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eliomartinezb
Contributor
Contributor

VMware Fusion 12 doesn't let my cleanup my VM

The message that I get is the following:

"Clean up can only be used to consolidate snapshots on this virtual machine. It does not apply to the virtual disks."

Screen Shot 2020-11-18 at 11.18.09.png

I don't have any snapshots about this VM. I consolidated all the Virtual disk files into one, wrongly I thought that was the issue.

I'm out of ideas about what the issue can be. Can any one help with this issue?

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13 Replies
JessieZhang
VMware Employee
VMware Employee

@eliomartinezb,

I don't quite understand your problem, could you please provide more details:

1) What are your steps? Do you mean the "Clean Up Virtual Machine" button on General Setting is disabled for your VM?

2) What is the OS installed in your VM?
According to https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-Fusion/12/com.vmware.fusion.using.doc/GUID-6BB29187-F47F-41D1-AD92... the "Clean Up Virtual Machine" feature works only for Windows VM

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JessieZhang
VMware Employee
VMware Employee

I guess your question is that why the "Clean Up Virtual Machine" button is disabled for your VM. According to https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-Fusion/12/com.vmware.fusion.using.doc/GUID-6BB29187-F47F-41D1-AD92..., the "Clean Up Virtual Machine" button can perform two functions:

1. For Windows VM, if you delete data inside the VM, then shut down the VM, the VM cannot release the disk space occupied by the deleted data. So you need to manually click the "Clean Up Virtual Machine" button to have the VM release that disk space. The "Clean Up Virtual Machine" button is always enabled for powered-off Windows VM

2. Fo all VM (Linux/Mac/Windows VM), if your previously executed snapshot operations on the VM causes any unconsolidated snapshot files left, clicking the "Clean Up Virtual Machine" button can consolidate these snapshot files. For Linux/Mac VM, if the unconsolidated snapshot files exists, the "Clean Up Virtual Machine" button will be enabled, if the unconsolidated snapshot files do NOT exist, the button will be disabled.


From the above, you can see that the status of the "Clean Up Virtual Machine" button depends on the Guest OS type and existence of unconsolidated snapshot files. For your case, I guess your VM is not a Windows VM and there is no unconsolidated snapshot files in you VM bundle, so the "Clean Up Virtual Machine" button is disabled

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sndbbbl
Contributor
Contributor

I also have a similar problem.

 

Running VMWare Fusion 12.1.0

Guest OS: Windows 10

my VM harddisk is much larger than the space occupied.

I want to downsize the VM Harddisk.

There is no CLEAN UP VIRTUAL MACHINE button (or arrow) I can click. Also, there is no BAR with colors showing me how much disk space is used and how much is reclaimable....

Any suggestion how to proceed is appreciated.

 

Thank you,

JPC

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ColoradoMarmot
Champion
Champion

Shut down the VM

On the general tab in preferences, it should show the bar and you can cleanup from there.

Other things that take space are snapshots, especially autoprotect.

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sndbbbl
Contributor
Contributor

In the WIndows 10 of VM, the harddisk has a size of over 300GB. But in the GET INFO of the VM, the VM only has 130GB.

 

I seem to be unable to reduce ths size of the VM.

 

 

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ColoradoMarmot
Champion
Champion

The VM takes up 130 GB on your mac, but was configured with a 300GB sparse virtual disk.  That means that the guest OS will see a 300GB drive, but the host will only have space used based on the actual disk consumption in the guest.

 

So what do you mean reduce the size of the VM?

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sndbbbl
Contributor
Contributor

@ColoradoMarmot 

Thank you for your reply.

  1. My VMWARE shows it has total size of 180 MB
  2. Used are 126.5 GB
  3. There is additional Unallocated Space of 322.54 GB
  4. The WMWARE Bundle on the MAC side uses 337.19 GB

 

How can I reduce the size the VMWARE Bundle uses up on my Host computer, the MacOS side?

THank you,

JPC

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wila
Immortal
Immortal

Hi,

In Windows you have 322GB of unallocated disk space.
VMware Fusion can only reclaim space for allocated disk space and only for NTFS based file systems.
So in order to be able to reclaim space you have to claim the space first within your Windows guest OS.
IOW extend the C disk (or assign a D drive to it if that is what you prefer)

More details about the cleanup feature is here:
https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-Fusion/12/com.vmware.fusion.using.doc/GUID-6BB29187-F47F-41D1-AD92...

--
Wil

| Author of Vimalin. The virtual machine Backup app for VMware Fusion, VMware Workstation and Player |
| More info at vimalin.com | Twitter @wilva
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sndbbbl
Contributor
Contributor

Thank you, The ACTUAL size on the HOST is now reduced to the size of  actual used space in the GUEST.

 

Is there a way to reduce the size of the VIRTUAL SPARCE BUNDLE? The size the virtual disk "reserves" for the VMWARE machine in case it grows?

 

Thank you,

JPC

 

 

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ColoradoMarmot
Champion
Champion

If the disk is preallocated, you can change it to a sparse disk - check the VM settings/disk/advanced panel.  That's the only way it reserves space.

If you have snapshots enabled, you can delete them from the snapshot manager

 

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sndbbbl
Contributor
Contributor

Thank you @ColoradoMarmot 

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wila
Immortal
Immortal

Hi,


@sndbbbl wrote:

Is there a way to reduce the size of the VIRTUAL SPARCE BUNDLE? The size the virtual disk "reserves" for the VMWARE machine in case it grows?


Not very easily.
Once you have set the size of the virtual disk you can only make it larger, not smaller.
This is a common problem in virtualisation products as making it smaller also means that the partition(s) inside the guest have to shrink as well. There's a risk of potential dataloss there. As such it isn't really offered.

There's a way to do this and that is by using vCenter Standalone Converter where you basically clone the VM to a new copy but with a smaller disk. It isn't the most straightforward process though for non technical users.

--
Wil

| Author of Vimalin. The virtual machine Backup app for VMware Fusion, VMware Workstation and Player |
| More info at vimalin.com | Twitter @wilva
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sndbbbl
Contributor
Contributor

Thank you @wila,

What you write makes sense.

 

With the help of @ColoradoMarmot the problem is solved.

 

Appreciate it! Greetings!

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