How to Burn an ISO File to a Disc (Step-by-Step Guide)

Tim Fisher

Updated on June 22, 2022

What to Know

Download software from "freeisoburner.com" (SoftSea Mirror) > wait for download to start > run file.
Burn: Insert disk > select Open under ISO File > choose ISO > Open > select disk drive > Burn > wait to finish.

This srticle explains how to burn an ISO file to a disk (such as a CD, DVD, or BD) using Free ISO Burner software.

of 10

Download the Free ISO Burner Software

Screenshot of the Free ISO Burner download page — Free ISO Burner Download Link.

Free ISO Burner is a freeware program that burns ISO images CD, DVD, or BD discs, so the first thing you'll need to do is visit the Free ISO Burner website so you can download the software.

Scroll down to the bottom of the download page and select Download Free ISO Burner (SoftSea Mirror).

of 10

Wait for the Download to Begin

Screenshot showing the SoftSea.com Download Page for Free ISO Burner — SoftSea.com Download Page for Free ISO Burner.

This next screen is actually at a website called SoftSea. SoftSea physically hosts the Free ISO Burner program but all you have to do here is a wait a few moments before the download beings.

There are all sorts of "download" links on this page, but most of them are just advertisements disguised to appear as download links for this or other programs. There's no need to click on anything here. Just wait, the Free ISO Burner software will begin downloading soon.

of 10

Download Free ISO Burner

Screenshot showing Free ISO Burner downloading via Chrome in Windows 10 — Free ISO Burner Download.

After waiting on the SoftSea.com download page in the last step, the actual Free ISO Burner program will begin to download. It's small so it may finish downloading before you even realize it's started.

If prompted, choose to Save or Save As or Download the program—don't just run or open it from here. While that would probably be fine, sometimes it just complicates things.

The screenshot above shows the prompt asking where to save Free ISO Burner in Windows 10, using the Google Chrome browser. If you download this file using another browser or a different operating system, your download progress manager or indicator might look different.

of 10

Start the Free ISO Burner Program

Screenshot of Free ISO Burner v1.22 — Free ISO Burner Program Interface.

After downloading Free ISO Burner, locate the file and run it. Free ISO Burner is a portable application, meaning it doesn't need to be installed—just double-click on it and the software runs.

If you're having trouble locating the FreeISOBurner.exe file you just downloaded, check your Desktop and Download folders, the two most common locations for storing downloaded files. If you were asked to choose a specific folder during Step 3, look in that folder.

of 10

Insert a Blank Disc in the Optical Drive

A picture of a blank disc — Blank Disc for the Burning of an ISO Image.

Insert a blank disc in your optical drive for the burning of the ISO file.

Free ISO Burner supports all standard types of CD, DVD, and BD discs. However, you should use an appropriate size of empty disc per your ISO image. For example, an ISO file that's larger than a CD but smaller than a BD should be burned to a DVD, and so on.

You can reference this Table of Optical Media Storage Capacities if you think that information might be helpful in your decision.

of 10

Locate the ISO File You Want to Burn

Screenshot showing how to browse for files in Windows 10 — ISO Image File Selection Dialog Box.

Back on the Free ISO Burner program window, select Open to the right of the long text box, under the heading ISO File. The Open window you see above will appear.

Navigate through your drives and folders, if necessary, to locate the ISO file that you want to burn to a disc.

of 10

Select and Confirm the Chosen ISO File

Screenshot showing how to browse for an ISO file in Windows 10 — ISO File Selection.

Now that you've found the ISO file you'd like to burn, left-click on it once and then choose Open.

You should be returned back to the Free ISO Burner main program window with the path of your ISO file pasted into the ISO File text box.

of 10

Confirm the Selected Drive

Screenshot showing a disc drive in Free ISO Burner — Free ISO Burner Drive Option.

The next thing to look at is the Drive option... assuming you have one.

If you have more than one optical disc drive with burning capabilities, you may have more than one option listed here. Check to see that the drive that's selected is the one you actually have the disc in.

of 10

Click Burn to Start the ISO Image Burning

Screenshot of Free ISO Burner creating a new disc — ISO Image Burning in Free ISO Burner.

Select Burn to start the process of burning the ISO file to the disc in the drive.

You'll know that burning is taking place because the status will change from IDLE to WRITING, you'll see a percentage indicator increasing, and you'll see the progress bar moving.

I skipped discussing the items under Options because they're not necessary to adjust unless you're troubleshooting a problem with your optical drive or Free ISO Burner.

of 10

Wait for the ISO Image to Finish Burning

Screenshot showing a successful disc write in Free ISO Burner — Free ISO Burner Image Write Done.

Free ISO Burner is done burning the ISO file when the status changes back to IDLE and you see Write ISO image done in the Progress box.

Once this happens, the disc will automatically eject from the drive.

The time it takes to write the ISO image will depend mostly on the size of the ISO file and the speed of your optical drive, but the speed of your overall computer has an impact, too.

Need Help?

For help burning and using ISO files, please see the "More Help" section at the bottom of our How to Burn an ISO Image File to a DVD guide.

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for letting us know!

Tell us why!