Recover Deleted Vmdk Esxi !full! Jun 2026

If you see a large -flat.vmdk file but the companion .vmdk descriptor is missing, the VM will not boot. You can recreate it without losing data:

Before technical recovery, use the to see if the file was simply moved or if a snapshot is still available: Log in to the vSphere Client. Navigate to Storage > [Your Datastore] > Files . recover deleted vmdk esxi

Use the vmkfstools -c [size] -a lsilogic -d thin temp.vmdk command to create a dummy disk of the exact same size. If you see a large -flat

If the data file itself was deleted, you must use specialized tools that can scan the raw VMFS volume. Recover deleted vmdk files? | VMware vSphere Use the vmkfstools -c [size] -a lsilogic -d thin temp

or place the datastore in Maintenance Mode.

Navigate to the VM folder: cd /vmfs/volumes/DATASTORE_NAME/VM_NAME/ .

If you've accidentally deleted a VMDK (Virtual Machine Disk) file in ESXi, don't panic. There are ways to recover it. Here's a step-by-step guide: