Open Computer Management > Disk Management to find the Disk Number (e.g., Disk 2 ).
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.
Writing to a VMFS 6 volume from Windows while it is also attached to an ESXi host will corrupt the datastore . VMware’s locking mechanism prevents multiple writers, and third-party tools rarely (if ever) implement SCSI reservations correctly. For a “hot” mount, ensure the datastore is not actively used by any ESXi host — or detach it first. mount vmfs 6 windows hot
Method 2: The Advanced Approach (Linux Subsystem / VM Pass-Through)
: VMFS is designed for multi-host access with specific locking mechanisms. Windows does not understand these locks and could easily corrupt the volume if it attempts to write to it. Summary Checklist for Mounting Windows Native Third-Party Tools Linux (vmfs6-tool) VMFS 6 Support Hot Connection ✅ Yes (iSCSI/FC) Read/Write ⚠️ Read Only ⚠️ Read Only Ease of Use Open Computer Management > Disk Management to find
# Scan for new storage devices esxcli storage core adapter rescan --all # List detected VMFS volumes esxcli storage vmfs snapshot list Use code with caution.
Here is your decision-making toolkit. We'll explore the most reliable and practical methods. Writing to a VMFS 6 volume from Windows
Edit the settings of your Guest OS (either an ESXi VM or a specialized Linux VM with vmfs-tools installed). Click > Hard Disk > SCSI or NVMe . Select Use a physical disk (for advanced users) .