Supported actions

WinEFIMounter is very easy to use. It features a simple CLI that makes everything very straightforward.

WinEFIMounter allows you to:

  • Mount an EFI partiton
  • Browse the content of the partition:
    • Via Command Prompt
    • Via File Explorer
  • Unmount the EFI partition

    i tell you no shit

It can currently perform very basic actions, but it will get more and more advanced later in time.

Required tools

WinEFIMounter relies on a bunch of pre-installed Windows tools, such as:

  • PowerShell

    Used for mounting and unmounting the EFI partition.

  • XCopy

    Used to clone the entire EFI partition to the “C:\EFIPartition” directory. This is done to make the EFI partition accessible by GUI as it would be impossible to access it just by opening the partition in File Explorer (due to admin rights-related reasons).

Use cases

WinEFIMounter is the perfect solution for a variety of problems, including:

  • Fixing your Hackintosh if it’s not booting and you have no way to access the EFI partition

    If you fuck up with your kexts, SSDTs or drivers (like I did) you will likely need a quick way to fix them in order to make your Hackintosh boot again.

  • Cleaning up your EFI

    OpenCore leaves log files all over your EFI partition every time you boot macOS. WinEFIMounter allows you to get rid of them in the blink of an eye.

  • Adding files to your EFI

    Like fixing issues, accessing your EFI from Windows with WinEFIMounter is now easier than ever before.

  • Managing Windows or Linux EFI partitions

    That’s right, WinEFIMounter can mount all kinds of EFI partitions you can think of! The program might often refer to the EFI partition as “the Hackintosh EFI partition” or to the drive as “your Hackintosh disk”, but you can use it for other ESPs too.

Application behavior

When you start WinEFIMounter, a welcome screen greets you: image Press any key to skip the intro and move to the main menu:

image

The main menu allows you to:

  • Choose a partition to mount
  • Quit the program

To mount a partition, press 1 and follow the prompts to select your drive and EFI partition. Once selected, type M to confirm, and the partition will mount instantly.

image Congrats! Your EFI partition is now mounted to “Z:\” (or another drive letter at the very end of the alphabet if Z:\ is already taken).

You can now:

  • Browse the partition via Command Prompt
  • Access a cloned version of the EFI partition in File Explorer
  • Unmount the partition when you’re done

Screenshot 2023-07-17 050930 Option 1 will simply open a Command Prompt window in the EFI partition directory.

Screenshot 2023-07-17 051300 Option 2 will show this message. To start cloning, type C and hit Enter.

image Choosing Option 3 in the main menu will result in this screen. Type U and press Enter to continue.

Always save your work and close any file that belongs to the EFI partition before you unmount it.

image And here you have your success screen. Pressing a key will show the first main menu.

image Choosing Option E from the main menu while your partition is still mounted will take you to this warning screen, which basically reminds you to unmount your EFI partition before you leave WinEFIMounter.

~If you didn’t care of the message and closed the window, WinEFIMounter would have to mount the (already mounted) partition, resulting in a general mess where the Z letter is taken by the already mounted EFI partition and WinEFIMounter is forced to assign the Y letter to a partition which is already mounted to “Z:\“… a bit annoying if you asked me.~

TL;DR: Just unmount your partition as you leave WinEFIMounter.
NOTE: v1.0.2 is capable of detecting already mounted EFI partitions at startup. This should not be that much of a concern anymore.