> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/brunodev85/winlator/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Drive mappings

> Map Android filesystem paths to Windows drive letters inside a Winlator container.

Windows applications navigate the filesystem using drive letters (C:, D:, E:, and so on). Winlator maps these letters to real Android filesystem paths, giving applications controlled access to storage.

## Built-in drives

Two drives are always present in every container and cannot be removed:

| Drive | Maps to                           | Description                                                                                                                   |
| ----- | --------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `C:`  | `<container root>/.wine/drive_c/` | The Wine virtual Windows drive. Contains `Windows/`, `Program Files/`, user profiles, and the Windows registry.               |
| `Z:`  | `/` (device root)                 | The entire Linux filesystem. Gives Wine (and Windows apps running inside it) read/write access to the full Android root path. |

<Warning>
  Drive Z: exposes the root filesystem to Windows applications. Be cautious when running untrusted software, as it could access or modify files outside the container.
</Warning>

## Custom drives

You can add up to **8** custom drive letter mappings per container (`MAX_DRIVE_LETTERS = 8`). Drive letters start at D: and go up sequentially.

### Default custom drives

A freshly created container includes the following drive mappings:

| Drive | Default path                      | Purpose                                          |
| ----- | --------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------ |
| `D:`  | Android Downloads folder          | Easy access to files you download on your device |
| `E:`  | `/data/data/com.winlator/storage` | Winlator's internal dedicated storage directory  |

<Note>
  The exact path for D: depends on your device's external storage location, typically `/storage/emulated/0/Download`.
</Note>

## Managing drive mappings

Drive mappings are configured in the **Drives** tab when creating or editing a container.

### Add a drive

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Drives tab">
    In the container create or edit screen, tap the **Drives** tab.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Tap Add Drive">
    Tap the **Add Drive** button. A new row appears with a drive letter selector and a path field.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose a drive letter">
    Select a drive letter (D: through K:) from the dropdown. Letters already in use in other rows are not deduplicated automatically, so pick a unique one.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the path">
    Type an Android filesystem path directly, or tap the folder icon to open the Android directory picker and browse to the location you want.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save">
    Tap the **Create** or **Save** button to write the updated drive configuration.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Edit a drive

Tap the path field in any drive row to edit it directly, or tap the folder icon to browse to a new location.

### Remove a drive

Tap the **X** (remove) button on the right side of any drive row. The built-in C: and Z: drives do not appear in this list and cannot be removed.

## Drive letter limits

Winlator enforces a maximum of **8 custom drive mappings** per container. If you already have 8 entries, the **Add Drive** button becomes inactive. Remove an existing mapping to make room for a new one.

## Use cases

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Game files" icon="gamepad-2">
    Map a drive to a folder containing game ISOs, installers, or pre-extracted game data on your SD card or internal storage.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Save files" icon="floppy-disk">
    Point a drive at a cloud-synced folder so save games are automatically backed up and accessible across devices.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Mods" icon="puzzle">
    Mount a mods directory as a separate drive letter so you can swap mod packs without moving files into the container.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Shared storage" icon="folder-open">
    Share a single Android folder across multiple containers (different drive letters) to access common assets without duplicating data.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Path creation behavior

<Warning>
  If the Android path you specify for a drive does not exist when the container starts, Wine will attempt to create it. This can result in unexpected directories being created on your device storage.
</Warning>

Always verify the path exists before adding a drive mapping, especially when pointing to external SD card locations, which may change mount paths depending on the device or Android version.

## Drive mapping storage format

Drive mappings are stored as a single compact string in the container config. The format concatenates each `LETTER:PATH` pair with no separator between entries — the colon after each drive letter acts as the delimiter:

```
D:/storage/emulated/0/DownloadE:/data/data/com.winlator/storage
```

This string is parsed by iterating over colon positions to extract drive letter and path pairs. You do not need to edit this manually — use the Drives tab UI.