Learn how to export VM to VMDK in vSphere. Our VMware Support team is here to help you with your questions and concerns.

vSphere Export VM to VMDK | Guide

Did you know that when we export a VM to a Virtual Machine Disk file in VMware vSphere it includes creating a copy of the VM’s virtual disk in the VMDK format?

This comes in handy for tasks like creating backups, migrating VMs between hosts or data centers, or for archiving purposes.

Let’s take a look at how to export a VM to a VMDK file in vSphere in general.

Using vSphere Client

1. To begin with, we have to open the vSphere Client and log in to our vSphere environment.
2. Then, head to the inventory and locate the virtual machine we want to export.
3. Next, we can opt to shut down the VM before exporting to ensure data consistency. Alternativley, we can also choose to export the VM while it’s running.
4. Now, it is time to right-click on the VM and choose “Export” or “Export OVF Template” from the context menu.
5. At this point, we have to follow the wizard to choose export options. We have to mention the destination, format (VMDK), and other settings.
6. Next, we can review our selections and start the export process.
7. After that we can monitor the export progress via the progress bar.
8. After the export is complete, we will have a VMDK file or a set of VMDK files along with other files in the destination folder.

Using PowerCLI

If we prefer PowerCLI (PowerShell for VMware), we can use the Export-VApp cmdlet.

For example:

Connect-VIServer -Server our_vcenter_server $vm = Get-VM -Name "ourVMName" $destination = "C:\Path\To\Destination" Export-VApp -VM $vm -Destination $destination -Format VMDK


Here, we have to enter the values for our_vcenter_server, “ourVMName”, and the destination path accordingly.

Let us know if you need further help with the steps.

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Conclusion

At the end of the day, our Support Experts demonstrated how to export VM to VMDK in vSphere.