If the goal is to access data from a VMFS 6 datastore, directly mounting it on Windows is often unnecessary and risky (due to potential metadata corruption).
Open Computer Management > Disk Management to find the Disk Number (e.g., Disk 2 ).
In the world of enterprise virtualization, VMware’s VMFS (Virtual Machine File System) is the gold standard for storing virtual disks, snapshots, and configuration files. With the introduction of VMFS 6 (released alongside vSphere 6.5 and later), VMware brought improvements like automatic space reclamation and support for larger block sizes. However, one persistent challenge remains for Windows administrators: mount vmfs 6 windows hot
Before attempting to mount, ensure your environment meets these requirements:
A means accessing the VMFS file system while ESXi is actively writing to it. In contrast, a cold mount requires shutting down the ESXi host or detaching the LUN/disk from production. Hot mounting is dangerous if done incorrectly—multiple writers can corrupt the datastore. However, using read-only hot mounting , you can safely fetch files without disruption. If the goal is to access data from
UFS Explorer is another professional data access and recovery utility that features full, native support for the VMFS 6 file system layout. Install UFS Explorer on your Windows host. Connect the target VMFS 6 storage LUN or disk.
: Commercial tools such as NAKIVO or Vinchin provide methods to bridge VMFS volumes to Windows, often through iSCSI initiators or proprietary mounting agents. With the introduction of VMFS 6 (released alongside
While older "fvmfs" Java tools exist for VMFS 3, ensuring compatibility with VMFS 6 in a live "hot" scenario is difficult. However, some advanced users employ vmfs-tools adapted for Windows environments.
As of 2026, VMFS 6 (introduced in vSphere 6.5) is the standard for modern vSphere environments, and mounting it "hot" (while the LUN/disk is active or attached via SAN/iSCSI) requires specialized third-party tools or bridging solutions, as older open-source drivers often only support VMFS 3 or 5.
. This tool enables mounting the volume in a read-only mode using FUSE. ESXi Host (Native Method)