.QCOW2 File Extension

QEMU Copy On Write Version 2 Disk Image

Developer N/A
Popularity
3.9  |  74 Votes
 

What is a QCOW2 file?

A QCOW2 file is a disk image saved in the second version of the QEMU Copy On Write (QCOW2) format, which is used by QEMU virtualization software. It stores the hard drive contents of a QEMU virtual machine. QCOW2 files are similar to .QCOW files, which they replaced.

More Information

QEMU is an open-source machine emulator and virtualizer that allows users to create and run virtual machines on Windows, Mac, and Linux. For example, a Windows user could use QEMU to create and run a Linux virtual machine.

When creating a virtual machine, users must mount a disk image that acts as the machine's virtual hard drive. QCOW2 files are disk images saved in the second version of QEMU's Copy on Write disk image format. The Copy on Write format allows for smaller file sizes because it delays storage allocation until disk space is actually needed. This differs from other formats, which often allocate fixed amounts of space.

NOTE: While the QCOW2 format replaced the original QCOW format, QEMU can still mount both QCOW2 and QCOW disk images.

How to open a QCOW2 file

You can mount a QCOW2 disk image and use it to create a virtual machine in QEMU (cross-platform) and some other virtualization programs. You can also use QEMU to create and modify QCOW2 files. For more information, refer to QEMU's official documentation.

Open over 400 file formats with File Viewer Plus.Free Download

Programs that open QCOW2 files

Windows
Free
Mac
Free
Linux
Free
Android

Verified by FileInfo.com

The FileInfo.com team has independently researched the QEMU Copy On Write Version 2 Disk Image file format and Mac, Windows, Linux, and Android apps listed on this page. Our goal is 100% accuracy and we only publish information about file types that we have verified.

If you would like to suggest any additions or updates to this page, please let us know.