To increase usable space in a VMware virtual machine, enlarge its virtual disk (VMDK) in VMware, then extend the partition and filesystem inside the guest operating system. The first change alone makes the virtual disk larger but does not give the guest volume more usable space. Back up the VM and remove or consolidate snapshots before expanding the disk.
Before you expand a VMware disk
- Identify the environment: Check whether the VM runs under Workstation/Player or vSphere/ESXi, and note the VMware version, guest OS, target disk, and controller type. Procedures and eligibility differ by product and release.
- Make a valid backup: Do not treat a snapshot as a backup.
- Remove or consolidate snapshots: Broadcom warns that expanding a snapshot-backed virtual disk can corrupt snapshots and cause data loss, regardless of whether the VM is powered on. See Broadcom’s snapshot best practices.
- Check available capacity: Confirm the datastore has enough free space and that the requested size is supported by the VMware platform, datastore, and guest.
Broadcom’s disk expansion guidance generally requires the VM to be powered off. It lists hot-extension exceptions for PVSCSI beginning with vSphere 7.0 and NVMe beginning with vSphere 8.0.1; verify support for the precise version and controller rather than assuming an online resize is available.
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Expand the virtual disk in VMware
Workstation or Player
For Workstation 7 and later and Player 3.x and later, Broadcom documents this GUI sequence:
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- Select the VM and open Edit Virtual Machine Settings.
- Select Hard Disk.
- Choose Utilities > Expand.
- Enter the desired final capacity and click Expand.
Broadcom also documents a hosted command-line pattern: vmware-vdiskmanager -x 100Gb vm.vmdk. Replace 100Gb with the desired capacity and vm.vmdk with the correct disk path. Do not use this or another command to bypass the snapshot warning; first remove or consolidate snapshots and confirm the disk is eligible.
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vSphere or ESXi
For ESXi 6.5 or later, Broadcom’s documented vSphere Client or ESXi Host Client procedure is to edit the VM settings, select the SCSI hard disk, and increase its size. The documented flow does not support expanding IDE virtual disks through the vSphere Client. Clustered disks have a separate command-line caveat in Broadcom’s guidance, so do not assume the ordinary GUI steps apply to them. See Broadcom’s disk-size procedure for the applicable product and disk type.
Make the new capacity usable in the guest
Expanding the VMDK and expanding the guest volume are separate operations. Broadcom explains that increasing a virtual disk does not automatically enlarge the partition or filesystem inside the guest. The guest may need a disk rescan or reboot before it detects the larger device.
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Windows
After Windows detects the larger disk, open Disk Management and use Extend Volume on the target volume where the layout allows it. Broadcom’s Windows guidance also describes DiskPart for data disks or work through a helper VM in applicable cases. The available extension choices depend on the disk layout; if the option is unavailable, inspect the partitions and unallocated space before changing them. See Broadcom’s Windows partition guidance.
If the disk is larger than 2 TB but Windows cannot use all the capacity, MBR partitioning may be the constraint. Broadcom says Windows needs GPT to address capacity above 2 TB. This is not a universal VMware maximum: platform, datastore, and guest support also matter. See Broadcom’s large-capacity VMDK guidance.
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Linux and other guests
Rescan the device or reboot if needed, then extend the partition and filesystem with tools appropriate to that distribution and storage layout. The exact procedure depends on whether the guest uses a simple partition, LVM, another volume manager, and which filesystem is in use; do not apply a generic command without confirming those details.
Verify both disk layers
- In VMware, confirm the VMDK reports the intended capacity.
- In the guest, confirm the operating system detects the larger device.
- Confirm the target partition or volume and its filesystem now expose the added space.
If VMware shows the larger VMDK but the guest volume has not grown, the guest-side extension is still needed. If the guest does not see the added capacity, check whether it needs a rescan or reboot, inspect the partition layout, and verify that unallocated space is adjacent to the partition you want to extend.
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Troubleshoot a disabled or failed expansion
The size field or Expand option is unavailable
Check whether the VM is powered on when its controller and VMware version do not permit hot extension, and make sure no snapshots remain. Broadcom’s troubleshooting article, updated 2026-01-27, identifies power state and snapshots as common reasons the size field is disabled: Virtual disk size cannot be changed.
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Confirm the VMDK expansion succeeded in VMware before troubleshooting the guest. Then check for a required guest rescan or reboot and extend the guest partition and filesystem. Also verify datastore free space and that the disk type and controller are supported by the procedure you are using.
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You expanded the disk too far
vSphere does not support shrinking a VMDK in place. Broadcom’s workaround guidance, updated 2026-08-26, calls for a full backup and describes migrating or copying data to a correctly sized new disk rather than reversing the resize: Reducing the size of a virtual disk.
Why the two-step process matters
Broadcom Support states that increasing a virtual disk does not automatically increase the guest filesystem. Its partition guidance was updated 2026-09-29 and describes the distinction for filesystems such as NTFS and ext3: Increasing the size of a disk partition. Check the VMware disk capacity and the guest’s usable volume separately after any resize.
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