If you start Windows and Linux at the same time, it may be useful to be able to access files on the ext4 partition of the Linux system while connected to Windows. This means you can access your Linux files from Windows without rebooting to Linux. Here, we will show you several ways to access Ext4 partition from Windows.
Note: Although you can access the Ext4 partition, you cannot modify/edit these Linux-based log file systems on a Windows computer because it only supports FAT32 and NTFS.
Access Ext4 Files in Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)
If you are using Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) on Windows 10 Build 20211 and later, you can mount partitioned and non-partitioned disks on any Microsoft-approved Linux distribution. This includes any virtual hard disk (VHD) file, including the Linux Ext4 file system.
This feature is only available for WSL 2, WSL 2 is only supported on supported systems.
To use WSL, activate the Windows built-in WSL feature from “Programs and Features”, which can be accessed from the search box. You can also enable it in PowerShell (administrator mode) using the following command:
dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux /all /norestart
First check the requirements to run WSL 2. For x64 systems, include any build 1903 or higher, and for ARM64 systems, include 2004 or higher. Then enable the virtual machine feature as shown below.
dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:VirtualMachinePlatform /all /norestart
After this, download the Linux kernel update package from this Microsoft page. It’s a very simple installation. Choose the right download link based on whether you have an x64 or ARM64 machine.
Remember to reboot the machine first, so that WSL can start normally; otherwise, an error will be reported when installing the Linux update package.
After the installation of the Linux update is complete, return to PowerShell and enter the following to set WSL 2 as the default version.
wsl --set-default-version 2
From Microsoft Store, search and choose any supported Linux distro. It needs to be downloaded and installed on the Windows device.
Use the following command to view the available disks on the system. If you previously created Linux partitions for the WSL distribution on your device, they will be visible here. Not shown in the image below.
wmic diskdrive list brief
To mount the ext4, use the following command. The disk path for the Linux partition should be visible in the above image.
wsl --mount <diskpath>
If you don’t like to use the terminal, there is a direct way to access the mounted files including ext4 from the File Explorer. Visit “C:\Users\{Username}\AppData\Local\Packages.” Search for your installed Linux package. (In this screenshot, “Ubuntu” was the search term.)
Once the search results show up, look inside a folder named “LocalState.”
The ext4 file system for your installed Linux package in WSL is available in a Virtual Hard Disk (VHD) format.
You can save, transfer and copy-paste this ext4-based hard disk image file but cannot edit it in Windows.
Access Linux Ext4 Partition with Linux Reader
To access Linux ext4 partitions in Windows, you need to use a software such as Linux Reader. Install and start the application. The process should take just a few minutes.
Once inside, you’ll be able to view your ext4 (or 2 or 3) partition(s) connected to any Linux operating systems.
You can access the folder like a normal file browser. With the free version, you can read and save files and folders by pressing the “Save” button and then “Save File”. Since this is a Windows system, you cannot edit these files.
You can also mount folders by hitting “Mount to System” after the Save button.
You’ll have to choose the drive letter you want to mount the folder to.
After selecting the drive letter, click Mount, and you can access the folder from Windows Explorer. You can also choose to mount the entire partition. To do this, right-click on the partition and select “Mount to Disk Letter”. After browsing the folders and accessing the required files, select Uninstall.
You will then be able to choose the disk letter you want to mount the partition to. Press “Mount” and you’ll be able to access the ext4 partition from Windows Explorer. Select Unmount when you’re done.
All these functions are provided for free. The free version also allows you to install and create disk images. If you purchase the PRO version, you will be able to access other file systems such as ZFS, encrypted APFS, XFS, Hikvision NAS and DVR, and encrypted Bitlocker disks. You can also send the files you access to an FTP server.
Access Linux Ext4 Partition with Ext2Read
Ext2Read has not been updated since 2012, but that doesn’t mean it is no longer working. However, it is much better supported in older Windows versions, such as Windows 7, rather than the latest ones.
If you use Windows 10 or 11, after downloading EXT2Read, install it and run it as an Administrator.
It will automatically detect any ext4 partitions on your computer.
You can browse through the file system and save the files and folders that you want to use on Windows. You can also open ext4 images.
Access Ext4 for Virtualbox OS in Windows
Windows allows you to mount any virtual disk formatted with the Linux ext4 file system. It is done by adding a guest (VM) to the VirtualBox operating system installed on the Windows machine.
First, you need to configure the Linux operating system in VirtualBox. Go to “Create a new machine” and select the Linux configuration for the virtual machine.
After selecting the recommended minimum RAM, you must create a VirtualBox disk image (VDI), virtual hard disk (VHD), or virtual machine disk (VMD). You can choose to keep the dynamic allocation or the fixed size and then choose the size (in megabytes) of this virtual disk.
After you start the test machine with VirtualBox running, the virtual hard disk and any associated Ext files spring into action and can be accessed in your “Linux” virtual machine.
The Linux virtual workstations in Windows will use the ext4 file format.
You can access the Linux test machine you created in a folder named “VirtualBox VMs,r” which is saved in “C:\Users\Username.” This contains any ext4 file system formatted in the VHD image file.
