A shell script to build fancy DMGs.
Create-dmg is mostly maintained by @aonez and the contributors who send pull requests. The project home page is https://github.com/create-dmg/create-dmg.
We will merge any pull request that adds something useful and does not break existing things.
If you're an active user and want to be a maintainer, or just want to chat, please ping us on Gitter at gitter.im/create-dmg/Lobby, or email Andrew directly.
Create-dmg was originally created by Andrey Tarantsov. In May 2020 Andrew Janke helped vastly with the project.
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You can install this script using Homebrew:
brew install create-dmg
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You can download the latest release and install it from there:
make install
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You can also clone the entire repository and run it locally from there:
git clone https://github.com/create-dmg/create-dmg.git
create-dmg [options ...] <output_name.dmg> <source_folder>
All contents of source_folder will be copied into the disk image.
Options:
- --volname <name>: set volume name (displayed in the Finder sidebar and window title)
- --volicon <icon.icns>: set volume icon
- --background <pic.png>: set folder background image (provide png, gif, jpg)
- --window-pos <x> <y>: set position the folder window
- --window-size <width> <height>: set size of the folder window
- --text-size <text_size>: set window text size (10-16)
- --icon-size <icon_size>: set window icons size (up to 128)
- --icon <file_name> <x> <y>: set position of the file's icon
- --hide-extension <file_name>: hide the extension of file
- --app-drop-link <x> <y>: make a drop link to Applications, at location x, y
- --ql-drop-link <x> <y>: make a drop link to /Library/QuickLook, at location x, y
- --eula <eula_file>: attach a license file to the dmg
- --rez <rez_path>: specify custom path to Rez tool used to include license file
- --no-internet-enable: disable automatic mount©
- --format: specify the final image format (UDZO|UDBZ|ULFO|ULMO) (default is UDZO)
- --filesystem: specify the image filesystem (HFS+|APFS) (default is HFS+, APFS supports macOS 10.13 or newer)
- --encrypt: enable encryption for the resulting disk image (AES-256 - you will be prompted for password)
- --encrypt-aes128: enable encryption for the resulting disk image (AES-128 - you will be prompted for password)
- --add-file <target_name> <file|folder> <x> <y>: add additional file or folder (can be used multiple times)
- --disk-image-size <x>: set the disk image size manually to x MB
- --hdiutil-verbose: execute hdiutil in verbose mode
- --hdiutil-quiet: execute hdiutil in quiet mode
- --bless: bless the mount folder (deprecated, needs macOS 12.2.1 or older, #127)
- --codesign <signature>: codesign the disk image with the specified signature
- --notarize <credentials>: notarize the disk image (waits and staples) with the keychain stored credentials For more information check Apple's documentation
- --skip-jenkins: skip Finder-prettifying AppleScript, useful in Sandbox and non-GUI environments, #72
- --sandbox-safe: hdiutil with sandbox compatibility, do not bless and do not execute the cosmetic AppleScript (not supported for APFS disk images)
- --version: show tool version number
- -h, --help: display the help
hdiutil supports native disk image encryption using AES-256 (slower but stronger) or AES-128 (faster but weaker). Enabling disk image encryption via create-dmg will require the entry of the password during the middle (compression phase) of the process. Take care to enter the password correctly, because hdiutil will not prompt a second time to confirm the password.
#!/bin/sh
test -f Application-Installer.dmg && rm Application-Installer.dmg
create-dmg \
--volname "Application Installer" \
--volicon "application_icon.icns" \
--background "installer_background.png" \
--window-pos 200 120 \
--window-size 800 400 \
--icon-size 100 \
--icon "Application.app" 200 190 \
--hide-extension "Application.app" \
--app-drop-link 600 185 \
"Application-Installer.dmg" \
"source_folder/"
See the examples
folder in the source tree for more examples.
Nothing except a standard installation of macOS/OS X is required.
We think this works in OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard and later.
We'd like to keep it working in as many versions as possible, but unfortunately, we just don't have test boxes running old versions of OS X adequate to make this happen. Development and testing mostly happens in the last 3-5 years' worth of macOS releases; as of 2020, this means macOS 10.12 and later.
But if you find a bug in an older version, go ahead and report it! We'll try to work with you to get it fixed.
If you're running OS X 10.5 or earlier, you're SOL. That's just too hard to deal with in 2023. ;)