Share this article
Improve this guide
How to clone virtual machines in VMware
3 min. read
Updated onAugust 5, 2024
updated onAugust 5, 2024
Share this article
Improve this guide
Read our disclosure page to find out how can you help Windows Report sustain the editorial teamRead more
Virtual machinesare emulations of computer systems. They can play the role of physical computers. So, you can use multipleoperating systemson the same physical machine.
Cloning virtual machines allows users to test certain computer architectures in a safe environment. At the very worst, you can break a cloneoperating system, but not the original one.
So, with avirtual machine, you have an entirely new computer available on your physical machine. Thevirtual machinebehaves like a real computer, with virtual hardware devices.
However, cloningvirtual machinesis not as easy as might seem. Today we will show you how to do this operation in VMware.
Create clone virtual machines in a few easy steps
First and foremost, you can’t clone avirtual machineif you’re connected directly to an EXSi host. So, to clone avirtual machine, you should connect to vCenter Server.
Then, you must follow the steps below.
It is worth mentioning that you can choose a live option (when thevirtual machineis powered on) for the VMware VirtualCenter 2.5 and later versions.
So, if you have an older version, it is recommended to update VirtualCenter to made this option available.
What to do if VMware is not booting? Check out this guide to solve the problem in no time!
Conclusion
Before you power on the virtual machine clone, you should know some important aspects.
The clones have a new UUID (Universally Unique IDentifier).
Also, the newvirtual machinesget newMAC addressesif they have virtual network adapters. So, some software can be affected by this change.
However, the clone might share IP addresses and computer names with the originaloperating systems. We also have a great guidebest settings for VMware running Windows 10, so don’t miss it.
Did our article help you clone avirtual machinein VMware? Do let us know in the comments section below!
More about the topics:Oracle,virtual machine,vmware
Milan Stanojevic
Windows Toubleshooting Expert
Milan has been enthusiastic about technology ever since his childhood days, and this led him to take interest in all PC-related technologies. He’s a PC enthusiast and he spends most of his time learning about computers and technology.
Before joining WindowsReport, he worked as a front-end web developer. Now, he’s one of the Troubleshooting experts in our worldwide team, specializing in Windows errors & software issues.
User forum
0 messages
Sort by:LatestOldestMost Votes
Comment*
Name*
Email*
Commenting as.Not you?
Save information for future comments
Comment
Δ
Milan Stanojevic
Windows Toubleshooting Expert
Before joining WindowsReport, he worked as a front-end web developer. Now, he’s specialized in Windows errors & software issues.
