbook Pro 15" 2.8 GHz Core 2 Duo
.dmg = .iso

.exe = .app

As a relatively new switcher myself this is the best explanation. It took me a while to understand this and it is, in fact a much more elegant way to handle program installation. MS sucks in this regard.
 
Joined
Oct 10, 2004
Messages
10,345
Reaction score
597
Points
113
Location
Margaritaville
Your Mac's Specs
3.4 Ghz i7 MacBook Pro (2015), iPad Pro (2014), iPhone Xs Max. Apple TV 4K
As a relatively new switcher myself this is the best explanation. It took me a while to understand this and it is, in fact a much more elegant way to handle program installation. MS sucks in this regard.

The other real difference is that Windows programs will use an exe to install an App, so I get how it can be confusing. SOME Mac Apps will use an .app to install a program (interestingly MS Office for the Mac give you the drag and drop or installs program options) but simply dragging and dropping from the disc or disc image is a much easier way to do things. It's also why most Mac apps simply require you to drag them to the trash to uninstall.
 

Shop Amazon


Shop for your Apple, Mac, iPhone and other computer products on Amazon.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Top