Knowledge Base

Recreating a Lost or Deleted VMX File

Step 1: Creating a New Virtual Machine

First, log in to the HTML5 web client as an administrator to remove the affected virtual machine and then create a new one.

1. Log in to the HTML5 web client as an administrator.
2. Right-click the affected virtual machine and select "Remove from Inventory."

Step 2: Creating a New Virtual Machine

1. Right-click an ESXi host.
2. Click "New Virtual Machine."
3. Choose "Create a new virtual machine."
4. Use the New Virtual Machine wizard to select the same/similar settings as the original VM.

Step 3: Adding an Existing Hard Disk

1. In the New Virtual Machine wizard, select "Add New Device > Existing Hard Disk."
2. Browse to the .vmdk file and select it (Add additional Hard Disks as needed).

Step 4: Creating the New Virtual Machine

Complete the New Virtual Machine wizard and create the new virtual machine.

This process recreates the configuration file (.vmx) for the virtual machine and other supporting files. You can now start the virtual machine from the Inventory of the vSphere Client.

Note: Although there may be differences in the interface, the same logic can be used in older versions of ESXi.

Works with VMware vSphere ESXi 6.7, VMware vSphere ESXi 6.0, VMware vSphere ESXi 5.1, VMware vSphere ESXi 6.5, VMware vSphere ESXi 7.0.0, VMware vSphere ESXi 5.5, and VMware vSphere ESXi 5.0.