Esxi Download Vmdk From Datastore [2021] Jun 2026

On Alex’s Windows laptop, they opened Windows Terminal (or PowerShell). The command was simple:

The download started immediately at wire speed (1 Gbps). The progress bar ticked steadily: Corp-ERP-flat.vmdk 12% | 24 GB | 3.2 MB/s . This was reliable and resumable.

This is the most common method for manual, one-off downloads. esxi download vmdk from datastore

: Log in to your VMware Host Client or vCenter and go to the Storage tab.

: Right-click the .vmdk file and select Download . On Alex’s Windows laptop, they opened Windows Terminal

: Select your datastore and click Datastore Browser (or "Browse Datastore").

: If the browser only downloads a small 1KB file, it has only grabbed the descriptor. You may need to manually select and download the corresponding -flat.vmdk file if it is visible, or use the Export function instead. Method 2: Exporting as OVF (Recommended) This was reliable and resumable

While the file transferred, Alex noticed a confusing detail. The original VM had a thin-provisioned 200 GB disk, but the -flat.vmdk file was showing as exactly 200 GB in the browser.

Downloading a VMDK (Virtual Machine Disk) from a VMware ESXi datastore is a common task for backups, local testing, or migrations. While the web browser is the most accessible method, technical nuances—like the distinction between descriptor and data files—can lead to incomplete downloads if not handled correctly.