Recover Deleted Vmware Virtual Machine Jun 2026

This is the most reliable way to recover a VM that has been fully deleted from the disk.

.vmdk descriptor is missing, you can manually recreate it to make the disk readable again. Reddit +3 Summary of VM File Types File Extension Role Importance for Recovery .vmx Configuration file Critical for registering the VM .vmdk Disk descriptor Tells VMware how to read the data -flat.vmdk Raw data disk Contains the actual OS and files .vmsd Snapshot metadata Useful for restoring specific states Would you like help recover deleted vmware virtual machine

Use the "Entire VM Restore" wizard to select a restore point and push the VM back to your datastore. This is the most reliable way to recover

on that same datastore if possible to prevent overwriting. on that same datastore if possible to prevent overwriting

If you have accidentally deleted a VMware virtual machine (VM), your recovery options depend heavily on whether you "Removed from Inventory" or "Deleted from Disk." 1. The Quick Fix: Removed from Inventory

VMware has no native "undelete" for VMs permanently deleted from disk. Recovery requires backups or third-party tools.