The need for VMDK recovery can arise from various situations:
VMFS6 introduced an capability for files deleted via the datastore browser (not guest OS).
If you only deleted the small descriptor file but the -flat.vmdk still exists in the datastore, you can recreate the descriptor using the vmkfstools command via SSH.
Avoid migrating new VMs to the datastore or creating new virtual disks until the recovery process is complete. 2. Manual Recovery: Rebuilding Descriptor Files vmware undelete vmdk
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If you have a robust backup strategy in place:
1.0 Last Updated: [Current Date] Applicability: VMware vSphere 6.7 / 7.0 / 8.0 The need for VMDK recovery can arise from
If you have snapshots of your VMs, you can use them to restore deleted or corrupted VMDK files:
When a file is truly deleted from the file system and no backup exists, you must use specialized recovery software. These tools scan the raw sectors of the VMFS volume to find the lost file headers. Accidentally deleted .vmdk, anyway to recover the files?
| Symptom | Likely Cause | Next Step | |---------|--------------|------------| | VMDK found but VM won’t power on | Corrupt descriptor or missing -flat.vmdk | Recreate descriptor with vmkfstools -J | | Recovered VMDK shows as 0 bytes | Wrong file recovered or overwritten | Scan again with deeper sector analysis | | VM sees old data only | Deleted VMDK was a snapshot delta | Consolidate snapshots first, then recover base disk | Accidentally deleted
| Scenario | Description | Recoverability | |----------|-------------|----------------| | | VMDK removed from VM but still present on datastore (orphaned) | High – reattach manually | | Datastore deletion | VMDK deleted via Datastore Browser (VMFS/NFS) | Moderate – depends on filesystem | | VM deletion with “Delete from disk” | Entire VM + VMDKs removed | Low to Moderate – needs file recovery tools | | Snapshot consolidation failure | Child VMDK lost after improper consolidation | Complex – may need snapshot repair tools |
If no trash exists and VMDK is not visible, use data recovery tools that understand VMFS: