Download Rapidmg (Mac) – Download & Review Free

DMG files are quite an interesting method of distributing applications, as they are mounted as disk images in order to access their contents. One drawback is that installing an app from a DMG file takes quite a few steps, which could be simplified.

Rapidmg goes around the normal process of mounting the disk images. Instead, it extracts their contents directly, and if an app is detected, it can move it to the Applications folder automatically, speeding up things quite a bit.

Extracts DMG contents using 7-Zip

At its core, the app relies on the open-source 7-Zip tool for extracting data. If you’ve ever tried to inspect a DMG file on Windows, you’ll know this is the quickest method. This way, you can bypass mounting and unmounting the disk image.

Once extracted, Rapidmg can detect apps and move them to the Applications folder, which would normally require dragging them to that folder manually after mounting the DMG file.

If the disk image has an embedded license that needs to be accepted, Rapidmg lets you know, but you’ll have to mount the DMG file to actually read it. But let’s be honest, no one ever does.

Saves a lot of time in the long run

The intended way to use this tool is to make it the default app for opening DMG files. Once you’ve done so, if you double-click a disk image, the app inside will be extracted and moved to the Applications folder automatically. The DMG file can then be left alone, moved to the Trash, or deleted.

If no app is detected, the disk image can be mounted or extracted as usual. As is my experience with 7-Zip on Windows, in rare cases DMG files can’t be successfully extracted. For example, when trying to expand the DMG for Google Chrome Dev, the output folder only contained the .hfs disk image. In these cases, the DMG will just be mounted, and you can access its contents the old-fashioned way.

Great for users who frequently install apps

If you only need to mount a DMG file once in a blue moon, Rapidmg won’t be all that helpful. But if you’re like me, and you open dozens every day, it will make a big difference. It’s easy to use and customizable, and very reasonably priced.