extract - File Extraction

Extract files and partitions from GameCube and Wii disc images

The extract command extracts files, directories, and partitions from GameCube and Wii disc images without needing to mount them.

Usage

dolphin-tool extract [options]

Options

-i FILE, --input=FILE · string · required

Path to the disc image file.

dolphin-tool extract -i game.iso -o ./output

Supported formats:

• ISO/GCM
• GCZ
• WIA
• RVZ
• WBFS

Note: WAD and ELF/DOL files are not supported (no filesystem).

-o FOLDER, --output=FOLDER · string

Path to the destination folder for extracted files.

dolphin-tool extract -i game.iso -o ./extracted

Required unless using --list without saving output.

The output folder will be created if it doesn’t exist.

-p PARTITION, --partition=PARTITION · string

Extract only a specific partition by name.

dolphin-tool extract -i game.iso -o ./output -p DATA

Common partition names:

• DATA - Main game data
• UPDATE - System update partition
• CHANNEL - Channel partition

Partition names are case-insensitive.

-s PATH, --single=PATH · string

Extract only a specific file or directory.

dolphin-tool extract -i game.iso -o ./output -s /sys/main.dol

Path format:

• Must start with /
• Case-sensitive
• Use forward slashes / even on Windows

Works with both files and directories.

-l, --list · flag

List all files in the volume/partition instead of extracting.

dolphin-tool extract -i game.iso --list

When combined with -s, lists only the specified path. When combined with -o, saves the listing to the output file.

-q, --quiet · flag

Suppress progress messages (only show errors).

dolphin-tool extract -i game.iso -o ./output --quiet

Useful for scripting and automation.

-g, --gameonly · flag

Extract only the DATA partition (game files).

dolphin-tool extract -i game.iso -o ./output --gameonly

Equivalent to -p DATA. Skips UPDATE and CHANNEL partitions.

Output Structure

Full Extraction (All Partitions)

dolphin-tool extract -i game.iso -o ./output

Creates:

output/
├── DATA/
│   ├── files/
│   │   ├── sys/
│   │   │   ├── main.dol
│   │   │   └── ...
│   │   └── ...
│   ├── sys.img
│   └── ...
├── UPDATE/
│   └── ...
└── CHANNEL/
    └── ...

Single Partition Extraction

dolphin-tool extract -i game.iso -o ./output -p DATA

Creates:

output/
└── DATA/
    ├── files/
    │   └── ...
    └── sys.img

Single File Extraction

dolphin-tool extract -i game.iso -o ./output -s /sys/main.dol

Creates:

output/
└── DATA/
    └── files/
        └── sys/
            └── main.dol

Examples

Extract Entire Disc

Extract all partitions and files:

dolphin-tool extract -i game.iso -o ./extracted

Progress output:

Extracting: /sys/main.dol | 5%
Extracting: /sys/bi2.bin | 10%
...
Finished Successfully!

Extract Only Game Data

Skip UPDATE and CHANNEL partitions:

dolphin-tool extract -i game.iso -o ./game-data --gameonly

or equivalently:

dolphin-tool extract -i game.iso -o ./game-data -p DATA

Extract Specific File

Extract just the main executable:

dolphin-tool extract -i game.iso -o ./output -s /sys/main.dol

Extract Specific Directory

Extract entire directory tree:

dolphin-tool extract -i game.iso -o ./output -s /files/sound

List Files Without Extracting

See what’s in the disc:

dolphin-tool extract -i game.iso --list

Output:

/// PARTITION: DATA </> ///
/sys/
/sys/main.dol
/sys/bi2.bin
/files/
/files/sound/
/files/sound/bgm.brstm
...

List Specific Partition

dolphin-tool extract -i game.iso --list -p DATA

List Specific Directory

dolphin-tool extract -i game.iso --list -s /files/sound

Output:

/// PARTITION: DATA </files/sound> ///
/files/sound/
/files/sound/bgm.brstm
/files/sound/sfx.brstm

Save File List to File

dolphin-tool extract -i game.iso --list -o filelist.txt

Extract Quietly (For Scripts)

dolphin-tool extract -i game.iso -o ./output --gameonly --quiet

Only errors will be printed.

Extract from Compressed Image

dolphin-tool extract -i game.rvz -o ./output --gameonly

Works with all supported formats (GCZ, WIA, RVZ, WBFS).

Partition Types

GameCube Discs

GameCube discs have no partitions. The entire filesystem is extracted directly:

dolphin-tool extract -i gamecube.iso -o ./output

Creates:

output/
├── files/
│   └── ...
└── sys.img

Wii Discs

Wii discs typically have multiple partitions:

DATA Partition

Main game data:

• Game executable (main.dol)
• Game files and assets
• Save data

dolphin-tool extract -i wii.iso -o ./output -p DATA

UPDATE Partition

System update files (if present):

• System menu updates
• IOS updates

dolphin-tool extract -i wii.iso -o ./output -p UPDATE

CHANNEL Partition

Installable channels (rare):

dolphin-tool extract -i wii.iso -o ./output -p CHANNEL

File Paths

Paths in disc images use Unix-style forward slashes:

# Correct
-s /sys/main.dol
-s /files/sound/bgm.brstm

# Incorrect (will not work)
-s \sys\main.dol
-s sys/main.dol

Always:

• Start with /
• Use forward slashes /
• Match case exactly
• Use directory names as they appear in --list

Use Cases

Game Modding

Extract game files for modification:

# Extract game data
dolphin-tool extract -i game.iso -o ./mod-source --gameonly

# Modify files...
# Then rebuild with external tools

Asset Extraction

Extract specific game assets:

# Extract all sounds
dolphin-tool extract -i game.iso -o ./sounds -s /files/sound

# Extract all textures
dolphin-tool extract -i game.iso -o ./textures -s /files/textures

Executable Analysis

Extract the main executable for reverse engineering:

dolphin-tool extract -i game.iso -o ./analysis -s /sys/main.dol

File System Inspection

Explore disc contents:

# List all files
dolphin-tool extract -i game.iso --list | less

# Save to file for searching
dolphin-tool extract -i game.iso --list -o files.txt
grep ".brstm" files.txt

Scripting Examples

Extract from Multiple Images

#!/bin/bash

for iso in *.iso; do
  output="extracted/$(basename "$iso" .iso)"
  echo "Extracting $iso..."
  dolphin-tool extract -i "$iso" -o "$output" --gameonly --quiet
done

Find and Extract Specific Files

#!/bin/bash

# Find all .dol files
for iso in *.iso; do
  echo "=== $iso ==="
  dolphin-tool extract -i "$iso" --list | grep "\.dol$"
done

Verify File Existence

#!/bin/bash

IMAGE="game.iso"
FILE="/sys/main.dol"

if dolphin-tool extract -i "$IMAGE" --list | grep -q "^$FILE$"; then
  echo "File exists: $FILE"
  dolphin-tool extract -i "$IMAGE" -o ./output -s "$FILE" --quiet
else
  echo "File not found: $FILE"
fi

Batch Asset Extraction

#!/bin/bash

for iso in *.iso; do
  name=$(basename "$iso" .iso)
  
  # Extract sounds
  dolphin-tool extract -i "$iso" -o "assets/$name/sound" -s /files/sound --quiet
  
  # Extract models
  dolphin-tool extract -i "$iso" -o "assets/$name/models" -s /files/models --quiet
  
  echo "✓ Extracted assets from $iso"
done

Error Messages

”Error: No input image set”

Missing -i option:

dolphin-tool extract -i game.iso -o ./output

“Error: No output folder set”

Missing -o when not using --list, or using --quiet without --output when listing:

dolphin-tool extract -i game.iso -o ./output

“Error: Unable to open disc image”

Check:

• File exists and path is correct
• File is a valid disc image
• You have read permissions

”Error: Unable to open volume”

File is not a valid GameCube/Wii disc image or is corrupted.

”Error: Wii WADs are not supported”

WAD files have no filesystem. Cannot extract.

”Error: *.elf or *.dol have no filesystem”

Executable files have no filesystem. Cannot extract.

”Error: Found nothing to list”

The specified partition or file does not exist.

”Error: No file/folder was extracted”

The specified file/folder was not found. Check:

• Path is correct (case-sensitive)
• Path starts with /
• File exists (use --list to verify)

“Warning: —partition has a value even though this image doesn’t have any partitions”

GameCube images don’t have partitions. Remove -p flag.

”Maybe you misspelled your specified partition?”

Partition name is incorrect. Use --list to see available partitions.

Performance

Extraction speed depends on:

• Storage speed - SSD much faster than HDD
• Image format - ISO fastest, compressed formats slower
• Extraction scope - Single files very fast, full disc slower

Typical extraction times:

Operation	ISO	RVZ
List files	<1s	<1s
Single file	<1s	1-5s
Single directory	5-30s	10-60s
Full disc	1-3 min	3-10 min

Times are approximate for typical games

Limitations

• No WAD support - Wii WAD files cannot be extracted
• No ELF/DOL support - Executable files have no filesystem
• Read-only - Cannot modify or rebuild images

See Also

• Header Command - Inspect disc metadata
• Verify Command - Verify integrity
• DolphinTool Overview - Other utilities