Recover Deleted Flat Vmdk File ((exclusive)) Jun 2026

If the data file ( -flat.vmdk ) is still present, follow these steps via the ESXi SSH shell : Difference between .vmdk and -flat.vmdk | VMware vSphere

A wave of relief washed over me, followed immediately by nausea. The tool could see the metadata, but the file system entry was gone. I couldn't just "right-click > restore." I had to carve the data out.

The VMware POST screen appeared. The white text scrolled. Loading VMware ESXi... recover deleted flat vmdk file

Two hours later, the command prompt returned. 2048000000000 bytes (2.0 TB) copied.

But then, the Windows Server logo spun up. The OS was loading. If the data file ( -flat

Many people think deleting a file in ESXi is game over because there is no "Recycle Bin." They are mostly right. But VMFS is a structured file system.

I initiated a backup of the recovered VM immediately. The VMware POST screen appeared

The cursor didn't move. It just sat there, blinking. Copying 2 TB of data block-by-block takes time. I watched the network throughput graph. It was steady. 80 MB/s. 90 MB/s.

The terminal screen flickered. Scanning VMFS volume header... Parsing metadata... Searching for deleted inodes...

(The number = sectors)

Choose based on where the deletion occurred.