VM's VMDK is growing in size quickly

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

• Snapshot files can be seen in the VM files.  Example VM named "TestVM" has file "TestVM-000001.vmdk" instead of "TestVM.vmdk".  The "-00000#" appended at the end of the name indicates that this is a snapshot file. 
• Alternatively, edit the settings of the virtual machine and see if any of the virtual disks are using a -00000#.vmdk file.

Environment

• ESXi 7.x 
• ESXi 8.x

Cause

• The VM is running on snapshots.  
• Snapshots will continue to grow over time with no limit to their size.  

Resolution

Follow KB Consolidating/Committing snapshots in VMware ESXi to Take a Snapshot, Delete All snapshots, then Consolidate Snapshots.  

Additional Information

Overview of virtual machine snapshots in vSphere

Best practices for using VMware snapshots in the vSphere environment

FAQ: Delete all Snapshots and Consolidate Snapshots Feature

How to calculate current snapshot size, estimate consolidation time and understand performance factors affecting the consolidation process.

Estimate the time required to consolidate virtual machine snapshots