Open VHD files in your browser
The disk of Virtual PC, early Hyper-V and Azure, and of Windows' own backups. Open one right here, see its partitions and open the files you need. Nothing leaves your device.
Or drop it anywhere on this page
What you'll see
Your disk opens like a folder, each volume's files listed on the left, with a map of its partitions and what the disk holds beside them.
- A map of the disk • Every partition to scale
- Every volume as a folder • Files open at once
- Verify • SHA-256, SHA-1 or MD5
- Export • Save as ZIP or Extract all
About VHD
VHD began as the disk of Connectix Virtual PC, and Microsoft kept it when it bought Virtual PC in 2003, then used it for Hyper-V, Windows 7's backups and Azure. A disk can be up to 2 TB, and its last 512 bytes say what it is.
A fixed VHD is the whole disk followed by that footer. A dynamic one only stores the blocks that were written, so it starts small and grows. A differencing one keeps only the changes made since its parent, another VHD it names.
Filepeek reads it with 7-Zip compiled to WebAssembly and draws the disk as a map, each partition to scale with its file system and space used, its volumes as folders. Drop a differencing disk with its parent and it opens as the disk it adds up to. Windows' own files stay out of the way until you choose Show hidden files.
Virtual Hard Disk
.vhd
Format
- MIME type
- application/x-vhd
- Made by
- Connectix, then Microsoft
Inside the file
- Types
- Fixed, dynamic and differencing
- Biggest disk
- 2 TB
- Inside
- MBR or GPT, NTFS, FAT, ext4
- Footer
- 512 bytes at the end
Opens in every browser
No browser opens a VHD: they download it. Filepeek opens it as a folder of its partitions in Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari.
- YouChromeOpens through Filepeek
- YouEdgeOpens through Filepeek
- YouFirefoxOpens through Filepeek
- YouSafariOpens through Filepeek
Questions
How do I open a VHD without Hyper-V?
Drop it on this page or choose Peek a VHD. The disk shows as a map of its partitions, each volume as a folder, and the file you pick opens right away.
What about a differencing VHD?
It only holds the changes since its parent. Pick or drop both files together and Filepeek opens the disk with the changes in, as the virtual machine sees it.
Can I get files out of an old Windows backup?
Yes. Windows 7's backups keep each disk as a VHD. Open it, find the folder you need and save it all as a ZIP, or open the files one by one.
Which file systems open?
NTFS, FAT, exFAT, ext2 to ext4, HFS+ and APFS. A partition locked with BitLocker shows as locked.
Is my VHD uploaded?
No. It opens inside your browser and never leaves your device, however big it is.