Lost File Recovery

VMware Data Recovery Full Guide 2025

Sticky 08.09.2025 Comments Off on VMware Data Recovery Full Guide 2025
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Losing critical data within your VMware virtual machines can bring operations to a halt, leading to downtime and potential financial loss. This comprehensive guide will walk you through everything you need to know about VMware data recovery. We’ll explore what it is, the various methods to perform it—from using native snapshots to leveraging powerful VMware data recovery software and recommend the best tools to ensure your Windows virtual machines can be restored quickly and effectively. Whether you’re an IT administrator or a business user, this guide will equip you with the knowledge to tackle data loss in your virtual environment.
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Supports Windows 7/8/10/11 and Windows Server

PAGE CONTENT:

What is VMware Data Recovery?

VMware Data Recovery is a process and set of tools designed to help users restore virtual machines to a state before data loss occurred or to retrieve deleted or lost data from within a virtual machine system. Whether due to accidental deletion, corruption, system crashes, or malware attacks, VMware data recovery solutions ensure that critical information within VMware environments can be recovered efficiently. This is especially vital for businesses relying on virtual infrastructures for daily operations, as it minimizes downtime and data loss risks.

VMware offers built-in features like snapshots and backups, but sometimes specialized VMware data recovery software is necessary to handle more complex data loss scenarios, such as severe corruption or incomplete backups.

How to Do VMware Data Recovery?

There are several methods to perform VMware data recovery, depending on the available resources and the nature of the data loss.

Recover from a VMware Snapshot

VMware snapshots capture the state of a virtual machine at a specific point in time. If data is lost or corrupted, you can revert the VM to a previous snapshot to restore its earlier state.

Steps:

1. Open VMware vSphere Client or Workstation.

2. Locate the virtual machine and view its snapshot manager.

3. Select the desired snapshot and choose “Revert to Snapshot.”

4. Confirm the action to restore the VM to the snapshot state.

Restore from a VMware Backup Image

If you use VMware backup software (like Veeam, VMware Data Protection, or Commvault), you can restore entire VMs or individual files from backup images.

Steps:

1. Access your backup solution’s management console.

2. Locate the backup image of the target VM.

3. Initiate a restore operation, selecting either full VM recovery or file-level recovery.

4. Follow the prompts to complete the restoration process.

Recover Deleted/Lost Data from a Running VMware Virtual Machine

For cases where only specific files are missing, you can use VMware data recovery software to scan and recover data directly from the virtual disk without restoring the entire virtual machine.

Steps:

1. Install and run a dedicated data recovery tool compatible with VMware virtual disks (e.g., Magic Data Recovery for Windows).

2. Select the virtual disk file (e.g., .vmdk) or attach the virtual machine to the recovery software.

3. Scan for lost or deleted files, preview recoverable items, and restore them to a secure location.

The Best VMware Data Recovery Software for Windows Virtual Machine

When built-in methods are insufficient, third-party VMware data recovery software offers advanced capabilities to address challenging data loss scenarios. Here, we recommend Magic Data Recovery—a powerful data recovery tool designed for Windows-based machines. You can follow the steps below to perform data recovery on a Windows Virtual Machine:
1. Download and install Magic Data Recovery on your Windows Virtual Machine.
Download Magic Data Recovery

Supports Windows 7/8/10/11 and Windows Server

2. Select the partition where you lost data, then click the Search for Lost Data button to scan for missing files.
Connect the initialized SD card to PC before running the SD card recovery program
3. After the scan is complete, all your files will be listed. You can preview each file to verify if it is the one you lost.
Previewing recovered files with the SD card recovery program
4. Finally, click the Recover button to save the recovered files to a secure location.
Save recovered files using the SD card recovery program

Conclusion

VMware data recovery is essential for maintaining data integrity and minimizing downtime in virtualized environments. Whether using native snapshot/backup features or third-party VMware data recovery software, users have multiple options to retrieve lost or deleted data. For the best results, regularly update snapshots and backups, and consider investing in specialized recovery tools for complex scenarios. In 2025, leveraging these methods ensures that your VMware virtual machines remain protected and recoverable.
Download Magic Data Recovery

Supports Windows 7/8/10/11 and Windows Server

People also like to read: How to Recover Files Quickly

FAQ

1. Can I recover data from a corrupted VMware virtual machine?

Yes, you can recover data from a corrupted VMware VM using VMware data recovery software. Tools like Magic Data Recovery can scan and extract data from damaged .vmdk files without needing a fully functional VM.

2. Is it possible to recover individual files from a VMware snapshot?

Yes, if you have a snapshot available, you can revert the VM to that snapshot to restore the entire system state, including individual files. Alternatively, some backup solutions allow file-level recovery from snapshots without a full revert.

3. What is the difference between VMware snapshot recovery and backup recovery?

A snapshot recovery reverts the VM to a previous state captured by VMware, but snapshots are typically stored locally and may be affected by VM corruption. Backup recovery uses externally stored backup images, offering better protection against hardware failures or widespread data loss.

Erin Smith is recognized as one of the most professional writers at Amagicsoft. She has continually honed her writing skills over the past 10 years and helped millions of readers solve their tech problems.

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