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VeraCrypt Decryption Notes for Linux CLI

· Updated: May 27, 2026 · VeraCrypt, Linux, Disk Encryption, CLI, Incident Response

Table of contents

Overview

These notes are for mounting a VeraCrypt encrypted partition from Linux CLI.

Example values used in this guide:

Test Mount in Read-Only Mode

Use read-only mode first when you want to confirm the partition is valid and avoid accidental writes.

sudo mkdir -p /mnt/veracrypt-test
sudo veracrypt --text --mount-options=ro --pim <your-pim> --protect-hidden=no /dev/sdb1 /mnt/veracrypt-test

VeraCrypt will prompt for the password.

Check Mounted Volume

veracrypt --text --list
ls /mnt/veracrypt-test

Unmount

Unmount a specific mount point:

sudo veracrypt --text --dismount /mnt/veracrypt-test

Unmount all VeraCrypt volumes:

sudo veracrypt --text --dismount

Mount in Read-Write Mode

First unmount the read-only session, then remount without ro:

sudo veracrypt --text --dismount /mnt/veracrypt-test
sudo veracrypt --text --pim <your-pim> --protect-hidden=no /dev/sdb1 /mnt/veracrypt-test

Read-Write Mount with User Permissions

For NTFS, exFAT, or FAT, use filesystem options so your normal user can write:

sudo veracrypt --text --pim <your-pim> --protect-hidden=no \
  --fs-options="uid=$(id -u),gid=$(id -g),umask=022" \
  /dev/sdb1 /mnt/veracrypt-test

System-Encrypted Partition Option

If the target is a VeraCrypt system-encrypted partition, try:

Read-only system mode:

sudo veracrypt --text --mount-options=ro,system --pim <your-pim> /dev/sdb1 /mnt/veracrypt-test

Read-write system mode:

sudo veracrypt --text --mount-options=system --pim <your-pim> /dev/sdb1 /mnt/veracrypt-test

Security Notes