Native support for on Windows is non-existent because the file system is proprietary to VMware. To mount it "hot" (while the data is accessible) on a Windows 11 or 10 machine, you must use third-party drivers or recovery tools. Top Solutions for Mounting VMFS 6 on Windows
| Expectation | Reality | |-------------|---------| | Free native solution | None. Windows has no VMFS driver. | | Hot, writable mount | Possible only with expensive tools (e.g., UFS Explorer), but extremely risky if the volume is live on ESXi. | | Read-only hot mount | Yes, with tools like DiskInternals VMFS Recovery or OSFMount (partial v6 support). | | Safe production use | Detach the datastore from ESXi first, then mount as read-only on Windows. |
Believe it or not, 7-Zip (versions 22.00 and newer) includes a VMFS parser in user mode – no kernel driver required. This is the only truly reboot-free method. mount vmfs 6 windows hot
Options to mount/access VMFS 6 on Windows
What is VMFS 6?
Intro If you’ve ever lost an ESXi host or just need to recover a single VMDK from a dead server, you know the struggle: Windows cannot natively read VMFS 6. Unlike VMFS 5, which had some legacy workarounds, VMFS 6 is leaner, meaner, and locked down.
How to Access VMFS Datastore from Linux, ESXi host or Windows Native support for on Windows is non-existent because
Set the disk offline: Open Disk Management, locate your VMFS drive, right-click, and select Offline. This prevents Windows from locking the disk.