If you have a Linux distribution installed alongside Windows on your computer, you will have no problem accessing the Windows drive. NTFS, the default Windows file system, is well supported and most Linux distributions will be able to mount NTFS drives with ease.
However, the same cannot be said for Windows users. Common Linux file systems like Ext4 are not supported. If you want to access Linux partitions on Windows, you will need to install additional software to get the job done.
Choose the appropriate program for Linux partitions
There are several software options for Windows users who want to access their files on Linux. Over the years Ext2Fsd has been the most popular option for reading and writing to Linux filesystems within Windows itself.
Unfortunately, Ext2Fsd hasn’t been updated since 2017, and the penultimate release, 0.68, had a “critical bug” that could corrupt your data on Ext4 drives with 64-bit enabled. The site for Ext2Fsd is down and it’s unclear if this bug fixed Ext2Fsd 0.69.
This is still an option if you need write access to a Linux disk, but given the risks, this is not our main recommendation if you have a 64-bit Ext4 Linux partition. Be sure to back up any important data first and only use the latest Ext2Fsd 0.69.
We recommend DiskInternals Linux Reader as an alternative. It allows you to access files from the most common Linux file systems. Unlike Ext2fs, it does this not through Windows Explorer, but through its own file manager. You can also use it for free.
– /
It won’t let you write files directly to the Linux drive, but you can save any files you need to edit to the Windows drive. A similar open source alternative, Ext2read, is also available for use with many of the same functionality. You don’t need to install Ext2read as it comes as a portable EXE file.
Using DiskInternals Linux Reader
DiskInternals Linux Reader is free software, so you don’t have to pay to download and use it.
First you need to download the Linux Reader installer Open the installer, accept the terms, confirm the installation location and click Install.
After the installation is complete, make sure the “Run DiskInternals Linux Reader” checkbox is checked and then click “Finish.”
The Linux Reader client is well designed and shares some design similarities with Windows Explorer. You will see a list of your drives, including any removable media such as USB drives or SD cards.
Find your Linux partition under Hard Drives or Drives with Removable Storage.
You can either double-click to view the files or right-click and select Open Section from the drop-down menu.
You will see a split screen with the top half showing files and folders on your Linux drive. As we mentioned, you cannot directly make changes to the drive. You will need to copy the files to your Windows drive or another partition suitable for Windows.
To do this, select the files and folders you want to copy. Right-click the selected files and select Save.
In the export wizard, you will see that the option to save files is already selected.
Click Next.
Select a location to save files and folders. You can enter the location yourself or click the Browse button to find a suitable output folder before clicking Next.
You will see a final list of your selected files and folders. If you want to delete any files or folders before starting the copy process, uncheck the box next to any items.
Click Next to continue.
Once complete, you will see a final confirmation confirming the number of copied files and folders, and the location to save. Click Finish to close the Export Wizard.
Although DiskInternals Linux Reader does not allow you to directly modify files or folders, you can use it to quickly access any important Linux files. You can then move them back to your Linux drive when you’re on Linux, or if you’re willing to take the risk, you can use Ext2Fsd instead.
Read and write access with Ext2Fsd
Ext2Fsd, as we mentioned earlier, is the only option for users who need to make changes to files or folders on their Linux drive directly from Windows. After installing it, you should be able to access the drive from Windows Explorer as usual. Ext2Fsd 0.69 is recommended, especially for users with 64-bit Linux Ext4 partitions.
First, download the Ext2Fsd installation file and start the installation. Accept the terms and location of the installation, and make sure that all boxes are checked under Select additional tasks.
Once the installation is complete, you will be prompted to restart your computer. Close all required programs and click Finish to restart.
After rebooting, see if you find your drive in explorer and double click to open it. If you don’t see it, open Ext2 Volume Manager, right-click the drive and select Assign Drive Letter.
Once a letter is assigned to your drive, you can see it in Explorer. You will be able to create, copy, move, or delete files just like any other drive, but given the risks, don’t use this for critical data unless you are sure you have a backup.
Safely access Linux files on Windows
The safest method of accessing Linux files or folders is to use a read-only parameter such as DiskInternals Linux Reader With such software, the chances of corrupting your files are nil.
If you absolutely need to edit files or folders on your Linux drive, Ext2Fsd will let you do this, but try to avoid risks by using the most recent version and only on the drive with non-critical files.
If you want to avoid this problem in the future, consider having a “pooled” Linux partitioned drive (formatted as NTFS) to share files between both systems, or sync the files with Google Drive instead.
–