.wim, .esd, and .swm image files. Once a file is opened, WimExplorer reads its metadata and, for multi-image WIM files, presents a selector so you can choose which internal image to explore.
Supported formats
| Format | Description |
|---|---|
.wim | Standard Windows Imaging Format. May contain one or more internal images. |
.esd | Encrypted/compressed variant of WIM, typically used by Windows Setup. Usually contains a single image. |
.swm | Split WIM — a WIM archive split across multiple files. |
Opening a file
Enter or browse to the file path
In the header, type the full path to your
.wim, .esd, or .swm file into the path input field.Alternatively, click the 📁 browse button next to the input field. This calls GET /api/pick-file, which launches a native Windows file picker via PowerShell. The selected path is automatically filled into the input.Click Abrir
Click the Abrir button (or press
Enter while the path input has focus). WimExplorer sends the path to POST /api/open.Wait for metadata to load
The server reads image metadata using
wimlib-imagex info <file> --xml. If the XML output cannot be parsed, it falls back to plain-text output from wimlib-imagex info <file>.Metadata extracted from the WIM includes:- Index — the image number within the WIM
- Name — the image label (e.g.,
Windows 11 Home) - Description — optional description text
- File count — total number of files in the image
- Directory count — total number of directories
Select an image (multi-image WIM only)
If the file contains more than one image, the Select image modal appears automatically. Each entry in the list shows the image index, name, description, file count, and directory count. Click the image you want to explore.
ESD files typically contain a single image, so the image selector modal does not appear for most
.esd files.