How to Clone Hyper-V VM

What is a VM Clone?

As the name implies, a VM clone is a “cloned” version of an existing virtual machine. The purpose of cloning a virtual is typically to replicate the VM on another virtualized environment or host. VM clones carry the same configurations and data as the parent VM; however, even at that, you may still need to make further adjustments to the settings when you import it to a new host. You can clone a VM in any virtualized environment.

Hyper-V VM Clones – What Are They?

Basically, this refers to cloning a virtual machine existing within a Hyper-V environment. Hyper-V is one of the most used server virtualization platforms, and it is provided by Microsoft. You can launch Hyper-V on Windows 10, Windows Server, and other Windows OS versions. Back to the VM clone feature, when you clone a VM running on Hyper-V, you will have a replica of the VM you just cloned.

When a VM is cloned, the replica version will also have the same security identifiers and configuration settings. Interestingly, you can customize VM cloning in many ways, and the clone file can serve as a backup. For VMs in Hyper-V environments, using the “Sysprep” command first, before cloning the machine is important in many ways, but it is not compulsory. This is because Hyper-V will automatically create a new MAC address for the cloned virtual machine since you cannot have two VMs using the same MAC address on a network.

Why You Need to Clone a VM in Hyper-V?

If you already have one active VM in a Hyper-V environment, you don’t necessarily need to launch another VM from scratch – the repeat processes could be daunting, hence, cloning is the best approach. Hereunder are some reasons for cloning Hyper-V VMs.

• When there is a need to create an exact replica of a running VM for product testing, guest OS, or any other app testing.
• Cloned VMs include applications and configuration settings from the parent VM. So, when you don’t want to create multiple similar VMs and configure them individually, you can use clones to save time.
• Clones can serve as a backup copy of the parent copy; if the parent VM gets tampered with, or fails due to system/host errors, the clone copy can be imported to restore its original configurations, apps, and data.
• You need to deploy a VM on an isolated environment for specific tasks or projects; a cloned VM can serve as a “template” you can build your new VM.
• Cloning Hyper-V helps in scalability; the cloned VM can be used to create multiple new VMs in a matter of minutes.

How to Clone VM in Hyper-V via Export and Import (Built-in)

You can clone the Hyper-V virtual machine via the Hyper-V manager platform; this is actually using the export feature to save the VM’s configurations.

• Open Hyper-V Manager, look out for the VM you want to clone – under Virtual Machines, right-click on it and select “Export.”
• Choose the location you want to export the VM to, select a folder you can easily access, and then click on “Export.”

Alternatively, you can use the Export-VM cmdlet to clone a VM in Hyper-V via PowerShell, the command is: Export-VM -Name \ -Path \

Once exported, the VM has been cloned, to deploy it on another host, you have to “import” it to that Hyper-V host. To import the VM to another Hyper-V host, the steps are explained below:

• On Hyper-V Manager, select the Hyper-V host, right-click on it, and select “Import.”
• Browse the folder you saved the exported VM file and select it.
• In the Choose Import Type wizard, select the “Copy the virtual machine” option.
• Choose a new directory where the VM will be copied to, then review the details and complete the action.

Alternatively, you can manually copy VHDs, but doing so will require you to manually change the hostnames, IP address, and SID (system identifier). Also, VM backup solutions be used for cloning virtual machines; this literally means backing up the VM to re-import the backup as a clone.

How to Clone VM in Hyper-V with PowerShell?

Most system admins prefer using PowerShell for VM management and advanced actions. Yes, you can clone a Hyper-V virtual machine using PowerShell commands. However, just as you may already know, you have to be careful with the commands and enter the “paths” correctly. Hereunder are the commands:

• To export the Hyper-V VM: Export-VM -Name \ -Path \
• • Remember to replace the “placeholders” with the actual VM name and paths
• To import the VM to another Hyper-V host: You have to choose an Import Type, then run these commands:
• • Register the VM: Import-VM -Path “C:\\2B91FEB3-F1E0-4FFF-B8BE-29CED892A95A.vmcx”
  • Restore: Import-VM -Path “C:\\2B91FEB3-F1E0-4FFF-B8BE-29CED892A95A.vmcx” -Copy -VhdDestinationPath “D:\Virtual Machines\WIN10DOC” -VirtualMachinePath “D:\Virtual Machines\WIN10DOC”

Import as a copy: Import-VM -Path 'C:\\2B91FEB3-F1E0-4FFF-B8BE-29CED892A95A.vmcx' -Copy –GenerateNewId

How to Clone a Hyper-V Virtual Machine Using VM Templates?

The procedure is the same as what is explained above. First, you need to create a new virtual machine and configure it as you wish. Once you’re done with the configuration, you now clone the VM, the cloned copy will then serve as a “VM template” for creating subsequent virtual machines.

• Step One: Create and host a new virtual machine on your Hyper-V environment.
• Step Two: Install a guest OS, patches, and any third-party application you want to run on the VM
• Step Three: Clone the VM from the Admin Center or using CLI commands. (Note: before you clone this VM, if you have any Checkpoints on the VM, delete them.)
• Step Four: If you’re using Hyper-V Manager, under Virtual Machines, right-click on the just-created VM and choose “Export.” Follow the prompts and save the export file to a particular folder.
• Step Five: The exported file is the “cloned” version of your VM and it will serve as the VM template for any other new VM you want to deploy. To use this template, go to the Hyper-V host you want to create a VM on, right-click on the hostname, select “Import…” then import your VM template from the folder you saved earlier.

Step Six: In the Choose Import Type wizard, select the “Copy the virtual machine” option and identify a new directory for the cloned VM to be copied to. That’s all, the new VM will have the same configurations and apps as the first one you created.