You can create an exact copy of a virtual machine in VMware workstation by using its clone feature. There are two types of cloning in VMware:
- Full Clone
- Linked Clone
With full cloning, a new virtual machine is an exact copy of original virtual machine at its current state. It is a fully independent virtual machine and requires more disk space.
When you create a virtual machine with linked cloning, a new virtual machine is a reference to an original virtual machine and cannot work without it. It uses the hard disks of a new virtual machine and a reference to the original virtual machine.
This article will show you how to create a copy of an existing virtual machine by using the clone feature.
Prerequisites
- A virtual machine you are creating clone from must be powered off
How to clone a virtual machine in VMWare Workstation
Step 1. Open VMware Workstation. Right-click the machine that you want to create a copy of. Scroll to Manage and click Clone.
Step 2. Click Next.
Step 3. Choose the current state in the virtual machine (If you have taken snapshots of virtual machine, you can also clone a virtual machine from that state) and click Next.
Step 4. Choose to 'Create a full clone' (You can also choose a linked clone but I am focusing on a full clone in this tutorial) and click Next.
Step 5. Provide a name for the new virtual machine and choose a location where you would like to place configuration file and virtual hard disk. Click Finish.
Step 6. Click Close.
Once you are done with these steps, a new virtual machine will appear in the VMware console under 'My Computer node'. You can turn it on and start using it.
