How to Take a Snapshot in VMware Fusion on macOS

In this comprehensive guide, I will show you the process of creating and managing snapshots in VMware Fusion Pro on your macOS PC.

First, let me briefly talk about snapshots, which are an essential feature for backing up guest operating systems in virtual machines. In short, it allows you to capture the current state of your system and quickly return to this state when necessary.

For example, whether you’re using Windows, Linux, or macOS on your guest VMs. You can prevent possible errors by taking a snapshot before taking serious action. Understanding how to use them will help you maintain system stability.

But you cannot use this feature if you do not already have a virtual machine. Knowing the steps to create a virtual computer from the beginning is very important.

Taking a Snapshot on VMware Fusion

How to Create Snapshots on Fusion 12 Pro on macOS

You can use the snapshot feature to quickly save the instantaneous state of your virtual machines that you have created with Fusion, the virtualization application developed for the macOS operating system.

Thanks to this great feature, you can save the instant state of your Windows 10 system that you have installed cleanly, and then quickly undo the changes you have made on your guest system and have a clean system again.

You can create multiple backups using a snapshot on your Mac computer and test the difference between versions of a program you developed by configuring each backup with a different name.

Another good way to make a backup is to create a full copy of the virtual machine. Cloning lets you test different situations at the same time. The truth is, this method gives you both a way to go back and a separate place to work. I especially like using these two things together when testing software.

Another example is that you can take a clean backup beforehand to prevent errors and incompatibilities that may occur when a system update comes to a Windows or Linux system.

How Long Does It Take to Create or Restore a Snapshot?

Creating or restoring snapshots in VMware Fusion 12 Pro generally depends on the disk size of your virtual system. So, it is about the size of the data that the software needs to process while you are restoring your data. In summary, the duration of these processes can vary from a few seconds to a few minutes.

The period when you create a backup also takes time, depending on the memory and disk status of your VM. The duration of this process depends on the amount of memory you have allocated to the VM and the available disk I/O operations.

If you restore the backup, it involves reverting the VM’s state to a previous point in time. The time it takes for this process to restore also varies. In short, it depends on factors such as the size of its data and the configuration of the virtual machine.

You should also know that you cannot use a VM temporarily while backing it up on Fusion. Therefore, I recommend that you perform these operations when the VM is turned off. Moreover, I recommend that you plan it at a time that will not affect your important work.

Factors Affecting Snapshot Duration

As I said, the duration of this process depends on the configurations of the virtual operating system. However, this is not always the case because the performance of your host PC is also important.

Factors Affecting Snapshot Taking and Restore Time
Factor	Explanation	Effect on Time
Disk Size	The larger the disk size of the virtual machine, the longer the snapshot and restore times.	Large disk sizes take longer.
Disc Type	It explains the use of SSD (Solid State Drive) or HDD (Hard Disk Drive). However, SSDs are faster. Also, if you have an NVMe disk, the time is reduced to the maximum extent.	Using an SSD shortens the time. NVMe makes it even shorter.
Memory (RAM)	It is the amount of memory of the virtual machine and the host computer. More memory provides faster processing. In particular, newer technologies like DDR5 shorten the time.	More RAM shortens the time.
CPU Power	It refers to the processing power of the host computer. More powerful CPUs process faster.	A powerful CPU shortens the time.
Virtual Machine Status	It refers to the current state of the virtual machine (running, suspended, closed). The running machine may take more time when taking backups.	Running a VM takes longer.
Change Amount	It describes the amount of data saved/modified when taking or restoring a backup.	More changes take longer.
Disk I/O Speed	It explains disk input/output (I/O) speeds. Faster disks provide faster backups.	High I/O speeds reduce time.
Network connection	If you perform the backup over the network (for example, backing up to a remote server), network speed will be affected.	A slow network connection increases the time.

How to Back Up a Virtual Machine with a Snapshot on macOS

We recommend you use the snapshot feature after a clean installation when you want to back up the Windows, Linux, or macOS operating systems you have installed on your virtual machines.

Therefore, after performing system updates on your guest system or a software-related error, you can quickly fix it.

To implement all of this, the software must be installed on your system. We have a step-by-step guide on how to install Fusion Pro on your Mac.

Steps:

Step 1

After running your Guest operating system, click the Snapshot icon in the Fusion tool menu.

Opening Snapshot Manager

Step 2

To save the current state of the Windows 10 virtual system, right-click on the virtual machine in the Snapshots window and click Take Snapshot.

NOTE: To make your backup plan work, you first need to create a clean Windows 10 setup. Without a properly set up virtual machine, the snapshot itself is almost useless.

Taking a New Snapshot

Step 3

After typing a name and description for the backup of your guest machine, click the Take button.

Setting a Backup Name

Step 4

Wait while the current state of your virtual operating system is being saved. You can see the current backup progress from the progress bar under the Fusion icon in the Dock.

Backing Up Virtual Machine

Step 5

After backing up your clean, installed virtual system, create multiple new folders on the desktop or install any program.

Creating New Folders on Windows 10 Desktop

Step 6

To undo the changes you have made on your Windows 10 guest machine, open Snapshots, right-click on the backup you have created, and then click Restore Snapshot from the options that appear.

Restore Snapshot

Step 7

Before you start restoring the Snapshot, you will be asked if you want to save the changes you have made after backing up your virtual system. If you are testing a significant change, you can save existing transactions for later analysis.

But if what you do on the guest machine doesn’t matter to you, you’d better choose not to save the current changes. Therefore, click on the Don’t Save button in the warning window that opens, and continue.

Choosing Not to Save Changes Made to the Guest Machine

Step 8

Wait while the snapshot you took is being restored.

Restoring Virtual System

Step 9

After restoring the previous snapshot of your guest machine, you can see that all the changes you have made in your virtual operating system return to the default state.

Virtual System Restored

How to Delete a Snapshot

After taking a snapshot with Fusion on macOS, if you don’t need the snapshots for your guest machines, you can delete them in order not to fill the storage space of your host computer with unnecessary backup files.

Step 1

In the same way, open the Snapshot manager again, right-click on the backup you have taken, and click Delete Snapshot from the options that open.

Deleting a Virtual Machine Snapshot

Step 2

When you start deleting, click the Delete button in the warning window. The warning tells you that the virtual machine’s current state won’t be saved, and you can’t undo this action.

Confirming the Deletion

Step 3

Wait while the deleted snapshot files are cleaned from your host disk. After this step, you will have successfully deleted the backup you created for your virtual system.

Cleaning Deleted Files

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Everything You Wanted to Know About Virtual Snapshots on macOS

My virtual machine crashed right in the middle of work. Is the snapshot feature really reliable or is it risky?

It is absolutely reliable and actually your biggest lifesaver. This VMware Fusion feature freezes the writing process on your virtual disk and creates a delta file. Your main disk gets locked and changes are sent to a temporary area.

When you go back, it throws this delta file away. As a result, your system returns to its clean first-day state in seconds. The chance of file corruption is almost zero.

I have used this method for years on critical server migrations. It never gave me a single headache. Just make sure you do not fill up your storage space and get a write error.

My computer has an NVMe SSD, but restoring a backup still slows down sometimes. What could be the reason?

Disk speed is only part of the story. The real bottleneck is usually the state of the virtual machine at that moment. A snapshot taken while the machine is on and using a lot of memory has to write all of that memory to disk.

Honestly, dumping the memory of a Windows 10 virtual machine with 16 GB RAM to disk takes time. If you do this while the machine is off, only disk blocks are moved. That is when you see the real power of your NVMe drive.

Also, Time Machine backup could be running in the background. Or Spotlight indexing can also clog the I/O channel. To shorten the waiting time, it is best to shut down the machine at the moment of saving.

Can I copy these backup files I took in Fusion to an external disk and use them on another Mac?

This is a common mistake that often ends in disappointment. VMware’s snapshot mechanism is chained to the main virtual disk file. If you only move the difference files created at that moment, the system will refuse to work.

For a healthy transfer, you must copy the entire virtual machine folder. Even better, go into the ‘Snapshot Manager’ screen in Fusion and merge that snapshot into the main disk. This is called ‘Consolidate’ not ‘Delete Snapshot’ and it turns the data into a single piece.

If you do not do this, the backup you took stays stuck to that computer only. For disaster scenarios, completely shut down your machine and clone the folder to an external disk.

I am about to do an important update on my virtual Windows. Should I delete the backup after it is done?

The answer to this question is directly linked to the health of your disk. These points, once created, grow over time. Especially as your system gets updates, files are moved. So your storage space secretly runs out without you noticing.

My advice is to see these moments as temporary shelters. Do the update, test the system for a few days, and if everything is fine, delete this point and merge it into the main disk. Because going back to an old backup causes data loss.

So your strategy should be this: First take a fresh point, do the update, test it. Then merge these two points and get rid of them. This method keeps your Mac’s main disk clean.

I pressed the Delete button while the virtual machine was running. An ‘irreversible’ warning appeared. Will my files be deleted?

Take a deep breath, because what is deleted is not your data. This warning only says that the return door in the time tunnel will close. VMware merges the temporary difference file of that moment with the main virtual disk in the background.

So your Word documents on the desktop or your browser history stay as they are. The only thing you lose is the chance to go back to that specific moment. The warning sounds so scary just to protect the user.

Still, do not press that button until your work is done, just in case of accidental deletion. But if you pressed it by accident, your system will not crash or your data will not fly away. You just can no longer teleport to the state from a few hours ago.

My host performance drops when I use Fusion on my Mac. Could snapshot be the culprit?

It can definitely be one of the culprits, but it is not the direct cause. The real issue is the uncontrolled growth of snapshot files. Backup points that are not deleted for a long time or taken one after another fragment the virtual disk.

This situation does not strain macOS’s APFS file system, but it lowers VMware’s disk access speed. As a result, the read-write head constantly shuttles between different delta files. This comes back to you as general slowness and stuttering.

The solution is simple. Go to the Virtual Machine Library section and use the ‘Clean Up Virtual Machine’ option. This process cleans unused blocks and defragments your disk. You will feel your Mac speed up again.

Conclusion

As a result, you can create snapshots in VMware Fusion 12 Pro on your Mac PC. In this way, you can quickly back up your systems and prevent possible problems. In this way, in addition to saving time, you can focus better on your work.

Understanding how to create, manage, and delete snapshots is essential in maintaining the stability of your guest systems. You can easily explore different configurations using this feature of Fusion software. By managing your snapshot strategy well, you can work with complex virtual environments with more peace of mind.

How to Take a Snapshot on VMware Fusion in Mac & macOS