Since VMware does not provide a driver for Windows, users must rely on third-party applications.
There is for Windows. You have two practical options: mounting vmfs on windows
While FUSE is native to Linux, Windows ports (such as or Dokan ) allow for user-mode file systems. Since VMware does not provide a driver for
For data recovery, use commercial read-only recovery tools. For production environments, always access VMFS datastores through the ESXi hypervisor or vCenter interface. For data recovery, use commercial read-only recovery tools
Mounting a raw VMFS LUN on Windows is a common request for data recovery or forensic analysis, but it carries significant risks. This report outlines the available third-party tools and the inherent dangers of this process.
If you’re in a paid enterprise environment with frequent recovery needs, DiskInternals is worth the license.
You can now browse and copy .vmdk or .vmx files in read-only mode . Method 2: Using Professional Recovery Software