How to Mount Linux File System on Windows 11 via WSL

Why mount a Linux file system?

Bridging Windows and Linux used to mean installing 💿 third-party tools. Native mounting removes that need: Windows can read and write Linux partitions without extra software. That makes it easier to manage files and share data between the two systems.

There are two places you can mount from. Inside a Linux system, you use the standard Linux mount command. From Windows, you use WSL from PowerShell. Both are covered below.

What happens when you are done?

Unmounting matters as much as mounting. Closing the connection cleanly before you disconnect a drive makes sure pending writes are finished, which protects your data from corruption. Never pull a drive that is still mounted.

How to mount Linux file systems in native Linux

Mounting a Linux file system means connecting a storage device, such as a hard drive, to a folder so you can reach its files. In Linux you do this with the ‘mount’ command, which needs administrator rights. You normally type ‘sudo mount’, followed by the drive details and the folder you want to use for the connection. That folder is called the mount point.

Basic syntax:

sudo mount -t ext4 /dev/sdb1 /mnt/mydata

Admin privilege required: This command needs root access, so always put sudo in front of it. If you see a "permission denied" message, you most likely left it out.

How to check currently mounted drives

To see what is currently connected, run lsblk or df -h. Both list the active block devices and their mount points. Run one of them before and after you mount something, so you can confirm that the drive appeared where you expected.

Permanent mounting via /etc/fstab

A drive mounted with the command above disconnects when the system restarts. To make a Linux drive connect automatically at every startup, add its details to a file named /etc/fstab. Think of this file as a map that tells the system which drives to connect and where. Editing it requires administrator permission, so the startup process stays protected from accidental changes.

Admin privilege required: Editing /etc/fstab requires administrator permissions. Open it with a text editor such as nano or vi. Add one line for the drive with these details:

• The path of the drive (its device)
• The place where the drive should appear (the mount point)
• The file system type

Make a copy of the file before you change it, and double-check each line before you save. A wrong entry can cause errors at startup.

Mounting specific media types

Other media types mount with the same logic. To mount an ISO file, use the -o loop option. Network drives use options such as mount -t nfs to connect to remote servers.

Unmounting and troubleshooting

Always run the umount command before you remove a physical drive. If you get a 'target is busy' error, a program is still using a file on that drive. To fix it:

1. Close every file manager window that shows a folder on the drive.
2. Close any terminal window whose current folder is on the drive.
3. Run the unmount command again.

If the error comes back, a background program is still holding a file. Close that program and try once more.

Mount Linux file system on 🪟 Windows 11 via WSL

To mount a Linux disk from Windows, you work in PowerShell with administrator rights. WSL 2 must be installed. The mount lasts only for the current WSL session, so you have to repeat it after a restart.

1. Click Start and type PowerShell.
2. Right-click Windows PowerShell and select Run as administrator.
3. Click Yes if User Account Control asks for permission. A PowerShell window with "Administrator" in the title bar should open.
4. Update WSL first with the 'wsl --update' command: wsl --update
5. List the connected drives: Get-PhysicalDisk | Select-Object FriendlyName, DeviceId, Size
6. In the output, find the DeviceId of the drive you want to mount. It generally looks like \\.\PHYSICALDRIVE1 (for example, \\.\PHYSICALDRIVE1). You need this identifier for the next step, so make sure you pick the right disk. Check the size and model shown in the list.
7. To mount the entire physical drive, run: wsl --mount \\.\PHYSICALDRIVE1
8. To mount a specific partition instead, add the partition number: wsl --mount \\.\PHYSICALDRIVE1 --partition 1

When the command finishes without an error, the drive is mounted and available inside your WSL distribution. By default, WSL mounts disks under /mnt/wsl.

If the mount fails, check that you opened PowerShell as administrator and that the disk uses a file system Linux can read. WSL expects ext4 by default. To undo the mount, unmount the disk from WSL before you disconnect it.

Access the Linux file system in Windows File Explorer

Once the Linux drive is mounted, you can reach its files from Windows File Explorer. There are two ways:

1. Open File Explorer.
2. In the left pane, find the Linux node and open your distribution. Your Linux files appear in the right pane.

Alternatively, click the address bar and type the '\\wsl$' path, followed by your distribution name and the mnt folder, then press Enter. The path looks like this:

\\wsl.localhost\<DistroName>\mnt

Be careful when you edit files this way. Change Linux files from Windows only if you know what the files do, and avoid touching system files while the distribution is running.

Summary

Mounting a Linux file system lets you reach your data across operating systems. On Linux you use the native commands. On Windows 11 you use WSL. In both cases, check what is mounted, mount only what you need, and unmount cleanly before you disconnect a drive.