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How to Mount a Linux Drive on Windows 10?

Published in Computer Hardware 2 mins read

You can mount a Linux drive on Windows 10 using the Disk Management tool.

Here's how:

  1. Connect the Linux drive to your Windows 10 computer. This can be done via a USB connection, an external hard drive, or a network share.

  2. Open Disk Management: Search for "Disk Management" in the Windows search bar and click on the result.

  3. Identify the Linux drive: Look for the drive in the Disk Management window. It will be listed as an unallocated space or a partition with a different file system than NTFS (Windows' default file system).

  4. Format the drive (optional): If you want to use the drive to store files accessible by both Windows and Linux, you need to format it with a file system that both systems can read and write to, such as NTFS. This will erase all data on the drive.

  5. Assign a drive letter (optional): You can assign a drive letter to the Linux drive to easily access it in File Explorer. Right-click on the drive in Disk Management and select "Change Drive Letter and Paths...". Choose a new letter and click "OK".

  6. Access the drive: Once the drive is formatted and assigned a drive letter, you can access it in File Explorer like any other drive.

Note: If you need to access the drive without formatting it, you can use third-party software such as Ext2Fsd or DiskInternals Linux Reader. These programs can read and write to Linux file systems, such as ext2, ext3, and ext4, without requiring formatting.

Examples:

  • If you have a USB drive formatted with ext4, you can use Ext2Fsd to access it in Windows.
  • If you have a Linux partition on your hard drive, you can format it to NTFS to access it from Windows.

Practical Insights:

  • Always back up your data before formatting a drive.
  • Be careful when formatting a drive, as it will erase all data on it.
  • Third-party software may require installation and configuration.

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