Convert virtual disk provisioning from thick to thin using storage vMotion

Products

• VMware vCenter Server
• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

This article provides the procedure to convert a virtual disk from thick provisioned to thin provisioned in VMware vSphere. This process is used to reclaim unused storage capacity on the datastore.

Environment

• VMware vSphere 7.x
• VMware vSphere 8.x

Resolution

Changing virtual disk provisioning from thick to thin requires moving the virtual disk to a different datastore. If the source and destination datastores are the same, vSphere performs no provisioning conversion.

To change the provisioning of a virtual machine base disk using Storage vMotion:

1. Right-click the virtual machine and select Migrate
2. Select Change storage only.
3. In the Select storage page, select Configure per disk.
4. Locate the virtual disk you wish to conver.
5. Under the Disk Format column, select Thin Provision.
6. Select a destination datastore that is different from the current datastore.
7. Click Next and review the settings.
8. Click Finish to start the Storage vMotion.

Additional Information

• For further details on Storage vMotion requirements and limitations, refer to the VMware vSphere Documentation.
• If you encounter issues during this process, ensure the destination datastore has sufficient free space to accommodate the migration.
• If assistance is required, see Contact Broadcom support.