How to Burn a CD on an iMac
By Lee Simmons
Updated February 09, 2017
Burning a CD on an iMac is easy to do. Using your iMac's pre-installed CD-burning interface, you can transfer your favorite music or other digital files to disc in a matter of minutes.
Insert a blank recordable CD (CD-R) into the CD-ROM disk drive of your iMac.
Locate the files you want to burn to disc.
Click and drag the files (or groups of files using "Shift" + "Select") to the CD-R icon on your iMac's desktop. Or right-click on individual files and select "Save As" to save them to the CD-R.
Click "File" and "Burn Disc."
Title your disc when the window prompt says, "Are you sure you want to burn the contents of "Untitled CD" to a disc?"
Select the burn speed in the same window; "8X" is the most reliable speed.
Select a burn folder to save the disc to from the same window if you'd like a backup copy.
Click "Burn."
Choose "Eject CD" once the CD-R has finished burning, or click and drag the CD-R icon to the trash on your desktop to eject it.
Items you will need
iMac
CD-R
Tips
Research burning programs before saving files to a disc. Different iMacs can utilize different programs. Read all FAQs associated with your iMac's burning program before burning a CD.
Warnings
To ensure the contents remain on disc forever, use a CD-R and not a CD-RW (rewritable).
Writer Bio
Lee Simmons has 10 years of reporting experience covering a variety of issues for publications in South Carolina, California, and Texas. He also covered music industry issues for Soundcheck magazine and Bizmology.com, among others. Simmons earned a journalism degree from the University of Texas. He lives in Austin.