Virtual CloneDrive is genuinely free, not a trial for the paid CloneDVD/CloneCD suite from the same company, Elaborate Bytes — a distinction worth making since those are separate paid products. It adds up to 15 virtual drive letters to Windows, each of which can mount an ISO, BIN, or CCD image file so the contents behave exactly like an inserted physical disc, including autorun. It's a small, single-purpose utility aimed at users who need old software or game discs distributed as image files to work without a physical drive or burner.
How Many Virtual Drives You Actually Get
A single Virtual CloneDrive install can create up to 15 separate virtual drive letters simultaneously, each mountable with its own disc image, which is well beyond what most users need but useful if you're regularly working with multiple ISOs from an old software or game library at once.
Mounted images appear in File Explorer exactly like a physical optical drive, complete with autorun support for older installers that expect a disc to be inserted.
Who ends up using Virtual CloneDrive
Virtual CloneDrive tends to be used by owners of older software or game libraries distributed as disc image files rather than physical media.
- Gamers mounting old game ISOs that expect a physical disc to be inserted
- IT staff testing software distributed as ISO images without burning discs
- Users archiving old CD/DVD software collections as image files for easy access
Before you install
A couple of things worth knowing about Virtual CloneDrive before you request the link: it only ships for Windows, so double-check that's the machine you're installing it on before you request the link. And on pricing, Virtual CloneDrive is free to use outright — there's no paid tier hiding behind it, so what you install is the whole app. It's developed and maintained by Elaborate Bytes.
System requirements
- WindowsWindows 10 or 11 (64-bit); older 7/8.1 builds usually still run but no longer get official support
It's a lightweight tool, so there's no serious CPU/RAM/storage requirement beyond what its OS already needs to run comfortably.
Quick steps
- Download the installer from Elaborate Bytes' official site or its listed mirror
- Run setup and choose how many virtual drives to create; the default is usually enough
- Right-click an ISO/BIN/CCD file and choose 'Mount' to load it into a virtual drive
Virtual CloneDrive: the honest trade-offs
- Supports up to 15 simultaneous virtual drives for multiple mounted images
- Handles ISO, BIN, and CCD formats beyond what Windows mounts natively
- Completely free with no paid upgrade or nag screens
- Interface and installer feel outdated compared to newer alternatives
- Development has stalled, so it lacks support for newer image formats
This download links to Elaborate Bytes' official Virtual CloneDrive distribution, the free standalone tool separate from their paid CloneDVD products.
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Keeping Virtual CloneDrive up to date
Virtual CloneDrive typically checks for updates from inside the app, or you can just re-download the current installer from the official source periodically — reinstalling over the top keeps your settings. Sticking to the developer's own distribution channel — which is what this page links to — means you're never stuck on an old build with unpatched bugs just because a mirror site stopped updating its copy.
Features, install steps, alternatives and more detail live on the main Virtual CloneDrive page.
Frequently asked questions
Is Virtual CloneDrive different from CloneDVD?
Yes, they're separate products from the same company — Virtual CloneDrive is a free disc-mounting utility, while CloneDVD is a paid disc-copying/ripping application.
Does Windows already have a built-in way to mount ISOs?
Modern Windows (8 and later) can mount a single ISO natively by double-clicking it, but Virtual CloneDrive adds support for more formats like BIN/CCD and lets you mount several images at once.
