VHDX is the virtual hard disk file format in Windows. VHD files are used to store large amounts of data on a single volume, providing better performance than traditional disks. However, when you create a new storage volume with an empty disk and want to use it as your boot drive or copy some other part of your computer onto it without formatting the entire thing, you need to know how that process works because Windows doesn’t always offer many easy options for doing this correctly.
The “how to delete vhd file in windows 10” is a question that has been asked many times. This article will show you how to delete a VHD or VHDX file in Windows 10.
VHD (Virtual Hard Disk) or VHDX (Virtual Hard Disk) files are file formats that represent a virtual hard disk drive. A Virtual Hard Disk file with the.vhdx or.vhd extension works like a physical hard drive that you may mount (or unmount) to make it available through File Explore or This PC just like any other actual hard drive, with the exception that it is stored on a real hard drive.
VHDX (Virtual Hard Disk v2) is the successor of VHD (Virtual Hard Disk v1). The main difference between the two formats is that VHDX allows disk sizes up to 64 TB, whilst VHD only supports disk sizes up to 2040 GB. VHDX is not supported in versions of Windows prior to Windows 8.
This post will teach you In Windows 11, how can I mount a VHDX or VHD file?, as well as how to remove one if you get an error message like “The operation can’t be performed because the file is open in System.” When attempting to remove a file, you will be prompted to “close the file and try again,” as well as how to establish a virtual hard drive (VHD) in Windows 11.
In Windows 11, how can I mount a VHDX or VHD file?
You must first mount a VHDX or VHD file before you can view what’s within. Mounting a virtual hard disk (VHDX or VHD) file makes it visible in the “This PC” directory and accessible like any other hard drive. Follow the procedures below to mount a file with the.vhdx or.vhd extension.
1. Go to Start and type in “Disk Management.” Then click “Create and format hard drive partitions” on the first result.
2. In the Disk Management window, choose Attach VHD from the Action menu bar.
3. Next, select Browse under Location in the Attach Virtual Hard Disk box.
4. Navigate to the location of the VHDX or VHD file you wish to access, then select and open the virtual hard drive file.
5. Finally, click OK to confirm mounting the virtual hard drive file you chose.
6. Go to This PC after mounting the file. Under “Devices and drives,” you should be able to view and access the virtual drive.
In Windows 11, how can I remove a VHDX or VHD file?
You may remove a VHDX or VHD file by right-clicking it and choosing Delete, or by selecting it and hitting the Delete key. Please keep in mind that, since the VHD/VHDX file represents a (virtual) hard disk drive, removing it implies destroying the whole virtual drive. The virtual hard disk’s data and contents will be destroyed.
Before removing the VHD, we suggest mounting it first (as described in the section above) to determine whether the data on the virtual hard drive are safe to erase.
When you attempt to remove a VHDX or VHD file and get an error that states “The operation can’t be performed because the file is open in System,” it means the virtual hard disk file is presently being mounted, prompting Windows to refuse the deletion since the file is still in use.
You must first unmount a mounted VHDX or VHD file before deleting it (see below). Try deleting the VHDX or VHD file again after unmounting the virtual hard disk.
In Windows 11, how can I unmount a VHD or VHDX file?
To unmount a virtual hard drive file that has been mounted in Windows 11, go to Start and type “Disk Management.”
A graphical depiction of all physical and virtual hard disk devices installed in the computer may be seen in the Disk Management window’s bottom area. Right-click a drive and choose Detach VHD to unmount it.
“Detaching a virtual hard drive will make it unusable until it is connected again,” a pop-up will tell you. To confirm unmounting the VHD, click OK.
If you’re unsure if a disk is a virtual hard disk drive, right-click it and look for the “Detach VHD” option. If it isn’t, it signifies the disk you’ve chosen is a physical hard drive. The disk is a virtual hard drive that you may detach/unmount if the opportunity appears.
In Windows 11, how can I construct a virtual hard disk (VHD/VHDX)?
If you want to create a virtual hard disk from the space on one of your real hard drives, follow these steps in Windows 11’s Disk Management.
1. First, search for and open Disk Management via Start. Next, click Action > Create VHD from the menu bar in Disk Management window.
2. Click Browse in the “Create and Attach Virtual Hard Disk” pop-up and go to the location where you wish to store the VHD/VHDX file. Enter the size of the virtual hard drive that you desire. Then choose between VHD and VHDX as your format. Unless you’re running an earlier version of Windows, VHDX is suggested. To continue, click OK.
3. Once the virtual hard disk has been properly created, it will function as if it were a brand new hard disk drive. It is not useable at this time since it has to be initialized first. In Disk Management, right-click the newly formed virtual Disk and choose Initialize Disk.
4. To initialize the drive, pick a partition style and click OK.
5. Next, right-click the “Unallocated” region and choose New Simple Volume from the context menu to create a volume from the available disk space.
6. In the New Simple Volume Wizard, give the partition a drive letter and finish the wizard by following the on-screen instructions.
7. Go to This PC when you’ve finished creating the partition, and you should be able to view and access the freshly generated virtual hard drive. Furthermore, the VHDX or VHD file will be saved to the place you specified earlier (during step 2).
This article explains how to mount (open), unmount (close), remove, or create a VHDX or VHD (Virtual Hard Disk) file in Windows 11.
Nyau Wai Hoe’s last update was on January 19, 2022.
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The “how to open vhd file” is a question that has been asked many times. The article will provide step-by-step instructions on how to do so.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I delete a VHDX file?
A: You would delete a VHDX file by using the Delete function within its window.
How do I open a VHDX file?
A: A VHDX file is a virtual hard disk that uses the .vhdx extension. This can also be referred to as a Virtual Hard Disk (VHD) or Microsofts proprietary format for storing data on disk drives and partitions.
How do I delete VHDX from Windows 10?
A: You should check the system for a program or application that may already provide you with this capability, such as sdelete.
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