VMware: Consolidate snapshot - how to do it

All VMware virtual machines let you create snapshots of the current operating state. If you have problems transferring created snapshots, it may help to consolidate them. We explain how to proceed correctly with consolidation in this article.

VMware: Consolidating snapshots is necessary in these cases

By creating snapshots, you save the current operating status of your virtual machine as well as all data currently stored on it. To create such a snapshot, right-click the inventory and click Create Snapshot. If problems occur with created snapshots, consolidation is necessary. This is usually the case when snapshots cannot be transferred due to communication problems or locked files.

How to consolidate a snapshot in a VMware virtual machine

If your virtual machine shows you that consolidation is required, you can perform it directly from the menu. However, before you start the consolidation, make absolutely sure that your virtual machine is connected to the power grid, as interruptions in the consolidation can lead to data corruption.

1. To start consolidating snapshots, right-click on your virtual machine and navigate to "Snapshot" > "Consolidate".
2. The consolidation of the snapshots is then started and the progress of the process is displayed.
3. Please note that the consolidation of the snapshots can take several hours and the performance of the virtual machine may be lower during this time.
4. Whether the snapshot consolidation has been completely performed can then be seen in the "Consolidation required" column. If this was successful, here is the value "No".