[Solved] How to Create an EXT4 Partition in Windows 11/10

Updated By

Linda 

Authored By

Linda 

Last Updated on April 24, 2024

"I've purchased a micro SDHC card to store Linux data on it. The issue is that I'm using Windows 10, and there aren't any native Windows programs that support Linux partitions. Is there a reliable and secure tool to create an ext4 partition on Windows?"

Are you still browsing thousands of pages about how to create an EXT4 partition on Windows 11/10? With this detailed guide, you will learn how to create an EXT4 partition on Windows 11/10 as quickly as possible. The process is not complicated with the help of the tool.

Can Windows 11/10 Create an EXT4 Partition?

The answer is **NO**! That's because EXT4 is a Linux file system type, which is not compatible with Windows. Hence, Windows 11/10 cannot recognize an EXT4 partition.

In the Disk Management, you are not able to choose to format the partition as EXT4. There are only three default disk partitions – FAT/FAT32/NTFS.

2. In File Explorer, you cannot view the EXT4 partition. It shows up as RAW format.

3. Failed to create an EXT4 volume in the Disk Management command prompt. The warning says "File system is not compatible."

So, unless you use third-party software or a dual-boot setup, you can't create an EXT4 partition from within Windows. If you dual-boot Windows and Linux and need to access your Linux files from Windows, this guide will show you how to create an EXT4 partition in Windows.

How to Create an EXT4 Partition for Windows 11/10 with Partition Master Tool

As mentioned, we cannot create an EXT4 partition with Windows Disk Management, File Explorer, or the Diskpart cmd. Here, we recommend using Partition Master Professional, a tailored tool that can help create a Linux partition with just a few clicks.

< strong > Step 1. < /strong> Launch Partition Master. On the main interface, right-click unallocated space on the hard drive or external storage device and select "Create".

Step 2. Resize the new partition, choose a file system for it (if necessary), a label, and click on “OK” to proceed.

Step 3. Click the Run 1 Task button and create the new partition by clicking Apply.

Watch this video tutorial to learn how to create a partition on an NTFS, FAT, or EXT file system.

If you want to preserve any Linux-based data, you can use this partition to store the device.

Deep Dive - Can Windows 11/10 Read EXT4 partitions?

In this article, we will introduce two software that can read EXT4 partitions on Windows 10.

The first is Ext2Read.

It can browse and copy files and directories from within EXT2/3/4 partitions, supports LVM2 and extended features of EXT4, and can recursively copy entire directories.

Tip: Only EXT2/3/4 are supported for reading.

The second one is Ext2Fsd.

It is a software that allows users to access common Linux file systems, such as EXT2/3/4, under the Windows operating system. It directly supports read and write operations on EXT2/3/4 partitions. However, its support for ext4 is limited – when creating/formating an EXT4 partition, the parameter -O ^ extent must be added to disable the extent feature. Otherwise, it will not be supported.

Most Linux distributions provide support for standard Windows file systems such as NTFS/FAT32. However, there is still no official software from Microsoft to access EXT4 partitions under Windows. Ext2Fsd can run on several Windows platforms, including Windows 2000, XP, Vista, Server 2003/2008, and Windows 7/8/10, and it supports both x86 and AMD64 processors.

Hint: It has direct read/write support for ext2/3/4 partitions, but with limitations on ext4 - the -O ^extent option must be given when creating/extending an ext4 file-system, or it will not be supported.

If you find this page helpful, please share it with others.

Learn More: What is the EXT4 File System?

EXT4, the fourth-generation Extended File System, is a file system used in Linux and serves as a successor to EXT3. It represents a significant improvement over EXT3, with many features initially developed between 2003 and 2006 for clustered file systems, aimed at addressing storage limitations and enhancing performance.

However, for stability reasons, some Linux kernel developers were not keen on accepting further changes to EXT3, and recommended forking the source code and renaming it to EXT4. In 2006, the EXT3 file-system maintainer announced plans for a new EXT4.

Some of the main features of the EXT4 file system are:

• Larger file systems/file sizes.

EXT3 supports file systems up to 16TB in size and files up to 2TB, whereas EXT4 supports file systems as large as 1EB (1EB = 1024PB = 1024 * 1024TB = 1024 * 1024GB) and files up to 16TB in size, thanks to the addition of 48-bit block addressing.

• More subdirectories

EXT3 supports only 32,000 subdirectories, whereas EXT4 removes this limit and supports an unlimited number of subdirectories in theory.

• Log verification

Logs are the most commonly used data structure in file systems, and they are also the most vulnerable. Recovery from a corrupted log can itself corrupt data.

EXT4 adds a checksum to the journal data, so it can quickly detect corruption. In addition, it merges the two phases of EXT3's journaling into one, for both better performance and increased safety.

What are Ext2, Ext3, and Ext4 File System Formats? Differences Explained【Complete Guide】

Want to learn about Linux's Ext2, Ext3, and Ext4 file system formats? Here, we provide you with an extensive article explaining all the details.