DAEMON Tools Lite 12.6.0.2461 for Windows

DAEMON Tools Lite 12.6.0.2461 is a Windows program that mounts disc images such as ISO files as virtual drives, so the system treats them like inserted CDs, DVDs or Blu-rays. You can download DAEMON Tools Lite from the official site when you need to open old game discs, software archives or backups without a physical drive.

Specifications

What it does

Modern Windows can mount a plain ISO file with a double-click, so many people wonder why they would need anything else. DAEMON Tools Lite goes further in several directions. It works with many image formats beyond ISO, including MDS/MDF, MDX, NRG and others created by old burning programs. It can create images from physical discs, so you can archive a collection of game or software discs before the media wears out. It emulates several virtual drives at once and keeps a catalogue of your images for quick mounting. Paid features in the same program add things like creating bootable USB sticks, mounting VHD disks and a larger number of virtual drives. The tool has a long history, and older game discs with copy protection were one of the reasons it became popular. Changes of each release are listed in the release notes history.

System requirements

The official FAQ lists Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1 and 10, plus Windows Server 2003, 2008 and 2008 R2, a 500 MHz CPU, 256 MB RAM and 30 MB of hard drive space for installation. Current builds are used on Windows 11 as well.

How to install

1. Download the installer from the official downloads page.
2. During setup, choose the free licence and read each screen: uncheck partner offers.
3. Allow the virtual drive driver to install when Windows asks.
4. Drag an image file into the program or right-click it and choose Mount.

Safety

Use only daemon-tools.cc. The free edition shows advertising and has offered bundled software in the past, which led to criticism, so custom installation is worth the extra minute. The driver works at system level; remove the program cleanly through Settings if you stop using it.

Price

The Lite edition is free for personal use, with ads. Individual advanced features and an ad-free licence are paid; check the official site for current options.

Pros and cons

• Pro: supports many image formats, not only ISO.
• Pro: creates images from physical discs.
• Pro: several virtual drives at once.
• Con: ads and offers in the free edition.
• Con: useful extras are paid.
• Con: installs a system driver.

Alternatives

UltraISO on our site edits and converts ISO images, and Rufus writes images to bootable USB sticks. For downloading official Windows images, Media Creation Tool comes from Microsoft.