A virtual machine snapshot captures the complete state of the VM at the moment that you take the snapshot.
This includes what’s in its memory (if the VM is running), its settings, and the contents of all its virtual hard drives. When you revert back to a snapshot, the virtual machine returns to exactly how it was when that snapshot was taken.
On your home computer, taking a snapshot of your virtual machine just before you make any major changes, install software or do anything that might bring the VM crashing down can save you a lot of time re-installing.
In this guide I’ll show you how to take snapshots in VMware Workstation Pro.
Taking Snapshot In Workstation Pro
In Workstation Pro you can take a snapshot of a virtual machine when it is powered off, running or suspended
However it’s quicker to take the snapshot with the VM powered off and there’s less chance of anything going wrong.
So if you know that you’re going to need a snapshot, do it before starting the VM.
To take a snapshot of a virtual machine, open VMware Workstation Pro and select the VM you want to use.
Click the Take a Snapshot icon on the toolbar.
The new snapshot window will open. By default the name will be Snapshot 1 (assuming this is your first snapshot), but you can change that to anything that you like.
You can also add a description of what it is that you’re about to do.
A description isn’t a requirement, but can help you to identify what exactly you were doing at the time.
Click the Take Snapshot button.
Snapshots On A Running VM.
Ideally you’ll take a snapshot on your virtual machine while it’s powered off. But you can take them while the VM is running.
The snapshot will take longer to create, and you do need to make sure that the virtual machine isn’t communicating with another computer/server (Windows updates for example).
Reverting Back To A Snapshot
Once you’ve competed the task you were running on your virtual machine, whether it was successful or not, you’ll want to revert back to the snapshot that you created earlier.
To restore your virtual machine back to a snapshot, click the Revert to Previous Snapshot icon.
The VM will revert to the state that it was in when the snapshot was taken.
Workstation Pro Snapshot Manager
You can create several snapshots as you work on your virtual machine. This is known as daisy chaining snapshots.
To see all the snapshots for the VM, click the Snapshot Manager icon.
Using the Manager you can jump backwards to any previous snapshot by selecting it and then clicking the Go To button.
Delete Snapshots
Workstation Pro snapshots take up a lot of disk space. The file created can be as large as the file for the virtual machine itself.
So although you can technically continue to create snapshots (I believe it’s up to 100 on a local machine), it really isn’t a great idea. Delete them after you’ve finished with them.
Open the Snapshot Manager and select the latest snapshot, then click the Delete button. Continue deleting the snapshots until they’re all gone.
Virtual Machine Backups
In Workstation Pro, snapshots aren’t a replacement for proper backups of your virtual machines. They’re meant to be used as a temporary backup.
They save the current state of the VM, so that you can proceed with whatever you’re doing and then quickly revert back when you’ve finished. Backup Workstation Pro Virtual Machines.
Summary.
If you’re running a virtual machine on your home PC, then snapshots can save you a lot of time and effort. If your changes don’t go as planned, you can easily go back to a previous state when the machine was working. It even works if the VM crashes and won’t boot up at all.
