How to Increase Disk size in VMware vSphere

This page includes a tutorial on how to increase hard disk space (Windows & Linux) in VMware vSphere virtual machine. Additionally, guide you on how to backup and protect your VMware vSphere.

By @Dylan Last Updated October 23, 2024

VMware vSphere is a famous virtualization suite of VMware. It helps you to create and run multiple virtualized environments from one physical computer

When you first create a new virtual environment with VMware, you can assign some storage to the virtual machine, so it can properly boot and run the system and programs. But if you use it a lot, you will find the disk size is not enough very soon and want to increase disk size in vSphere.

Don't worry, you can keep on reading, we will walk you through how to add more space to your VMware disk with vSphere web client or Linux commands.

How to increase hard disk space in VMware vSphere

Before we get started, some preparations should not be overlooked.:✎...: Back up your VMware vSphere. Generally, it is safe to expand the disk on vSphere. In case any unforeseen issues arise during the process, it is necessary to have a backup. If you don’t know how to perform it, just turn to the backup tip, we provide an easy way to back up vSphere.; Remove your snapshots. We suggest you delete all existing snapshots associated with the virtual machine. They can complicate the process and lead to failure. If you don’t know how to perform it, refer to the next part.; Turn off your virtual machine. confirm that the virtual machine is shut down. Operating on a running machine during the resizing procedure is not advisable and can lead to errors or data corruption.

Method 1. Increase disk size in vSphere web client

There is a vSphere web client that helps users to manage their virtual machines, as well as adjust the disk size. Here are the detailed steps of how to increase hard disk space in a VMware virtual machine.

Step 1. Run VMware ESXi vSphere Client.

Step 2. Right-click on the virtual machine you want to extend. Choose Edit Settings. Here you can check the disk space.

Step 3. Choose the Virtual Hardware tab and click Hard disk. Now you can resize the disk. Input the desired size for the selected disk and execute.

The newly added storage is probably not used on the virtual machine immediately. You can open the guest machine and go to Disk Management. Then add the storage (be shown as allocated storage) to a volume.

Method 2. Expand vSphere disk with Linux command line

If you want to expand disk size in Linux VMs, we will explain how to extend the VMware disk with command line.

Step 1. Firstly, go to the directory of the virtual disk of your virtual machine.

The direct usually would be: cd /vmfs/volumes/datastore2/Ubuntu19/

Step 2. Then you can check the content and file size.

Is -al

Now you can see the virtual disk size listed in bytes.

Step 3. Run the following command to increase the disk size. Take an example, if I want to extend my disk to 30GB, the command would be:

Vmkfstools -X 30G Ubuntu.vmdk

Enter the disk size you want, and replace the Ubuntun.vmdk with your virtual disk name.

Step 4. After executing the command, you will see the Grow 100% done, which means the disk was increased successfully.

What to do VMware vSphere increase disk size greyed out or failed?

If you can’t increase the disk size or find the vSphere disk size greyed out, it can be because you have a snapshot associated with the virtual machine. Here are how to delete VMware snapshots.

Step 1. On the vSphere Web Client, right-click on the virtual machine you want to extend. Click Manage Snapshots.

Step 2. Click a snapshot, and the delete button to remove it.

Tip: How to backup VMware vSphere virtual machine

Usually, it is safe to resize VMware vSphere disk size. But you should have a backup to safeguard your virtual machine data. There is still have possibility of task failure leading to data loss, and causing serious loss.

For a simplified and reliable backup solution for VMware virtual machines, you can turn to AOMEI Cyber Backup, which is a rich-feature yet easy-to-use VMware backup software.

Main advantages of AOMEI Cyber Backup

• Smart automatic backup: Allows you to set up your backup schedule based on your need. You can backup your VMware daily, weekly, and monthly. • Agentless Backup: You don’t need to deploy agents on each machine. With its simple console, you can easily back up all virtual machines within a few clicks. • Instant recovery: It enables you to restore the entire VMware virtual machine to a usable state quickly, greatly reducing business downtime and possible financial loss. • Cross-platform recovery: A VMware backup can be restored to the original location. Meanwhile, it can be restored to a new host. • Backup while running: AOMEI Cyber Backup supports hot backup enabling you to backup VMware data while running.

Now you can download and install it on a Windows or Linux computer. Then we illustrate to you how to safely backup your VMware vSphere.

Download Freeware

Secure Download

Step 1. Run AOMEI Cyber Backup web client. Choose "Source Device" > VMware > Add VMware Device to add your VMware vSphere. Then click Confirm.

Step 2. Click "Back Task" > "Create New Task". Specify a task name, type and other details based on your need. Then click "Start Backup".

Conclusion

It is easy to find that your disk size can’t meet your needs if you often use VMware virtual machines. This post will discuss how to increase disk size in vSphere. Hope it can help you. And don't forget to back up your VMware Vsphere before adjusting your VM disk with AOMEI Cyber Backup.

In addition, AOMEI Cyber Backup is a comprehensive backup software. It not only protects your virtual machine data, but also backup physical disk, Microsoft SQL database, and other data.