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Boot Camp: read the macOS partition from Windows

Boot Camp lets an Intel-based Mac run Windows from its own partition. From Windows, the macOS partition on the same disk is invisible. People want to reach their Mac files without restarting into macOS.

How Boot Camp lays out the disk

Apple: "With Boot Camp, you can install Microsoft Windows 10 on your Intel-based Mac". Boot Camp Assistant creates a Windows partition named BOOTCAMP on the Mac's disk, next to the macOS partition (Apple Support, checked October 30, 2026). So Windows and macOS share one physical disk, and that disk carries a Mac partition.

What Diskferry does on a Boot Camp Mac

Not tested on a Boot Camp Mac. What follows is how Diskferry is built, not a tested result.

  • Diskferry's helper opens every disk that carries a Mac partition, read only. On a Boot Camp Mac the internal disk has one, so the helper opens that disk, which is also the disk Windows runs from. It only reads, never writes.
  • Macs with a T2 chip are not supported. Their internal SSD is encrypted by the T2, and Diskferry does not support the internal SSD of Macs with a T2 or Apple silicon chip. Apple silicon Macs cannot run Boot Camp at all.
  • Fusion Drive Macs are not supported, because macOS spreads the volume over two drives. Fusion Drive on Windows
  • On an older Intel Mac without a T2 chip and without a Fusion Drive, Diskferry should list the macOS volume. Browsing is free, so you can check before paying anything.
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What other tools state about Boot Camp

  • Paragon HFS+ for Windows: "fully compatible with Apple Boot Camp software and provides direct read and write access to Mac partitions from Windows installed on a Boot Camp". It reads HFS+ only; most Boot Camp Macs on recent macOS use APFS.
  • MacDrive's release notes for 12.0.1.23 list a fix for a "Possible system crash when installed on Boot Camp systems, where macOS system disk is encrypted with the built-in T2 chip" (MacDrive release notes).

The simplest route on any Boot Camp Mac remains restarting into macOS and copying the files to an exFAT drive, which Windows reads.

Questions

Can Windows on a Boot Camp Mac write to the macOS partition?

Not with Diskferry, which never writes. Writing to the partition macOS starts from is risky with any tool; copy files out instead.

How do I know whether my Mac has a T2 chip?

Apple lists the models: MacBook Pro and MacBook Air introduced in 2018 through 2020 (except the M1 models), iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020), iMac Pro, Mac mini (2018) and Mac Pro introduced in 2019. On those, System Information shows "Apple T2 chip" under Controller or iBridge (Apple Support). If your Mac is on the list, Diskferry cannot read its internal SSD.

Last updated October 30, 2026. Still stuck? Support replies in person.

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