Mount Vmfs 6 Windows Hot -

Enable read/write access to a VMFS 6 volume from a Windows environment while the datastore remains online (“hot”) on a live VMware ESXi host.

For most Windows admins: Use StarWind V2V Converter’s hidden VMFS mount feature. It is free, requires no reboot, installs in seconds, and just works with VMFS 6 datastores from ESXi 8.0. mount vmfs 6 windows hot

For power users: 7-Zip’s \\.\PhysicalDrive trick is a lifesaver when you cannot install any software. Enable read/write access to a VMFS 6 volume

Avoid: Trying to use old VMware DiskMount, Linux WSL with vmfs-fuse (requires reboot for WSL2 kernel updates), or any tool that says "VMFS 5 only". Do NOT initialize, format, or convert the disk

| Method | Reboot Required? | Read Speed | Write Support | VMFS 6 Support | |--------|----------------|------------|---------------|----------------| | StarWind V2V | No | 180 MB/s | No | Full | | 7-Zip User Mode | No | 40 MB/s | No | Partial | | vmfs6-tools | Once (test mode) | 200 MB/s | No | Full | | DiskInternals | No | 220 MB/s | Yes (dangerous) | Full | | VMware DiskMount (legacy) | Yes | N/A | No | No (only VMFS5) |

Do NOT initialize, format, or convert the disk when Windows prompts you. Cancel any "You need to format the disk" messages immediately.

StarWind offers a free VMFS driver for Windows. It mounts VMFS 3/5/6 volumes as read-only locally.