How to read ext4 partition in Windows 11/10/8/7?

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Updated on February 28th, 2023

This article discuss how to read and mount ext4 partition in Windows 10/8/7. Windows does not natively support ext4, ext3 and ext3 file system format, it cannot access ext4 partition without the help of additional application. If you want to fully access data in ext4 partition in Windows 11/10/8/7/XP, please keep reading to lean the solution.

Ext4 file system and Windows system

The EXT (Extended File System) file system includes members like ext2, ext3 and ext4 which are used by Linux operating system. Users who work with multiple platforms are family with them. Linux is one of the popular operating systems, and it is widely used on all kinds of routers, gateways, NAS (Network Attached Storage), servers, Internet of things, etc. Many users would like to dual-boot Windows / Linux system, and some partition might be formatted as Linux filesystem for example, ext4. In that case, the problem that Windows cannot read and access ext4 partition directly. Windows uses NTFS or FAT32 file system and it does not have built-in support for extended file system (ext2/3/4). Thus if you connect a drive containing a partition that have been formatted as ext4, it won’t recognize it. Thus you cannot read data in the ext4 volume.

Some user may advise that since the computer is dual-boot and you switch between Linux and Windows system so that you can mount and read ext4 partition in Linux. However, that is not convenient in some situations, for example, your computer has booted to Windows and you connected a hard drive or USB disk which is formatted to ext4 and you need to read files on it immediately; or the Linux system is corrupted and you want to retrieve files on Linux partitions. Then you need to mount and read ext4 in Windows 11/10/8/7. We all know that Windows does not provide support for Linux filesystem, but fortunately some third-party partition management software can help mount and read Linux partition from Windows. Next section includes information about ext4 explorer software which can help you access data easily.

Free software to read & write ext4 partition in Windows

Though Windows cannot read Linus partitions directly, you can use third-party software to access ext4 partition in Windows 11/10/8/7 operating system. Here we recommend DiskGenius (old name Eassos PartitionGuru)to fulfill the task.

DiskGenius is an effective Windows partition management tool which adds support for ext2, ext3 and ext4 file system. With this software you can mount, read and write data in ext4 partition under Windows 11/10/8/7. The advantage is that you have full  access to  files and folders in the ext4 Linux partition directly. Let’s see main features of ext4 explorer software:

How to read ext4 in Windows？

  1. Connect the hard drive or USB drive that contains ext4 partition to your computer which has boot to Windows.
  2. Install and launch DiskGenius. Then you can view all disks and partitions on the computer.
  3. Select the ext4 partition and you can see partition parameters in details, such as file system type, used space, cluster size, total sectors, block count, volume GUID, inode count, etc.ext4 windows10
  4. Select the ext4 partition and click Files Now you can see all data in this selected ext4 volume. Select a file and you can see a thumbnail preview in the lower part. Double click the file you can view the file in its original size.ext4 windows 10
  5. You can copy files to other partitions by right-clicking selected file and choosing “Copy To”.
  6. Select “Sector Editor” tab to open hex editor. Sector editing is available on ext4 partition, and you can copy block, Goto sector/byte offset, clear block, etc. on ext4 volume.

How to write ext4 in Windows？

You can write new files to ext4 partition through DiskGenius Professional Edition easily. Right-click the empty area of the partition and select “Copy Files To Current Partition”, then you can select files and save them to current Linux partition. Besides, you can create new folders in this partition, rename files or delete files you do not need.

ext4 windows10

Summary

This instruction introduces an easy solution to help Windows users read ext4 partition without booting computer to Linux operating system. DiskGenius is useful and powerful Windows partition manager software and it is also a great Linux reader for Windows. Besides, it provides many other functions like files recovery and data backup. If you have any question about reading /mounting ext4 in Windows or related to the software, please feel free to contact us.