diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 30226c1..783305f 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ For support and discussion, see [![Gitter chat](https://badges.gitter.im/desync-
 
 Among the distinguishing factors:
 
-- Supported on MacOS, though there could be incompatibilities when exchanging catar-files between Linux and Mac for example since devices and filemodes differ slightly. \*BSD should work as well but hasn't been tested. Windows supports a subset of commands.
+- Supported on MacOS, though there could be incompatibilities when exchanging catar-files between Linux, Mac and Windows for example since devices and filemodes differ slightly. \*BSD should work as well but hasn't been tested.
 - Where the upstream command has chosen to optimize for storage efficiency (f/e, being able to use local files as "seeds", building temporary indexes into them), this command chooses to optimize for runtime performance (maintaining a local explicit chunk store, avoiding the need to reindex) at cost to storage efficiency.
 - Where the upstream command has chosen to take full advantage of Linux platform features, this client chooses to implement a minimum featureset and, while high-value platform-specific features (such as support for btrfs reflinks into a decompressed local chunk cache) might be added in the future, the ability to build without them on other platforms will be maintained.
 - Both, SHA512/256 and SHA256 are supported hash functions.
@@ -73,12 +73,21 @@ The tool is provided for convenience. It uses the desync library and makes most
 
 ### Installation
 
-If GOPATH is set correctly, building the tool and installing it into `$GOPATH/bin` can be done with:
+#### Linux
 
 ```text
 go get -u github.com/folbricht/desync/cmd/desync
 ```
 
+#### Windows
+
+Windows builds require a gcc compiler in PATH (for example [http://mingw-w64.org/](http://mingw-w64.org/)) and [WinFsp](https://github.com/billziss-gh/winfsp).
+
+```text
+set CPATH=C:\Program Files (x86)\WinFsp\inc\fuse
+go get -u github.com/folbricht/desync/cmd/desync
+```
+
 ### Subcommands
 
 - `extract`      - build a blob from an index file, optionally using seed indexes+blobs
diff --git a/cmd/desync/mount-index.go b/cmd/desync/mount-index.go
index d2f4e61..67345a6 100644
--- a/cmd/desync/mount-index.go
+++ b/cmd/desync/mount-index.go
@@ -1,5 +1,3 @@
-// +build !windows
-
 package main
 
 import (
diff --git a/cmd/desync/mount-index_windows.go b/cmd/desync/mount-index_windows.go
deleted file mode 100644
index 6e9336d..0000000
--- a/cmd/desync/mount-index_windows.go
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,18 +0,0 @@
-package main
-
-import (
-	"context"
-	"errors"
-
-	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
-)
-
-func newMountIndexCommand(ctx context.Context) *cobra.Command {
-	return &cobra.Command{
-		Hidden: true,
-		RunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
-			return errors.New("command not available on this platform")
-		},
-		SilenceUsage: true,
-	}
-}
diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index 5db154c..854ffe3 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ module github.com/folbricht/desync
 go 1.11
 
 require (
+	github.com/billziss-gh/cgofuse v1.2.0
 	github.com/datadog/zstd v1.4.4
 	github.com/davecgh/go-spew v1.1.1 // indirect
 	github.com/dchest/siphash v1.2.0
diff --git a/go.sum b/go.sum
index 6dea1f6..4620f90 100644
--- a/go.sum
+++ b/go.sum
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+github.com/billziss-gh/cgofuse v1.2.0 h1:FMdQSygSBpD4yEPENJcmvfCdmNWMVkPLlD7wWdl/7IA=
+github.com/billziss-gh/cgofuse v1.2.0/go.mod h1:LJjoaUojlVjgo5GQoEJTcJNqZJeRU0nCR84CyxKt2YM=
 github.com/datadog/zstd v1.4.4 h1:VXuvuDMxP8fBcMt66fD2Z4LSC+VmNIhm59jslWe9J5o=
 github.com/datadog/zstd v1.4.4/go.mod h1:inRp+etsHuvVqMPNTXaFlpf/Tj7wqviBtdJoPVrPEFQ=
 github.com/davecgh/go-spew v1.1.1 h1:vj9j/u1bqnvCEfJOwUhtlOARqs3+rkHYY13jYWTU97c=
diff --git a/mount-index_windows.go b/mount-index_windows.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..40c33c6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/mount-index_windows.go
@@ -0,0 +1,132 @@
+package desync
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"fmt"
+	"io"
+	"os"
+	"sync"
+
+	"github.com/billziss-gh/cgofuse/fuse"
+)
+
+// IndexMountFS is used to FUSE mount an index file (as a blob, not an archive).
+// It present a single file underneath the mountpoint.
+type IndexMountFS struct {
+	fuse.FileSystemBase
+
+	FName string // File name in the mountpoint
+	Idx   Index  // Index of the blob
+	Store Store
+
+	mu            sync.Mutex
+	handles       map[uint64]*indexFileHandle
+	handleCounter uint64
+}
+
+// NewIndexMountFS initializes a FUSE filesystem mount based on an index and a chunk store.
+func NewIndexMountFS(idx Index, name string, s Store) *IndexMountFS {
+	return &IndexMountFS{
+		FName:   name,
+		Idx:     idx,
+		Store:   s,
+		handles: make(map[uint64]*indexFileHandle),
+	}
+}
+
+func (fs *IndexMountFS) Open(path string, flags int) (errc int, fh uint64) {
+	if path != "/"+fs.FName {
+		return -fuse.ENOENT, ^uint64(0)
+	}
+	fs.mu.Lock()
+	defer fs.mu.Unlock()
+	fs.handleCounter++
+	fs.handles[fs.handleCounter] = newIndexFileHandle(fs.Idx, fs.Store)
+	return 0, fs.handleCounter
+}
+
+func (fs *IndexMountFS) Release(path string, fh uint64) int {
+	fs.mu.Lock()
+	defer fs.mu.Unlock()
+	_, ok := fs.handles[fh]
+	if !ok {
+		return -fuse.ENOSYS
+	}
+	delete(fs.handles, fh)
+	return 0
+}
+
+func (fs *IndexMountFS) Getattr(path string, stat *fuse.Stat_t, fh uint64) (errc int) {
+	switch path {
+	case "/":
+		stat.Mode = fuse.S_IFDIR | 0555
+		return 0
+	case "/" + fs.FName:
+		stat.Mode = fuse.S_IFREG | 0444
+		stat.Size = fs.Idx.Length()
+		return 0
+	default:
+		return -fuse.ENOENT
+	}
+}
+
+func (fs *IndexMountFS) Read(path string, b []byte, offset int64, fh uint64) (n int) {
+	fs.mu.Lock()
+	f, ok := fs.handles[fh]
+	fs.mu.Unlock()
+	if !ok {
+		return 0 // apparently this means error??? The method has no dedicated error
+	}
+	n, err := f.read(b, offset)
+	if err != nil { // don't ignore the error
+		fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "error reading: %v", err)
+	}
+	return n
+}
+
+func (fs *IndexMountFS) Readdir(path string, fill func(name string, stat *fuse.Stat_t, ofst int64) bool, offset int64, fh uint64) (errc int) {
+	fill(".", nil, 0)
+	fill("..", nil, 0)
+	fill(fs.FName, nil, 0)
+	return 0
+}
+
+// indexFileHandle represents a (read-only) file handle on a blob in a FUSE mounted filesystem
+type indexFileHandle struct {
+	r *IndexPos
+
+	// perhaps not needed, but in case something is trying to use the same filehandle concurrently
+	mu sync.Mutex
+}
+
+// NewIndexMountFile initializes a blob file opened in a FUSE mount.
+func newIndexFileHandle(idx Index, s Store) *indexFileHandle {
+	return &indexFileHandle{
+		r: NewIndexReadSeeker(idx, s),
+	}
+}
+
+// read from a blob file in a FUSE mount.
+func (f *indexFileHandle) read(dest []byte, off int64) (int, error) {
+	f.mu.Lock()
+	defer f.mu.Unlock()
+	if _, err := f.r.Seek(off, io.SeekStart); err != nil {
+		fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, err)
+		return 0, err
+	}
+	n, err := f.r.Read(dest)
+	if err != nil && err != io.EOF {
+		fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, err)
+		return 0, err
+	}
+	return n, nil
+}
+
+// MountIndex mounts an index file under a FUSE mount point. The mount will only expose a single
+// blob file as represented by the index.
+func MountIndex(ctx context.Context, idx Index, path, name string, s Store, n int) error {
+	ifs := NewIndexMountFS(idx, name, s)
+	host := fuse.NewFileSystemHost(ifs)
+	host.Mount(path, nil)
+	return nil
+}