If you have a Linux distribution installed alongside Windows on your computer, you will have no problem accessing the Windows drive. NTFS, the default Windows file system, is well supported and most Linux distributions will be able to mount NTFS drives with ease.
However, the same cannot be said for Windows users.
Common Linux file systems like Ext4 are not supported. If you want to access Linux partitions on Windows, you will need to install additional software to get the job done.
How to Access Linux Partitions in Windows
Choose the appropriate program for Linux partitions
There are several software options for Windows users who want to access their files on Linux. Over the years Ext2Fsd has been the most popular option for reading and writing to Linux filesystems within Windows itself.
Unfortunately, Ext2Fsd hasn’t been updated since 2017, and the penultimate release, 0.68, had a “critical bug” that could corrupt your data on Ext4 drives with 64-bit enabled. The site for Ext2Fsd is down and it’s unclear if this bug fixed Ext2Fsd 0.69.
This is still an option if you need write access to a Linux disk, but given the risks, this is not our main recommendation if you have a 64-bit Ext4 Linux partition. Be sure to back up any important data first and only use the latest Ext2Fsd 0.69.
We recommend DiskInternals Linux Reader as an alternative. It allows you to access files from the most common Linux file systems. Unlike Ext2fs, it does this not through Windows Explorer, but through its own file manager. You can also use it for free.
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It won’t let you write files directly to the Linux drive, but you can save any files you need to edit to the Windows drive. A similar open source alternative, Ext2read, is also available for use with many of the same functionality. You don’t need to install Ext2read as it comes as a portable EXE file.
Using DiskInternals Linux Reader
DiskInternals Linux Reader is free software, so you don’t have to pay to download and use it.
First you need to download the Linux Reader installer Open the installer, accept the terms, confirm the installation location and click Install.
How to Access Linux Partitions in Windows
After the installation is complete, make sure the “Run DiskInternals Linux Reader” checkbox is checked and then click “Finish.”
The Linux Reader client is well designed and shares some design similarities with Windows Explorer. You will see a list of your drives, including any removable media such as USB drives or SD cards.