Vmdk Snapshot Recovery May 2026

vmkfstools -i "/vmfs/volumes/datastore1/your-vm/your-vm-000002-delta.vmdk" -d thin "/vmfs/volumes/datastore2/recovered.vmdk" This clones the current state into a fresh, flat VMDK. Attach it as a new disk to a temporary VM to extract data. If descriptor files are missing or the parent-child relationship is lost, you need vmdk-fuse or the VMware Disk Development Kit.

If that fails, use the method:

| Issue | Typical Cause | Risk Level | |-------|---------------|------------| | | Storage snapshot without VMware quiescence | Critical | | Chain inconsistency | Manually deleted descriptor files | High | | Disk space exhaustion | Delta grew to fill datastore (100% full) | Fatal | vmdk snapshot recovery

Published: April 14, 2026 | Reading time: 8 minutes 2026 | Reading time: 8 minutes