Upload Files or Folders to Datastores

Use the datastore file browser to upload files to datastores on the ESXi host. If you use the vSphere Client, you can also upload folders.

In addition to their traditional use as storage for virtual machines files, datastores can serve to store data or files related to virtual machines. For example, you can upload ISO images of operating systems from a local computer to a datastore on the host. You then use these images to install guest operating systems on the new virtual machines.

Note: You cannot upload files directly to the Virtual Volumes datastores. You must first create a folder on the Virtual Volumes datastore, and then upload the files into the folder. The created folders in Virtual Volume datastores for block storage have a limited storage capacity space of 4GB. The VVols datastore supports direct uploads of folders.

Prerequisites

Required privilege: Datastore.Browse Datastore

Procedure

1. Open the datastore browser.
   1. Display the datastore in the inventory.
   2. Right-click the datastore and select Browse Files.
2. (Optional) Create a folder to store the file or folder.
3. Upload the file or folder.

   Option	Description
   Upload a file	Select the target folder and click Upload Files. Locate the item to upload on the local computer and click Open.
   Upload a folder (available only in the vSphere Client)	Select the datastore or the target folder and click Upload Folders. Locate the item to upload on the local computer and click Ok.

4. Refresh the datastore file browser to see the uploaded files or folders on the list.

What to do next

You might experience problems when deploying an OVF template that you previously exported and then uploaded to a datastore. For details and a workaround, see the VMware Knowledge Base article 2117310.