.iso — Optical Disc Image
A byte-for-byte image of an optical disc (CD/DVD/Blu-ray) or, increasingly, a bootable installer image for an operating system.
Disk images can contain an entire file system, including installers or executables. Treat the contents with the same caution you'd give any downloaded software.
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Frequently asked questions
What is a .iso file?
A byte-for-byte image of an optical disc (CD/DVD/Blu-ray) or, increasingly, a bootable installer image for an operating system.
Can I edit a .iso file?
Not directly as text — .iso is a runnable or packaged format, not one meant for manual editing.
Does having a .iso extension mean the file is safe?
No single extension can guarantee that. Disk images can contain an entire file system, including installers or executables. Treat the contents with the same caution you'd give any downloaded software. Always consider where the file came from, not just its name.