Compacting a virtual hard disk reclaims unused space in the virtual disk. If a disk has empty space, this process reduces the amount of space the virtual disk occupies on the host drive.

Prerequisites

  • Power off the virtual machine.

  • Verify that the virtual disk is not mapped or mounted. You cannot compact a virtual disk while it is mapped or mounted.

  • Verify that the disk space is not preallocated for the virtual hard disk. If the disk space was preallocated, you cannot compact the disk.

  • If the virtual hard disk is an independent disk, verify that it is in persistent mode.

Procedure

  1. Select the virtual machine and select VM > Settings.
  2. On the Hardware tab, select the virtual hard disk to compact.
  3. Select Utilities > Compact.
  4. Click OK after the disk compacting process is complete.