How to Create an ISO Image From a Folder Using the Windows Command Prompt

Here's how to make an ISO from a folder without the aid of third-party tools.

The Windows OS natively supports the ISO file format. You can mount an ISO image to perform a Windows upgrade, install applications, access media content, and more. However, to create an ISO from a folder, you will need to use a third-party application.

If you don't want to use a third-party app, you can create an ISO image from the folder using the Command Prompt in Windows. Below we discuss the prerequisites and process required to perform this task in detail.

Why Do You Need to Create an ISO Image From a Folder?

You can create an ISO image containing a group of files in a single compressed image and share it over the network or via flash storage drives. Since Windows has the built-in mount and burn option, the recipient can mount the ISO image to view its content right away.

On a more advanced level, it lets you extract an existing ISO image, make modifications, and recreate the ISO image. This way, you can extract an ISO file, add additional files, and then repack it.

While there are plenty of third-party applications to create an ISO image from a folder, the free ones are riddled with limitations, and the premium ones are relatively expensive for one-time use. That said, it does offer the convenience of one-click conversion and plenty of customization.

If you don’t want to splurge on a third-party ISO conversion tool, you can create an ISO image from the folder using the Command Prompt. For this, you will need to install and configure the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK) on your PC.

So, we’ll begin by installing Windows ADK and then proceed to create an ISO image using the Command Prompt.

How to Install the Windows Assessment and Development Kit

The Windows ADK features the tools required to customize the Windows operating system images for large-scale deployment in an organization, etc. It also includes the OSCDIMG tool - A command-line utility you can use to create an ISO image from a folder using Command Prompt.

So, for this guide, you don't need to install all the components of Windows ADK, but only the Deployment Tools feature, which also consists of the OSCDMIMG tool.

Note that Microsoft releases a compatible version of the Windows ADK for every major release of the OS. So, make sure to download the ADK version compatible with your Windows OS. Alternatively, follow our guide to check the build and version of Windows 11 if you don’t know the OS version installed on your PC.

To download and install Windows ADK:

1. Go to the Microsoft ADK Install page. Here you will find all the latest and previous releases of Windows ADK. Alternatively, use the below link to download the ADK package for the latest Windows 11 release: Windows ADK for Windows 11 22H2 / Windows ADK for Windows 11 21H2
2. Once downloaded, run the Adksetup file to open the installation wizard.
   
3. Select the Install the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit to this Computer option and then select the installation path. If you don't have a preferred installation path, leave it as default.
   
4. Click Next to proceed.
5. Click Next again and accept the license agreement.
   
6. In the feature selection screen, keep the Deployment Tools option checked and unselect all the other options.
7. Next, click Install. You will need to give administrative access, so click Yes to confirm the installation.
8. It may take a few minutes to install, so wait till the progress bar reaches 100%, and you see a success message.
9. Click Close.

How to Create an ISO Image from Folder Using Command Prompt

Now that you have Windows ADK installed, you can create ISO from folders. To create an ISO image using the command processor, you will need to use the OSCDIMG tool.

To create an ISO image from the folder:

1. Ensure you have all the contents of the ISO image in a folder.
2. Next, press the Win key, and type cmd. Right-click on the Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.
3. Next, locate the OSCDIMG tool location. By default, it is located in the following location:

   C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Deployment Tools\amd64\Oscdimg

4. To confirm, open File Explorer and navigate to the above location. Depending on the version of ADK installed, you may find a folder with a different version number than 10 inside the Windows Kits folder.
   
5. Once you have confirmed the OSCDIMG tool location, use the following command to change the directory to the folder where the OSCDIMG file is located:

   cd /d path

6. The full command with the OSCDIMG tool file path will look like this:

   Cd /d C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Deployment Tools\amd64\Oscdimg

7. With the directory selected, use the following command to create an ISO image from a folder:

   OSCDIMG -n -d -m PathToSource Destinationfile.ISO

8. In the above command, replace SourceLocation with the folder path and DestinationFile with the location where you want to save the ISO file.
   
9. For example, if your folder with content is located at E:\ISOTestFolder and you want to save the final ISO file to the E:\ directory with the name GeneratedISO then the command will look something like this:

   OSCDIMG -n -d -m E:\ISOTestFolder E:\GeneratedISO.iso

10. Hit Enter to execute the command. When the ISO is created, you will see a 100% complete output with the final image file size displayed.

You can locate the newly created ISO at your selected location and mount it to your PC or burn it to a disc.

Quickly Create ISO Images From Folders Without Using Third-Party Apps

While plenty of third-party ISO conversion apps support the command processor and offer tons of customization options, with these tools you are likely to run into the free version limitations.

The OSCDIMG command-line tool is a better option as it is developed by Microsoft and is less likely to run into issues. You are also not limited by folder size and can create large ISO files, such as a bootable ISO image, after modifications.