How to Mount USB Drives in WSL

Why mount a USB in WSL?

Mounting a drive lets you share files between Windows folders and Linux apps, which speeds up project work. You can also reach raw disk data or specific USB hardware directly from your Linux distribution.

When a disk is mounted in WSL, Windows hands it over to the Linux side. You will not be able to use that drive in File Explorer 📁 until you unmount it or restart WSL. Do not mount the disk that holds Windows itself.

What happens when done?

After you follow these steps, your USB drive appears as a folder inside your Linux environment. You can read and write files there like in any other folder. WSL normally places mounted disks under /mnt/wsl, so look there if you cannot find the drive.

The drive’s file system has to be one the Linux kernel in WSL understands. Common Windows formats such as NTFS and FAT32 generally work. If a drive mounts but looks empty or gives errors, the file system type is the first thing to check.

Understanding WSL 2 Disk Mounting vs. USBIPD

The choice between WSL 2 disk mounting and USBIPD comes down to what hardware you are connecting and how you want to use it. Direct disk mounting attaches external storage drives straight to your Linux environment. USBIPD shares other USB hardware over a network connection so WSL 2 can see it.

Pick disk mounting if you want to read files from a flash drive or external hard drive. Use USBIPD for devices like security keys or webcams. If you are not sure, ask whether the device is a drive that holds files. If it is, use disk mounting.

Method 1Mounting Storage Drives with wsl --mount

To mount a USB drive in WSL, use the built-in wsl --mount command in an administrator PowerShell window. You plug a flash drive or external hard drive into your Windows computer and open its files directly from your Linux distribution. No extra software or network setup is needed.

The steps below work in two stages. First you find the disk's path, then you mount it with that path. Plug the drive in before you start.

1. Open PowerShell as Administrator. Click Start, type PowerShell, right-click Windows PowerShell and choose Run as administrator. Click Yes if User Account Control asks. The window title should begin with "Administrator".
2. Identify your disk path by running: wmic diskdrive list brief. The output lists your physical disks. Find your USB drive by its model name and size, and note its path, which looks like \\.\PHYSICALDRIVE1.
3. Mount the disk using the path found (e.g., \\.\PHYSICALDRIVE1): wsl --mount \\.\PHYSICALDRIVE1 --partition 1. When the command finishes without an error, the drive is attached to WSL.

The numbers are not always what you expect, and mounting the wrong disk takes it away from Windows. If the drive does not show up in the list, unplug it, plug it back in and run the first command again.

Method 2Using USBIPD for USB Passthrough

For devices that are not storage, like cameras or security keys, you need USBIPD for USB passthrough in WSL. It shares the device from Windows to your Linux distribution, so Linux tools can talk to it as if it were plugged in directly.

This route needs a one-time install of the USBIPD tool on Windows, then a bind and an attach for each device.

1. Install the usbipd-win installer on Windows. Run the installer and let it finish before you open a new PowerShell window, so the command is recognized.
2. In PowerShell, list devices: usbipd list. Find your device in the list and note its bus ID.
3. Bind the device: usbipd bind --busid 1-1 (Requires Admin). Run this in an administrator PowerShell window. Binding makes the device available for sharing.
4. Attach to WSL: usbipd attach --wsl --busid 1-1. Once attached, the device should appear in your Linux distribution, and Windows stops using it until you detach it.

Make sure your WSL 2 distribution is running when you attach the device. If you unplug the device or restart WSL, you will usually need to attach it again.

Troubleshooting and Permissions

If your drive does not appear, work through these checks in order:

• Confirm you run Windows 11 build 22000 or higher. To see your build, press the Windows key plus R, type winver and press Enter.
• Check that your user account has permission to access the mount point.
• If you receive a permission error, use sudo before your mount commands.
• Confirm you are running PowerShell as Administrator, and that your distribution uses WSL 2.

Summary

• Use wsl --mount for storage drives like USB sticks. The drive's files become available inside Linux, and Windows no longer uses the drive while it is mounted.
• Use usbipd-win for non-storage USB devices like cameras. Bind the device once as an administrator, then attach it each time you need it in WSL.
• Always unmount or detach devices before physically unplugging them to prevent data corruption. Pulling a drive while Linux is still writing to it can leave files damaged.
• WSL 2 is required for all hardware passthrough features. WSL 1 distributions cannot use these steps.