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. |
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 |
The exact path for D: depends on your device’s external storage location, typically
/storage/emulated/0/Download.Managing drive mappings
Drive mappings are configured in the Drives tab when creating or editing a container.Add a drive
Tap Add Drive
Tap the Add Drive button. A new row appears with a drive letter selector and a path field.
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.
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.
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
Game files
Map a drive to a folder containing game ISOs, installers, or pre-extracted game data on your SD card or internal storage.
Save files
Point a drive at a cloud-synced folder so save games are automatically backed up and accessible across devices.
Mods
Mount a mods directory as a separate drive letter so you can swap mod packs without moving files into the container.
Shared storage
Share a single Android folder across multiple containers (different drive letters) to access common assets without duplicating data.
Path creation behavior
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 eachLETTER:PATH pair with no separator between entries — the colon after each drive letter acts as the delimiter: