You typically see ISO files when you want to install an operating system or consume movie, audio, or other archive data of CDs | and DVDs. This is the most popular way to archive large data to be downloaded or transferred. For example, Ubuntu comes in ISO file format. If you want to install Ubuntu today, you’ll probably have to download an ISO image file. I doubt you can purchase Ubuntu OS on a DVD nowadays. For students and new users looking for a Linux system to start learning on, the easiest place to start is Ubuntu Linux OS. It’s a great Linux operating system for beginners and folks looking for easier Linux distribution to use. To mount or extract ISO file format on Ubuntu, follow the steps below:

Mount via Ubuntu Command Line

In most cases, you may use the Ubuntu desktop to mount ISO files. However, in some instances where you’re working on a server terminal, using the command line is your only option. Linux mount command allows you to mount files at a mount point you specify. For example, if you want to mount an ISO file named mini.iso in the /media/iso (mount point) folder, you’ll run the command below: For this tutorial, our ISO file is saved in John’s home folder. ( /home/john/mini.iso) To mount the ISO file, run the commands below: When you mount it, you may get a message as shown below: that the device is mounted but read-only. The -o loop option tells the mount command to mount the ISO file as a loop device. The loop device is mounted in the /media/iso folder. (aka, mount point). Loop devices have special functions in Linux. Now that the device is mounted at the mount point, all you need to do to view its content is to use the ls command. Example: That should list the content of the ISO file. To un-mount the attached or mounted loop device, simply run the commands below: If the device is in use, the command will fail to un-mount. You’ll need to exit the loop device to un-mount.

Use Ubuntu Desktop App

If you’re using an Ubuntu desktop simply right-click the ISO file and mount it using Gnome’s disk image mounter. Once the ISO image is mounted, it will appear on the desktop where you will be able to browse its content using Gnome’s file manager. To un-mount, simply select the mounted device on the desktop and click Unmount. That should do it! Conclusion: Students and new users who are learning how to use Linux systems should preferably choose Ubuntu. It’s simple and suitable for beginners. This post shows you how to mount and un-mount ISO files on Ubuntu You may also like the post below: