How to Export and Import Virtual Machine in HYPER-V

Exporting a Virtual Machine is a great way to keep it as backup, move your Virtual Machine in another HYPER-V Server or Client HYPER-V OR archive a Virtual Machine that you want to deleted from your HYPER-V. It's a simple process and you don't need any third part tool. After the response from readers of previous Articles Create Virtual Machine in Windows 8.1 with HYPER-V today i will explain how can Export a Virtul Machine from HYPER-V .

Before proceed to export the new Virtual Machine which create previous week recommended to have an External Hard Disk to keep it.

Let's Start.

Open HYPER-V Manager

• Right Click in Start Button and select Search.

• Type hyperv and wait seconds to get the results. Except if you already pin to Taskbar the HYPER-V Manager.
• Select HYPER-V Manager to open it.

Export Virtual Machine from HYPER-V Manager

Let's assume that you have a Virtual Machine that you want to move it in another HYPER-V Manager or after a fresh installation you want to keep it as the Default installation of your Virual Machines. So every time that you want to create a new Virtual Machine you can import the Virtual Machine that you have export instead to do a new installation of OS.

• Select the Virtual Machine that you need  to export.
• Right click in the Virtual Machine and Select Export.

• Click Browse to select the path that you want to export the Virtual Machine.

• Find the path and click Select Folder. For the example i have create a folder in my second partition of the Disk as ExportVM. 

• Click Start to Proceed with the Export.

• Check that export already start from the progress % in HYPER-V Manager.

• The most import is that you can work the same time that the Virtual Machine exporting. 
• Depend the Size of the Virtual Machine need specific time to finish.
• When finish open the folder tha you have save the Virtual Machine.
  You must see a new folder with the name of Virtual Machine and 3 subfolders
  Snapshot, Virtual Disk and Virtual Machine

That's it. The Virtual machine exported and you can keep it as backup or for any other reason that you need.

Import a Virtual Machine in HYPER-V

For the requirements of this article i have delete the Virtual Machine which exported to import again.

• First of all copy the folder which has export the Virtual Machine in the path that has all the active Virtual Machines.
• If you don't know where is it you can find it from HYPER-V Settings.
  From the right side of HYPER-V Manager click on Hyper-V Settings.

From the left side click on Virtual Machines and you can see the default path of Virtual Machines.

• When finish the copy of the folder select Import Virtual Machine from the right side of HYPER-V Manager.

• Click Next in the first Screen.

• Click Browse to find the folder with the exported Virtual Machine. (Already copy in the default path which store the virtual machines).
• Find the appropriate folder and click Next.

• Select the Virtual Machine to input. You can see the name of the Virtual Machine. Just click Next.

• Select Copy the Virtual Machine(create new unique ID). I will not explain the other options now.

• In this step don't change anything and click Next except if you have change the default paths which store HYPER-V the virtual machines.

• Select the path to store the virtual Hard disk. But we don't need to change anything. Click Next. Except if you have change the default paths of HYPER-V. 

• This is the last step with a summary.Click Finish.

• Now will start the process to import the new Virtual Machine. Depend the size of your Virtual Machine will need the appropriate time to complete.

• When the process complete you will see in your HYPER-V Manager the new Virtual Machine.
• Click on it and start the Virtual Machine to verify that start without problems.

Export and Import of Virtual Machine finish. It's a great tool to use it as i said before start for backup,arcive or move your Virtual Machines.

I hope to find intresting and usefull the articles.

Do you have ever request to Export a Virtual Machine? Tell us your opinion through our comments.