For reliability and speed, Linux is the best operating system for handling img.bz2 to ISO conversions. It handles raw data natively without the bloat of GUI tools.
If this is a hybrid bootable image (common for Linux ISOs that were saved as .img ), use geteltorito : img.bz2 to iso
hdiutil convert -format UDTO -o output your-file.img For reliability and speed, Linux is the best
However, many hypervisors (VirtualBox, VMware) and OS mounting tools prefer the standardized .iso (Optical Disc Image) format. Converting gives you: Converting gives you: The -d flag stands for "decompress
The -d flag stands for "decompress." After this command, you will have a standard .img file (e.g., your-disk-image.img ).
macOS is based on Unix, so the process is similar to Linux, but the commands differ slightly.
Warning: This command requires advanced knowledge of stdin/stdout and may fail with complex partition tables.