How to import a Hyper-V virtual machine (2023)

One of the many benefits of virtualization is the ability to easily move an entire operating environment from one location to another, such as during the Hyper-V virtual machine import process. Hyper-V includes several mechanisms for this portability. As mentioned, one of them is the export/import system, which creates an offline copy of a virtual machine. In 2008 R2 and earlier versions of Hyper-V, the import system was quite vulnerable. It has been drastically improved in Server 2012. Some functionality has been lost from 2012 R2, but the process is nearly foolproof. The same process can still be found today in the current version of Hyper-V, on Windows Server 2022.

Import a Hyper-V Virtual Machine

First, you need a Hyper-V source virtual machine. Windows Server 2012 lets you import a virtual machine that wasn't exported first. However, it's worth noting, per Microsoft's latest guidance,Exporting and Importing Virtual Machines | Microsoft documents, it is recommended to first export the Hyper-V virtual machine from the source Hyper-V environment using the export process before importing it. This guide has been updated for Windows Server 2022 and also covers previous versions. The Hyper-V VM export process creates all the necessary files, for example, B. Hyper-V VMCX import file, which contains the virtual machine configuration information. Microsoft's guide mentions that you don't need to export if you're importing to the same Hyper-V host. In most situations, you'll want to do the proper export first. For a basic Hyper-V virtual machine import, perform the following steps for Hyper-V Manager virtual machine import:

1. In Hyper-V Manager, in the left pane, select (highlight) the host that will own the imported virtual machine.

   

   select host

2. Right click on the host and selectimport virtual machine🇧🇷 Alternatively, you can find the same entry onBehaviorRightmost area:

   

   import menu option

3. Whatimport virtual machineThe wizard will appear. The first screen is informational only. clicknext.
4. You will be presented with thebrowse folderThe page where you enter or find the location of the virtual machine files. This screen can be very confusing. To keep it as simple as possible, note that the wizard looks for an .xml file that describes a virtual machine. The specified folder is searched. If the specified folder is avirtual machinesSubfolder, look there too. After selecting a font, clicknext.

   

   import source folder

   (Video) How to import a virtual machine in Hyper V Manager

5. What happens on the next screen depends on whether or not an importable virtual machine is detected in the target location.
   1. If a suitable virtual machine is found, its name will appear and can be selected. When you see the virtual machine you want to import, highlight it and click on itnext.

      

      Virtual machine to import

      See Also

      How to manage Hyper-V security permissions | technological goal

   2. If no suitable virtual machine is found, you will get a somewhat misleading error message statingCould not find folder <folder name> Virtual Machines. You may not have permission to access it.In this case, the named folder doesn't actually exist, but it isn't the folder I specified either. I just told him to look at C:\Exports. If you didn't find an XML file there, did you try to find onevirtual machinessubfolders. Not finding that either, generated the error. What makes it even more confusing is that even though the folder exists, you get the same message when the only problem is that no suitable XML was found.

      

      No VM source folder found

6. If you found a suitable virtual machine in step 5, it will now showChoose import typeScreen. The "Import Types" discussion section that follows these steps describes what the options mean. Make your selection and clicknext.

   

   import type

7. If you chose one of the twoTo restoreoCopyIn step 6, the next screen will ask where you want to place each virtual machine component. If you do nothing on this screen, the files will be saved to the host's default location. Make your selection and clicknext.

   

   (Video) How to import a Hyper V virtual machine in Windows 10

   import destinations

8. also for themTo restoreoCopyOptions In step 6, you will be asked where to place the virtual disks. They will all be placed in the folder you choose here, but you can use [Live] Storage Migration to make adjustments later.

   

   Import destination virtual disk locations

9. The final screen is a summary that allows you to review your options. Click Back to make adjustments or Finish to start the process. If you choose the Restore option, the import will be almost instantaneous. Otherwise, you will have to wait while the files are copied to the destination. Once this is complete, the virtual machine will appear in Hyper-V Manager on the host you originally selected. Note that the process of importing a virtual machine into Hyper-V Server is the same as importing it into Windows Server with the Hyper-V role installed.

Notes on Importing Hyper-V

The import process is fairly easy when everything is in order, but there are a few issues.

• The native import process in 2012 R2 only works with virtual machines created or running in 2012 or 2012 R2. The 2012 import process is the most versatile, accepting virtual machines from 2008 through 2012 R2. It didn't explain why Microsoft disabled the import process in newer versions. If you want to import a pre-2012 virtual machine, you must use a 2012 host.
• export and importthey canIt can be used as a backup, but it lacks functionality compared to real backup apps. When used for backup, it is best applied to virtual machines that only need a single backup instance. An example would be a software firewall implementation that is more or less stationary.
• In 2008 R2 and earlier, the import process required an EXP file created by the export process only. The EXP file is no longer used and the "Export" operation is primarily a copy of the file.
• Satisfiedvirtual machine filesthey are not changed except to reflect required localization or VMID changes. If this is not handled correctly, it can lead to the same problems faced by cloned operating systems.
• As indicated in the steps, all virtual disks of the imported virtual machine are placed in the same location. If you have issues with your storage space that could cause problems, you have two options:
  • Place all virtual disks in the largest available space. When the import is complete, use [live] storage migration to move the files as needed.
  • If the export and import are on the same system, you can take one or more disks offline before exporting the original. The import process will not recognize them. After importing the virtual machine, reconnect the disks.
• In 2012 R2 and earlier, your credentials only control whether or not you can start the import. It is the Virtual Machine Management Service (VMMS.EXE) on the import host that performs the operation. noaccess deniededucateThe errors you get will be because of thisComputer scienceon the import host does not have the necessary permissions.

import types

In step 6 of the steps, you will be asked what type of import to perform. How you respond depends on the state of your source files and your goals.

Register the virtual machine locally (use existing unique ID)

With this option none of the source files are moved or modified in any way. A symbolic link is created in C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Hyper-V\Virtual Machines pointing to the real virtual machine XML file (this behavior changes in the Windows 10/2016 codebase - I don't know, how are your virtual machines are registered).

Direct registration is the preferred option when a virtual machine has been unregistered from the Hyper-V host in some way, for example B. if the symbolic link has been corrupted or destroyed by an antivirus application or a live migration procedure with failure. This is also the preferred option when manually copying files from a backup to the final destination. If you don't want to run the new virtual machine where the source files are located, choose another option. Choose local restore if:

• Source files need not remain unchanged.
• The imported virtual machine is the only active copy of that particular virtual machine.
• The source location is suitable for running a virtual machine on the specified host.

Hyper-V and many applications that are aware of Hyper-V virtual machines (such as the Altaro Backup for Hyper-V product) track virtual machines by their ID. As specified in the option text, in-place registration does not change this ID.

Recover virtual machine (use existing unique ID)

The main difference between this option and the Register Virtual Machine Locally option is that all files are copied from the specified source location to the specified destination location. Hyper-V runs the imported virtual machine from this destination folder. In an abstract sense, the VMMS needs permissions to copyonethat location for the import to work, so this feature is a positive sign that you will likely be able to load a virtual machine from that location as well. Specifically, this is not a guarantee. Be sure to check permissions.

Restore is an ideal option when importing from a manual backup location that stores copies of virtual machines in their working format (most backup software does not store backup copies of virtual machines this way). Choose recovery if:

• You want to keep the source files unchanged.
• The imported virtual machine is the only active copy of that particular virtual machine.
• The source location is not suitable for running a virtual machine (for example, a NAS that only supports SMB 2 protocol).

The note at the end of the Direct Registration section about the VM ID applies to recovery.

Copy the virtual machine (create a new unique ID)

The third option makes the most changes. Copies the files from the source to the specified destination, but also modifies the XML file and virtual machine files and folders to use a new VMID. Much of what was said in the Restore section applies to the new target.

Copying the virtual machine is a good decision if you really need to duplicate the virtual machine. The ID changes, so ID-aware applications like Altaro Backup for Hyper-V see it as a completely new virtual machine. Use the Copy option when any of the following conditions are true:

• You want to keep the source files unchanged.
• You want the virtual machine to co-exist with the virtual machine it was copied from.
• You want any software outside or inside the virtual machine to treat the copy as a new instance of the operating system.

Applications within the copy, including Windows Server, can detect that a change has occurred. It is treated as a hardware change, similar to restoring to a new computer. What doesn't happen is a change in guest operating system identifiers. Windows SID is not changed and computer names are not changed. IP addresses are preserved. SSL certificates are not modified. While copying a virtual machine is certainly a powerful tool, consider using generalization tools likesystem preparationbefore export.

To involve

make oneThe Hyper-V virtual machine import process has many options and several considerations to make. In the process of importing Hyper-V virtual machines, it is good practice to correctly export the virtual machine from the source Hyper-V environment before importing the VM to the target Hyper-V environment.

There are three types of Hyper-V import to import virtual machines, including: register in place, restore virtual machine and copy virtual machine. The three types of Hyper-V import virtual machines have different characteristics as mentioned above that IT administrators should be aware of during the process of importing Hyper-V virtual machines.

Importing other types of media, such as B. VMware VMDK files, requires using a third-party tool or something like System Center Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) to perform the disk conversion process. However, IT administrators have several options for the Hyper-V virtual machine import process that allow them to migrate virtual machines from one Hyper-V environment to another.