→ Applies to: VMware ESXi 6.5 and above

Step 1. Connect to VMware ESXi via SSH as root (replace <your_ip_address_or_hostname> with the correct ip)

ssh root@<your_ip_address_or_hostname>

Step 2. Check the snapshots associated with each VM

vim-cmd vmsvc/getallvms | \
  awk 'NR>1 {print $1, $2}' | \
  while read VMID VMNAME; do
    echo "VM: $VMNAME (ID $VMID)"
    vim-cmd vmsvc/snapshot.get "$VMID"
    echo
  done

EXAMPLE OUTPUT

vim-cmd vmsvc/getallvms | \
>   awk 'NR>1 {print $1, $2}' | \
>   while read VMID VMNAME; do
>     echo "VM: $VMNAME (ID $VMID)"
>     vim-cmd vmsvc/snapshot.get "$VMID"
>     echo
>   done
VM: SynetoOS (ID 1)

Get Snapshot:

VM: VM1 (ID 10)
Get Snapshot:

VM: FILESERVER (ID 11)
Get Snapshot:
   Snapshot Name        : snapshot1
   Snapshot Id          : 1
   Snapshot Description : test snapshot
   Snapshot Created On  : 2025-08-07T12:34:56.000Z
   Snapshot State       : poweredOff

VM: VM2 (ID 13)
Get Snapshot:

VM: VM3 (ID 15)
Get Snapshot:

VM: VM4 (ID 18)
Get Snapshot:

VM: SynetoFileRecovery (ID 2)
Get Snapshot:

VM: VM5 (ID 20)
Get Snapshot:

VM: VM6 (ID 21)
Get Snapshot:

VM: VM7 (ID 5)
Get Snapshot:

VM: VM8 (ID 6)
Get Snapshot:

VM: VM9 (ID 7)
Get Snapshot:

VM: VM10 (ID 8)
Get Snapshot:

VM: VM11 (ID 9)
Get Snapshot:

If no details appear under "Get Snapshot:" for a VM, it means the VM doesn't have any snapshots.

Step 3. Login to VMware ESXi GUI (replace <your_ip_address_or_hostname> with the correct ip/hostname)

https://<your_ip_address_or_hostname>

Step 4. Click on Virtual Machines

Step 5. Select the VM whose snapshots need to be deleted, then click on Actions

Step 6. Click on Snapshots, then Manage snapshots

Step 7. Select the snapshot to be deleted, then click on Delete snapshot