.vhd

What is a .vhd file?

VHD is Microsoft's virtual disk format for Hyper-V — also mountable natively in Windows 10/11.

Safe format
Type System
By Connectix / Microsoft
MIME application/x-vhd

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What is it

VHD is Microsoft's virtual hard disk format, originally developed for Connectix Virtual PC and now integral to Hyper-V and Windows deployment. Windows 10/11 can mount VHD files natively — double-click one and it appears as a new drive letter. This makes VHD useful beyond virtualisation: portable storage, disk imaging, and Windows deployment all use VHD.

The format supports dynamic and fixed-size disks up to 2 TB. VHDX (its successor) increases the limit to 64 TB and adds better protection against corruption. Hyper-V, VirtualBox, and QEMU all handle VHD files. Windows Backup creates system images as VHD.

Windows Disk Management creates, mounts, and manages VHD files natively. PowerShell offers programmatic access. For cross-platform use, QEMU converts VHD to other formats. The format's native Windows integration makes it particularly convenient for Windows-centric workflows.

Technical details
Full Name
Virtual Hard Disk
MIME Type
application/x-vhd
Developer
Connectix / Microsoft
Magic Bytes
63 6F 6E 65 63 74 69 78
Safety
.vhd is a known, safe format. Virtual disk image. Can be mounted as a drive in Windows. Contents could include anything.
What opens it
Windows (native mount)
FREE Windows
Hyper-V
FREE Windows
VirtualBox
FREE Windows / Mac / Linux
FAQ
Can Windows open VHD files without extra software?
Yes. Windows 10/11 mounts VHD files natively — double-click or use Disk Management → Attach VHD. The contents appear as a regular drive letter.
What's the difference between VHD and VHDX?
VHDX is the newer format with 64 TB capacity (vs 2 TB for VHD), better corruption protection, and improved performance. Use VHDX for new Hyper-V deployments.
Related formats