Recovering a deleted VMDK file from an ESXi datastore is a high-stakes race against the file system's "unmap" (TRIM) operations and new data writes. When a file is deleted in VMFS (VMware File System), the metadata pointers are removed, but the actual data blocks often remain until overwritten. Phase 1: Immediate Emergency Lockdown
to prevent background system tasks (like logs or swap files) from overwriting the "free" space where your VMDK lived. recover deleted vmdk esxi
The actual heavy-duty data file (GB/TB). Scenario A: Only the Descriptor is missing Recovering a deleted VMDK file from an ESXi
If using an SSD-based SAN, disable immediately to stop the storage array from physically erasing the deleted blocks. Phase 2: Scenario Analysis The actual heavy-duty data file (GB/TB)
If a VMDK has been deleted, on that datastore immediately. The ESXi VMFS file system marks the space as available once a file is deleted; continuing to run VMs will lead to new data overwriting the deleted VMDK, making it permanently unrecoverable. 2. Check for Simple Re-Registration
If you see a large -flat.vmdk file but the companion .vmdk descriptor is missing, the VM will not boot. You can recreate it without losing data: