Virtual Ext4 Explorer is a high-performance, standalone C++ utility designed to bridge the gap between Windows and Linux virtual environments. It provides a seamless, GUI to manage ext4 filesystems encapsulated within various virtual disk formats.
- VHD/VHDX: Native support via Windows VirtDisk API. Supports fixed and dynamic allocation.
- VDI (VirtualBox): Custom parser for
.vdiimages, supporting both fixed and dynamic images. - Raw Images: Ability to treat disks as raw block devices.
- Drag-and-Drop Mounting: Drag a virtual disk file directly onto the window to open and mount it.
- Mounting: Automatically detects and mounts ext4 partitions.
- Navigation: Deep directory traversal with a responsive "Back/Forward" history system.
- Metadata Management: View and modify Linux file Permissions (Mode), UID, and GID. Supports Recursive application to entire folder trees and Multi-selection for batch updates.
- Run as Administrator: Automatically requests elevation to handle low-level disk mounting and VirtDisk APIs.
- Drag-and-Drop Import: Drag any file or folder from Windows Explorer directly onto the app window to import it recursively into the active directory.
- Recursive Import/Export: Transfer entire directory trees between the host (Windows) and the guest (ext4) with a single click.
- Internal Clipboard: Full support for Cut, Copy, and Paste operations within the virtual disk.
- Creation & Cleanup: Create new files/folders and perform recursive deletions of non-empty directories.
- Enhanced Visibility: Fixed UI columns displaying File Type and Formatted Size (B, KB, MB, GB).
- Shortcuts: Supports Mouse Side Buttons (X1/X2) and
Alt + Arrowkeys for browser-like navigation. - Multi-Selection: Standard
Ctrl + ClickandShift + Click(range selection) support. - Visual Cues: Color-coded entries:
- 🟡 Folders (Gold)
- 🟢 Executables (Green)
- 🟠 Archives (Orange)
- 💗 Libraries (Pink)
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Framework | Dear ImGui (v1.89+ style) |
| Backend | DirectX 11 / Win32 |
| Filesystem Core | lwext4 (Modified for dynamic disk support) |
| Binary Size | ~920 KB (Standalone EXE) |
| Privileges | Administrator (UAC Manifest embedded) |
| Dependencies | None (Static CRT, Native Windows APIs) |
- Click
Mount > Open Image...and select your file, or drag and drop a.vhd,.vhdx, or.vdifile directly into the application window. - If the disk has multiple partitions, use
Mount > Partitionsto switch.
- Select one or more files/folders.
- Right-click and select Permissions.
- Edit the octal mode (e.g.,
777for full access) or the User/Group IDs. - Check Recursive if you want to apply changes to all items within selected folders.
- Click Apply.
You can import items from the host to the guest in two ways:
- Using Drag-and-Drop: Drag files and folders from Windows Explorer and drop them directly into the application window to recursively import them into the active directory.
- Using the Toolbar: Click Import > Files... or Import > Folder... to browse and select the files/folders you want to import.
- Visual Studio 2022
- Windows SDK
- Open a terminal (PowerShell or Command Prompt).
- Run
requirements.batto automatically download and configure the dependencies (Dear ImGui and lwext4). - Run
build.bat. - The script will automatically locate your Visual Studio installation, compile the resources (manifest for Admin privileges), and build the standalone executable in the
build/directory.
The script uses /O1 optimization for minimum size and /MT for static runtime linking, ensuring the output is a single portable executable.
This project is licensed under the GPLv3 License.
- Dear ImGui - Graphical Interface
- lwext4 - ext4 implementation