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An .img file is the simplest possible disk image: a byte-for-byte copy of a disk's contents, from the first sector to the last. No compression, no metadata, no container format — just raw data in the exact order it appears on the physical disk. Raspberry Pi OS distributions, firmware images, and forensic disk captures all use .img.
The format is used for writing bootable media: `dd if=image.img of=/dev/sdX` on Linux, or Raspberry Pi Imager on any platform, writes the image directly to an SD card or USB drive. The result is a bootable disk identical to the original. This is why OS distributions for embedded devices (Raspberry Pi, routers, single-board computers) ship as .img files.
On Windows, Win32 Disk Imager or Rufus write .img files to USB drives. On Mac, `dd` or Etcher handle it. The files can be large (matching the original disk size) but compress well since unused disk space is typically zeroes.