VMWare Snapshot Tips

Suspend the VM

Before taking snapshots, suspend the VM to save space and time. Here are the steps to suspend a VM and take a snapshot in VMware Workstation Pro:

Suspend a VM

1. Open VMware Workstation Pro.
2. Select the virtual machine you want to suspend.
3. Go to the VM menu.
4. Click Suspend.

Take a Snapshot

1. Open VMware Workstation Pro.
2. Select the virtual machine you want to snapshot.
3. Go to the VM menu.
4. Click Snapshot and then Take Snapshot.
5. Enter a name and description for the snapshot.
6. (Optional) Select the Snapshot the virtual machine’s memory checkbox to capture the VM’s memory state.
7. Click OK to create the snapshot12.

Defrag & Compact the Disk

After taking a snapshot, power off the VM to allow for disk defrag and compacting. Here are the steps to defragment and compact a disk in VMware Workstation Pro:

Defragmenting the Disk

1. Power off the virtual machine.
2. Open VMware Workstation Pro.
3. Select the virtual machine you want to defragment.
4. Go to VM > Settings.
5. Click the Hardware tab.
6. Select the virtual hard disk.
7. Click Defragment from the Utilities menu1.

Compacting the Disk

1. Defragment the disk from within the guest operating system (e.g., using Windows’ built-in defragmentation tool).
2. Shrink the virtual disk using VMware Tools:
   • Open the VMware Tools control panel in the guest OS.
   • Go to the Shrink tab and follow the prompts to shrink the disk.
3. Clean up the virtual disk from the host OS using VMware Workstation’s built-in utility:
   • Go to VM > Settings.
   • Click the Hardware tab.
   • Select the virtual hard disk.
   • Click Compact from the Utilities menu2.

These steps should help optimize your virtual machine’s performance and reclaim unused space.

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