If you must access a "hot" (active) VMFS6 volume, do not map the raw LUN directly to Windows. Follow this workflow instead:

For enterprise environments and those comfortable with command-line tools, VMware's Virtual Disk Development Kit (VDDK) provides a legitimate VMware-sanctioned approach.

: Map a network drive in Windows to the WebDAV address provided by the tool. Option 2: Recovery & Browsing Tools

Mounting a VMFS 6 volume on Windows without rebooting is no longer a dark art. With modern user-mode parsers and dynamically loaded drivers, you can perform in minutes. Whether you choose free tools like StarWind and 7-Zip or commercial suites, the key is to test your hot mount process today – before your production ESXi cluster crashes tomorrow.

If you only need access to copy files:

Mount Vmfs 6 Windows Hot

If you must access a "hot" (active) VMFS6 volume, do not map the raw LUN directly to Windows. Follow this workflow instead:

For enterprise environments and those comfortable with command-line tools, VMware's Virtual Disk Development Kit (VDDK) provides a legitimate VMware-sanctioned approach.

: Map a network drive in Windows to the WebDAV address provided by the tool. Option 2: Recovery & Browsing Tools

Mounting a VMFS 6 volume on Windows without rebooting is no longer a dark art. With modern user-mode parsers and dynamically loaded drivers, you can perform in minutes. Whether you choose free tools like StarWind and 7-Zip or commercial suites, the key is to test your hot mount process today – before your production ESXi cluster crashes tomorrow.

If you only need access to copy files: