You might see references online to a hypothetical vmfsundelete or a script called vmfsundelete.pl — these are unofficial community scripts that attempt low-level parsing. They are not supported by VMware and can easily corrupt data if misused.
The moment you realize a deletion has occurred, follow these critical protocols to maximize recovery chances: vmfs undelete
Launch your chosen tool (e.g., DiskInternals). It should automatically detect the VMFS partition . You might see references online to a hypothetical
: Software such as DiskInternals VMFS Recovery , UFS Explorer , and BitRecover are designed to read VMFS structures directly. It should automatically detect the VMFS partition
(Most Common)
: If using NetApp storage, the SnapCenter Plug-in can restore deleted VMs from secondary backups directly to an ESXi host. 3. Specialized VMFS Recovery Software
VMFS Undelete: Comprehensive Guide to VMware Data Recovery Accidentally deleting a virtual machine or its associated (Virtual Machine Disk) file from a VMFS (Virtual Machine File System) datastore can be a catastrophic event for any IT environment. Because VMFS is a proprietary clustered file system, typical undelete tools for Windows or Linux cannot see these partitions, making manual recovery complex. Immediate Steps After Deletion