Fio was originally written to save me the hassle of writing special test case programs when I wanted to test a specific workload, either for performance reasons or to find/reproduce a bug. The process of writing such a test app can be tiresome, especially if you have to do it often. Hence I needed a tool that would be able to simulate a given I/O workload without resorting to writing a tailored test case again and again.
A test work load is difficult to define, though. There can be any number of processes or threads involved, and they can each be using their own way of generating I/O. You could have someone dirtying large amounts of memory in a memory mapped file, or maybe several threads issuing reads using asynchronous I/O. fio needed to be flexible enough to simulate both of these cases, and many more.
Fio spawns a number of threads or processes doing a particular type of I/O action as specified by the user. fio takes a number of global parameters, each inherited by the thread unless otherwise parameters given to them overriding that setting is given. The typical use of fio is to write a job file matching the I/O load one wants to simulate.
Publisher’s description
What is fio?
fio by Fio is open-source Windows software. It is written in C.
Installation and requirements
The publisher provides MSI installers for 64-bit and 32-bit Windows. Installation asks for administrator rights. A silent install is possible with the installer’s documented switches. An MSI package is available for deployment with Group Policy, Intune or Configuration Manager.
Updates and version history
The current version is 3.43, released on September 23, 2026. The version history goes back to June 11, 2023: 9 releases, all linked to the official files. That is about 2.7 releases a year.
Popularity and file types
The Chocolatey package has been downloaded 58,189 times. The source code on GitHub (axboe/fio) has 6,401 stars.
Project description on GitHub: “Flexible I/O Tester”
Pros / Cons
Pros
- Open source: the code can be inspected and built by anyone
- MSI package for managed deployment
- Documented silent install
- Updated in the last two months
- Large user base
Cons
- No native ARM64 build
- Installation needs administrator rights
In short: fio is an open-source Windows tool for 64-bit and 32-bit PCs. Administrators can deploy it unattended.
Is fio safe to download?
- The file is served by github.com, the publisher’s own domain
- The download link uses HTTPS
- A SHA256 hash is published, so you can verify the file:
8299E6E6FBC024D3B74AA1CE62FB94EF6960B45629FBFA678B720834B6EB34AA· Open the VirusTotal report for this hash - The link has not been checked yet
- The source code is public
- ExeAtlas does not host, wrap or modify installers
Related guide: How to check a file’s SHA256 hash on Windows
Security practices (OpenSSF Scorecard)
Automated checks of the axboe/fio repository on GitHub by the Open Source Security Foundation, last run on October 19, 2026.
- No dangerous workflows10
- Actively maintained10
- No binaries in the repository10
- Licence declared10
- Fuzzing10
- Code review6
- Restricted token permissions0
- OpenSSF Best Practices badge0
- Pinned dependencies0
- Security policy0
- Signed releases0
- Branch protection0
- Static code analysis0
The score rates how the project is developed and released, not whether the program is safe to install. scorecard.dev
Recent versions
All 9 versions ›9 versions over 3 years · about 2.7 a year
| Version | Date | Size | Files |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.43Latest | September 23, 2026 | — | 32-bit MSI64-bit MSI |
| 3.42 | April 7, 2026 | — | 64-bit MSI32-bit MSI |
| 3.41 | September 5, 2025 | — | 64-bit MSI32-bit MSI |
| 3.40 | May 20, 2025 | — | 32-bit MSI64-bit MSI |
| 3.39 | February 18, 2025 | — | 64-bit MSI32-bit MSI |
| 3.38 | October 2, 2024 | — | 32-bit MSI64-bit MSI |
| 3.37 | October 20, 2023 | — | 32-bit MSI64-bit MSI |
| 3.36 | October 20, 2023 | — | 32-bit MSI64-bit MSI |
Install from the command line
Silent install ›winget install --id fio.fio -echoco install fio -yscoop install main/fiomsiexec /i fio-3.43-x64.msi /qn /norestartmsiexec /x {07BBA0A0-BCAD-4CF3-9436-58E5A65B2ECC} /qn /norestartRelated guide: How to use winget: install and update apps
Also for other systems
brew install fioInformation
- Publisher
- Fio
- Licence
- GPL-2.0
- Price
- Free
- Source code
- github.com/axboe/fio
- Written in
- C
- Requires
- Windows 11 / 10
- Architecture
- 64-bit, 32-bit
- Installer
- MSI
- Version
- 3.43
- Released
- September 23, 2026
- Added to the catalogue
- June 11, 2023
- Versions listed
- 9
- Updates / year
- 2.7
- Chocolatey downloads
- 58,189
- GitHub stars
- 6,401
- GitHub forks
- 1,434
- Website
- github.com
- winget ID
- fio.fio
- Chocolatey package
- fio
- Scoop package
- main/fio
- MSI product code
- {07BBA0A0-BCAD-4CF3-9436-58E5A65B2ECC}
Ratings and reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to rate it.
Frequently asked questions
Is fio free?
Yes. fio is open-source software under the GPL-2.0 licence.
Is fio safe to download?
The download comes from github.com, which belongs to the publisher; ExeAtlas does not host or change the file. Compare its SHA256 hash with the one shown here, or open the VirusTotal report for that hash.
How do I install fio with winget?
Open PowerShell or Windows Terminal and run the winget command shown on this page. winget downloads the official installer and checks its SHA256 hash before running it.
Can fio be installed silently?
Yes. The silent install page lists the exact command for each installer, including msiexec for the MSI package.
Does fio run on ARM (Windows on Arm)?
There is no ARM64 build; Windows 11 on Arm can run the 64-bit and 32-bit version through emulation.
Where can I download an older version of fio?
The versions page lists all 9 versions with links to their official installer files, back to June 11, 2023.
