8.1

Table Of Contents
Clone a Virtual Machine
You can clone virtual machines only if you have Fusion Pro. You do not need to find and manually copy the
parent virtual machine files.
NOTE
n
You can access cloning options from the right-click menu, Virtual Machine menu and snapshot
manager.
n
You cannot create linked clones from encrypted virtual machines.
n
You cannot create linked or full clones from restricted virtual machines.
n
You cannot create linked or full clones from Boot Camp virtual machines.
n
You can create full clones from encrypted virtual machines.
n
You can create a cloned virtual machine from the powered off snapshot of the parent virtual machine.
Prerequisites
n
Familiarize yourself with the types of clones. See “Using Linked Clones,” on page 69 and “Using Full
Clones,” on page 69.
n
If making a linked or full clone from the current state of a virtual machine, power down the virtual
machine.
Procedure
1 (Optional) To create a clone from the current state of a virtual machine:
a Select a virtual machine from the Virtual Machine Library.
b Click Virtual Machine and select either Create Full Clone or Create Linked Clone, depending on
the type of clone you want to create.
Fusion takes a snapshot of the selected virtual machine when creating a linked clone.
2 (Optional) To create a clone from a snapshot of a virtual machine:
a Select a virtual machine from the Virtual Machine Library.
b Click Snapshots.
c Select a snapshot and right-click. Select either Create Full Clone or Create Linked Clone,
depending on the type of clone you want to create.
3 Type a name for the clone and click Save.
A full clone can take several minutes to create, depending on the size of the virtual disk that is being
duplicated.
The clone appears in the Virtual Machine Library.
A linked clone virtual machine is designated by a clone badge in the Virtual Machine Library. The parent
virtual machine name is shown under the virtual machine name in the Virtual Machine Library display. In
snapshot manager, a snapshot which has a linked clone virtual machine is designated with a snapshot
badge.
What to do next
If the parent virtual machine uses a static IP address, change the static IP address of the clone before the
clone connects to the network to prevent IP address conflicts.
Using VMware Fusion
70 VMware, Inc.