Virtual Machine Power On/Off options greyed out in the vSphere Client

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

This article provides information to troubleshoot and fix VMs that have the power on/off option greyed out.

Symptoms:
The options to Power On and Power Off a virtual machine (VM) using the vSphere Client are greyed out.

Environment

VMware vCenter Server 7.0.x
VMware vCenter Server 6.5.x
VMware vCenter Server 6.7.x
VMware vCenter Server 6.0.x
VMware vCenter Server Appliance 6.0.x
VMware vCenter Server Appliance 6.5.x
VMware vCenter Server Appliance 6.7.x

VMware vCenter Server Appliance 7.0.x

Cause

This issue can be caused by:

• vCenter or ESXi host communication issues
• Issues with the vCenter Server operating system
  • These issues are usually with the OS as it exists in memory which may develop over time.

Resolution

Workaround:

1. Connect to the ESXi host managing the VM and ensure that Power On and Power Off are available.
   • If the ESXi host also shows Power On and Power Off functions greyed out, see Virtual machine power on task hangs
2. Perform the following:
   • Restart the vCenter Server's vpxd service per How to Stop, Start or Restart vCenter Server 6.x Services
   • If the vpxd service restart does not work, reboot the vCenter Server.

Additional Information

Failed to power on virtual machine

Note: If your vCenter Server has been running for more than 120 days, it is best practice to perform updates to the vCenter Server OS if any are available for that vCenter Server version. This process will also require a reboot of the vCenter.

Keeping to that update regimen can reduce the occurrence of many issues such as the VM power-on/off appearing greyed out.

Impact/Risks:
Restarting vCenter Server services can temporarily halt processes, such as VDI VM deployments, VM backups, and other third party software that require the vCenter Server be operational to function.