While you cannot natively mount VMFS 6 in Windows Explorer like a standard folder, you access the data. For the fastest results on a Windows machine, use a specialized tool like DiskInternals VMFS Recovery or UFS Explorer . For a free method requiring slightly more technical skill, boot into a Linux Live environment and copy the files from there.
Here's a step-by-step guide to mounting a VMFS 6 datastore on a Windows system using VMFS Tools:
The software will automatically scan connected drives and locate the VMFS partition.
Without third-party software, Windows cannot read, let alone hot mount , a VMFS 6 volume.
If your goal is simply to get files off a VMFS 6 drive, the cleanest approach is to keep the drive inside the ecosystem it was built for. mount vmfs 6 windows hot
or assign a native drive letter using Windows utilities.
However, you can successfully access and read VMFS 6 data on a Windows machine by utilizing specialized, third-party file system drivers or data recovery utilities.
: Ensure your storage array has "mapped" the LUN to the Windows server's IQN or WWN.
Word count: ~1,450
You will need tools capable of reading VMFS 6.
At the rack, the affected host—an aging box with a newer sticker—was warm to the touch. Dante logged into the vSphere client and saw the datastore greyed out. The host had claimed the VMFS but failed to present it cleanly. He could detach and reattach the storage adapter, but that risked interrupting other tenants. He preferred a surgical approach.
Click . (This blocks Windows from attempting to write to the volume while keeping the hardware link active).
: Open PowerShell as Administrator and run: Get-CimInstance -Query "SELECT * from Win32_DiskDrive" Note the DeviceID (e.g., \\.\PHYSICALDRIVE1 ). While you cannot natively mount VMFS 6 in
What is your ultimate goal? (e.g., or a permanent storage mount ?) AI responses may include mistakes. Learn more Share public link
The VM’s VMDK files were there, timestamps recent. Dante copied the most important VMDK descriptor to a secure location, then created a temporary datastore mapping to expose the VMDK to a rescue VM. From the rescue VM—running a minimal Windows environment—he attached the disk and discovered a corrupted NTFS partition table. The Windows host had been writing heavily during a failed path failover, leaving the filesystem mid-update.
Method 2: Mount via Open-Source VMFS Tools (Advanced WSL Method)
: The most direct way to read VMFS 6 in Windows is through specialized software such as DiskInternals VMFS Recovery tools, which can scan the disk and allow file extraction. Linux Bridge (WSL or VM) Here's a step-by-step guide to mounting a VMFS