ovftool vi://your_username:your_password@your_vcenter_server/vmfs/volumes/your_datastore/your_vm_name your_local_vm_path
If you want to or clone it without snapshots, use the command line directly on ESXi.
:
Note : The web client often automatically bundles the descriptor and flat file together into a single download. Method 2: SFTP or SCP (Fastest for Large Files) VMDK downloading as a 470 byte file from ESXI 6.5 & 6.7
To download a virtual disk (VMDK) from a VMware datastore, you can use the , PowerCLI , or SCP/SFTP tools . For the most reliable results, you should always power off the virtual machine (VM) before attempting a download. Important Pre-Download Requirements vmware download vmdk from datastore
But the option isn’t always obvious. You won’t find a shiny “Download VMDK” button in most modern vSphere clients. So, how do you actually get that file onto your local machine?
Connect to your vCenter Server or ESXi host using the . Navigate to Storage and select the Datastores tab. For the most reliable results, you should always
scp root@esxi-ip:/vmfs/volumes/datastore1/MyVM/MyVM-flat.vmdk ~/Desktop/
: Ensure you have VMware PowerCLI installed on your machine. So, how do you actually get that file
Downloading a VMDK (Virtual Machine Disk) file from a VMware datastore is a common task for migration, backup, or data recovery. Depending on your environment—whether you are using the vSphere Client, a direct ESXi host connection, or third-party tools—there are several ways to accomplish this.
If you need the VMDK for migration or to use it in another environment (like VMware Workstation), exporting the entire VM as an OVF is often more reliable than a manual file copy.