wsl does not have --mount option. So how do I mount a drive using wsl?

I am following the tutorial here:

I can get the listing of my drives by running: GET-CimInstance -query "SELECT * from Win32_DiskDrive" which produces the following output:

PS C:\WINDOWS\system32> GET-CimInstance -query "SELECT * from Win32_DiskDrive"
DeviceID Caption Partitions Size Model
-------- ------- ---------- ---- -----
\\.\PHYSICALDRIVE0 SK hynix SC311 SATA 512GB 3 512105932800 SK hynix SC311 SATA 512GB
\\.\PHYSICALDRIVE1 Generic STORAGE DEVICE USB Device 0 Generic STORAGE DEVICE USB Device
\\.\PHYSICALDRIVE2 Generic STORAGE DEVICE USB Device 3 127861977600 Generic STORAGE DEVICE USB Device
\\.\PHYSICALDRIVE3 Generic STORAGE DEVICE USB Device 0 Generic STORAGE DEVICE USB Device

I think the drive I am trying to mount is \\.\PHYSICALDRIVE2 as it is a 128gb sd card I am trying to mount.

However when I try to run this command: wsl --mount \\.\PHYSICALDRIVE2 I get the follow error stating there is no --mount option:

Invalid command line option: --mount
Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
Usage: wsl.exe [Argument] [Options...] [CommandLine]
Arguments for running Linux binaries: If no command line is provided, wsl.exe launches the default shell. --exec, -e <CommandLine> Execute the specified command without using the default Linux shell. -- Pass the remaining command line as is.
Options: --cd <Directory> Sets the specified directory as the current working directory. If ~ is used the Linux user's home path will be used. If the path begins with a / character, it will be interpreted as an absolute Linux path. Otherwise, the value must be an absolute Windows path. --distribution, -d <Distro> Run the specified distribution. --user, -u <UserName> Run as the specified user.
Arguments for managing Windows Subsystem for Linux: --help Display usage information. --install [Options] Install additional Windows Subsystem for Linux distributions. For a list of valid distributions, use 'wsl --list --online'. Options: --distribution, -d [Argument] Downloads and installs a distribution by name. Arguments: A valid distribution name (not case sensitive). Examples: wsl --install -d Ubuntu wsl --install --distribution Debian --set-default-version <Version> Changes the default install version for new distributions. --shutdown Immediately terminates all running distributions and the WSL 2 lightweight utility virtual machine. --status Show the status of Windows Subsystem for Linux. --update [Options] If no options are specified, the WSL 2 kernel will be updated to the latest version. Options: --rollback Revert to the previous version of the WSL 2 kernel.
Arguments for managing distributions in Windows Subsystem for Linux: --export <Distro> <FileName> Exports the distribution to a tar file. The filename can be - for standard output. --import <Distro> <InstallLocation> <FileName> [Options] Imports the specified tar file as a new distribution. The filename can be - for standard input. Options: --version <Version> Specifies the version to use for the new distribution. --list, -l [Options] Lists distributions. Options: --all List all distributions, including distributions that are currently being installed or uninstalled. --running List only distributions that are currently running. --quiet, -q Only show distribution names. --verbose, -v Show detailed information about all distributions. --online, -o Displays a list of available distributions for install with 'wsl --install'. --set-default, -s <Distro> Sets the distribution as the default. --set-version <Distro> <Version> Changes the version of the specified distribution. --terminate, -t <Distro> Terminates the specified distribution. --unregister <Distro> Unregisters the distribution and deletes the root filesystem.

The version of WSL am using:

PS C:\WINDOWS\system32> wsl -l -v NAME STATE VERSION
* Ubuntu Stopped 2

How do I mount the drive properly with wsl?

1 Answer

You don’t. As per Microsoft page:

Prerequisites

You will need to be on Windows 11 Build 22000 or higher to access this feature. You can join the Windows Insiders Program to get the latest preview builds.

Until then, use a “real” VM. Because Hyper-V is also very insufficient in this regard, I suggest looking into VirtualBox and VMware Player (or Workstation, if you have too much money).