4 Ways to Read a USB Linux Drive in Windows 10 & 11

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Simple ways to access Linux-formatted USB drives in Windows
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If you're using Windows and need to access the files on a USB drive that's formatted for Linux, there are a few ways to go about it. The easiest is to use Linux Reader, a free File Explorer-like app that can read Linux formats like EXT4, EXT3, EXT2, and EXT. You can also use Windows Subsystem for Linux, which installs Linux in Windows, or boot into a live version of Linux and access the files from there. We'll walk you through all the options.

Quickly Read a USB Linux Drive in Windows

The easiest way to access the files on a USB drive that's formatted for Linux is to install a free tool called DiskInternals Linux Reader. Just run the installer, open the tool, and double-click the USB drive to view the files. To copy a file to your PC, right-click it and select Save.

Method 1
Method 1 of 4:

Using DiskInternals Linux Reader

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  1. Step 1 Install DiskInternals Linux Reader.
    This freeware application works a lot like File Explorer, but unlike File Explorer, it can be used to access a USB drive formatted in a Linux format like EXT2, EXT3, or EXT4. To get it, go to the download page and click the Free Download button.[1]
    • Once you download the installer, double-click it, click Yes, and follow the on-screen instructions to install. After installing, DiskInternals will open automatically.
    • If you're looking for an alternative to Linux Reader, try Ext2Fsd or Ext2read.
  2. 2
    Connect the USB drive and double-click its name in Linux Reader. When the Linux-formatted drive is connected to your PC, an icon for it will appear in the application. Double-clicking it displays the contents of the drive.
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  3. 3
    Copy a file or folder to your computer. While it may appear that you can drag and drop files from the USB drive to your PC, you'll actually need to use the built-in export wizard. Here's how:[2]
    • Right-click the file or folder you want to access.
    • Click Save.
    • Select "Save Files" and click Next.
    • Select a location on your Windows PC and any optional settings.
    • Click Next and then Finish.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 4:

Using Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)

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  1. 1
    Install WSL from the Microsoft Store. If you are using Windows 11 with the Microsoft version of Windows Subsystem for Linux, you can use a free tool called USBIPD to read your USB Linux drive. You can use this command to install the version of WSL you'll need–it will be the Microsoft Store version even though you're not specifically downloading from the Microsoft Store. Here's how to install it:[3]
    • Open Command Prompt as an administrator.
    • Type or paste wsl.exe --install and press Enter.
      • This command also installs Ubuntu by default.[4]
    • Once installed, you'll be prompted to create a username and password for Ubuntu.
  2. 2
    Install USBIPD. Once WSL and Ubuntu are installed, you will need to install the software that makes it possible to read connected USB drives.[5]
    • In the same window in which you installed WSL, type or paste winget install --interactive --exact dorssel.usbipd-win and press Enter.
    • In a few moments, an installation wizard window will appear.
    • Click Install, then Close when the installation is complete.
  3. 3
    Get the bus ID for the USB drive. If you haven't already, connect the USB Linux drive you want to read, then run this command in the WSL window: usbipd list. In the first column, BUSID, you will see a bus ID number like "2-18" or "4-4."
  4. 4
    Bind the bus ID to the USB drive. To make the device readable, you'll need to bind the bus ID to the USB drive. To do this, run the command usbipd --busid <bus ID number>.[6]
    • For example, if the bus ID is 2-18, type usbipd --busid 2-8 and press Enter.
    • Now, run the command usbipd list again. This time, you will see "shared" next to your USB drive.
  5. 5
    Open Ubuntu and install USButils. Now that Ubuntu is installed, you'll see an icon for it in your Start menu. Opening Ubuntu will launch a terminal window with a bash prompt. Here's what to do:
    • At the prompt, type sudo apt install usbutils and press Enter.
    • When prompted, enter the password you created and press Enter.
    • Press Y to install.
  6. 6
    In the Command Prompt window (not Ubuntu), attach the device to Linux. This requires the Ubuntu window to be open, but you'll actually type the command into the WSL prompt in the Command Prompt window. Here's how:[7]
    • In the Command Prompt window, type usbipd attach --wsl --busid 2-18 (replace "2-18" with the bus ID you're using) and press Enter.
    • If you get the error "usbipd: warning: The device appears to be used by Windows," close whatever software you have open that might be accessing the USB drive in Windows, then try again.
    • If that doesn't work, you can use the "--force" option to bind the bus ID to the drive again. To do this, run the command usbipd bind --force --busid 2-18, replacing that bus ID with your own.
    • You may need to reboot your PC after running this command.
  7. 7
    In Ubuntu, run the command lsusb. Typing the command and pressing Enter will display a list of connected USB devices, including the one you just bound to WSL.
  8. 8
    Mount the USB drive in Ubuntu. Now that the drive is available, you can mount it in the Ubuntu window so you can access the files on it.
    • Type lsblkl and press Enter, then enter your password to continue.
    • Find the device name for the USB drive. It will be something like /dev/sdb.
      • If there's a specific partition you want to mount, it might be something like /dev/sdb1.
    • Create a mount directory using the command sudo mkdir -p /mnt/usb,
    • To mount a specific partition, use the command sudo mount -t ext4 /dev/sdb1 /mnt/usb. Replace /dev/sdb1 if your device name is different, and/or replace "ext4" if the format is different (e.g., ext2).
    • If there's no partition table, use sudo mount -t ext4 /dev/sdb /mnt/usb instead.
  9. 9
    Copy files to Windows. Once mounted, you can browse the files at /mnt/usb and copy them to your main Windows drive.
    • Type cd /mnt/usb and press Enter to enter the root of the mounted USB drive.
    • Type ls -a and press Enter to view all the files on the drive.
    • To copy a file from the drive, use the cp command to copy it to /mnt/c/Users/<yourusermame>/Documents (or your preferred location).
      • For example, to copy a file called wikiHow.txt to your Documents folder in Windows, you'd type cp wikiHow.txt /mnt/c/Users/<yourusermame>/Documents.
    • To copy a directory and all its contents (including subdirectories), use cp -r <directory name> <destination>.
  10. 10
    Detach the USB drive from WSL when you're finished. To do this, run the command usbipd detach --busid <busid>, replacing "<busid>" with the bus ID for your USB drive.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 4:

Using a Live Linux USB Drive

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  1. Step 1 Install Rufus on your Windows PC.
    If you can't access a USB drive that's formatted for Linux on Windows, you can still read the files by first booting into a bootable version of Linux on a blank USB drive. To do this, you'll need to install Rufus, a third-party bootable media creator. Here's how:[8]
    • Install Rufus by first downloading the installer from rufus.ie/en/#download, then clicking the Download link for the latest Standard version.
    • Double-click the Rufus installer once downloaded and follow the on-screen instructions to install.
    • You will need 2 USB ports to use this method–one for the bootable drive, which must remain connected to the PC when you're booted into Linux, and another for the USB drive you want to access.
  2. 2
    Download an ISO image of Ubuntu (or your preferred distribution). You won't actually be installing Linux–just creating a bootable USB flash drive that lets you use a "Live" version of Linux. Ubuntu is super simple, so we'll use that in this guide. To download the ISO:
  3. 3
    Open Rufus and select the blank USB flash drive. This is the drive you're creating a bootable Linux image on, NOT the one you want to browse in Linux. Once the blank USB drive is connected, select it from the "Device" menu.[9]
  4. 4
    Select the Ubuntu ISO. Under "Boot selection," click the Select button, select the Ubuntu ISO you've downloaded, and click Open.[10]
  5. 5
    Click Start to write the image. This copies the ISO to the blank USB drive and makes the drive bootable.[11]
    • If additional files are needed, you will be prompted to download them.
    • If you see "ISOHybrid detected," select Write in ISO mode (Recommended).[12]
  6. 6
    Boot from the USB drive. Once Rufus reports that the bootable media is ready, you can reboot your PC. If your PC is configured to boot from USB drives, a reboot should automatically boot you into Linux. If not, you'll need to enter the BIOS and change the boot order to indicate that you want to boot from removable media. If you're not sure how to do this, check out our guide to booting your PC from removable media.
  7. 7
    Select Try Ubuntu without installing. You'll see this at the top of the Ubuntu boot screen when your PC boots from the USB drive.[13]
  8. 8
    Insert the USB drive you want to access. Use a different USB port, as you can't disconnect the current flash drive while you're booted into the live version of Ubuntu. Because the USB flash drive is formatted for Linux, Ubuntu should recognize and mount it automatically once connected.
  9. 9
    Open the Files application to browse the USB drive. To get there, you can click the Activities button at the top-left, then double-click the Files app.[14] Now you can select the USB drive and browse the files on it.
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Method 4
Method 4 of 4:

Using Older Tools

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  1. Step 1 Free software like Ext2Read and Ext2fsd might help on older versions of Windows.
    These tools, neither of which has been updated in many years, could come in handy if you're using a legacy version of Windows and haven't had luck with other options. Both act as file managers that make it possible to browse and read USB drives formatted for Linux, but many people report problems using them on Windows 10 and Windows 11.[15] Both tools are available from SourceForge.

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References

  1. ↑ https://www.diskinternals.com/linux-reader/
  2. ↑ https://youtu.be/FDJXhnTcxQA?si=34ENrZrxkTz9GJXp&t=103
  3. ↑ https://devblogs.microsoft.com/commandline/the-windows-subsystem-for-linux-in-the-microsoft-store-is-now-generally-available-on-windows-10-and-11/
  4. ↑ https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/install
  5. ↑ https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/connect-usb
  6. ↑ https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/connect-usb
  7. ↑ https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/connect-usb
  8. ↑ https://documentation.ubuntu.com/desktop/en/latest/how-to/create-a-bootable-usb-stick/
  9. ↑ https://documentation.ubuntu.com/desktop/en/latest/how-to/create-a-bootable-usb-stick/
  1. ↑ https://ubuntu.com/tutorials/create-a-usb-stick-on-windows#4-select-the-ubuntu-iso-file
  2. ↑ https://ubuntu.com/tutorials/create-a-usb-stick-on-windows#5-write-the-iso
  3. ↑ https://ubuntu.com/tutorials/create-a-usb-stick-on-windows#7-write-warnings
  4. ↑ https://ubuntu.com/tutorials/try-ubuntu-before-you-install#3-boot-from-usb-flash-drive
  5. ↑ https://help.ubuntu.com/stable/ubuntu-help/shell-introduction.html.en#activities
  6. ↑ https://sourceforge.net/projects/ext2fsd/

About This Article

Nicole Levine, MFA
Co-authored by:
Nicole Levine, MFA
wikiHow Technology Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Nicole Levine, MFA. Nicole Levine is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. She has more than 20 years of experience creating technical documentation and leading support teams at major web hosting and software companies. Nicole also holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Portland State University and teaches composition, fiction-writing, and zine-making at various institutions.
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Updated: December 10, 2025
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Categories: Computers and Electronics
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