Restoring Microsoft Hyper-V virtual machines

Last published : Apr 02, 2026
You can use the Restore Wizard to restore data from virtual machines in the following ways:
  • Restore a complete virtual machine for disaster recovery purposes.
  • Restore individual files or folders that were backed up from the virtual machine (if you selected the Granular Recovery Technology features for the backup job).
  • Restore a virtual machine to a different Microsoft Hyper-V server.
  • Redirect flat files from the virtual machine to any computer that has an Agent for Windows installed.
Notes about restoring Hyper-V virtual machines
  • Linux virtual machines must be restored in their entirety at the vhd level.
  • The restore of a Microsoft Hyper-V virtual machine that is created within a mount point fails if the mount point does not exist at the time of the restore. To avoid this issue, configure the virtual machine to use volume GUID paths with no mount points.
  • Restores of virtual machines with pass-thru disks, fibre channel adapters, and shared vhdx files may fail if those items have been deleted or those items are unavailable at the time of restore. The restore job will succeed if you have not deleted the pass-thru disks, fibre channel adapter, or shared vhdx file.
  • Redirected restores of partially-selected virtual machines can be performed, but the virtual machine will not be registered. Backup Exec attempts to register virtual machines only if they are restored in full.
    Note: The steps below apply to virtual machines that were backed up using the virtual-based backup method. If you backed up the virtual machine using the agent-based backup method, follow the steps for restoring a non-virtual backup
To restore Hyper-V virtual machines
  1. On the Backup and Restore tab, do one of the following.
    To restore individual files and folders from a GRT-enabled backup Do the following in the order listed\:
    - In the Details pane at the bottom of the screen, select the virtual machine.
    - Click Restore , and then select Restore GRT-enabled backup .
    - In the Restore Wizard , select Files, folders, or volumes , and then click Next .
    To restore the entire virtual machine or virtual disks Do the following in the order listed\:
    - In the Details pane at the bottom of the screen, select the virtual machine.
    - Click Restore , and then select Restore virtual machine from the host .
    - In the Restore Wizard , select Hyper-V data , and then click Next .
  2. Select the data that you want to restore, and then click Next.
    Note: For virtual machines that have a System Reserved partition and are backed up with Granular Recovery Technology enabled, Backup Exec displays the virtual machine under a volume GUID instead of a drive letter. To restore data from these virtual machines, select one of the options to restore to another location.
  3. Select the location where you want to restore the data, and then click Next.
    To the original location Select this option to restore the virtual machine to the same location from which it was backed up.
    To another location; keep the same drive and path Select this option to restore the virtual machine to a different server, but use the same drive and path name that were used in the original. You must enter the name of the server to which you want to redirect the restore, and you must also enter the logon account for that server
    Example: The original virtual machine was on \\ServerA\D:\VMs\1.vhd and you want to restore it to \\ServerB\D:\VMs\1.vhd
    To another location; change the drive, but keep the same path Select this option to restore the virtual machine to a different server and change the drive, but use the same path name that was used in the original. You must enter the name of the server and the drive to which you want to redirect the restore. You must also enter the logon account for that server.
    Example: The original virtual machine was on \\ServerA\D:\VMs\1.vhd and you want to restore it to \\ServerV\E:\VMs\1.vhd
    To another location; change the drive and path, but include the original drive and path name in the new path Select this option to restore the virtual machine to a different server, change the drive, and include the original drive and path names in the new path. You must enter the name of the server, the drive, and the path to which you want to redirect the restore. You must also enter the logon account for that server.
    Example: The original virtual machines were on \\ServerA\D:\VMs\1.vhd and \\ServerA\E:\VMs\2.vhd, and you want to restore them to \\ServerB\Z:\ReplicatedVMs\D\VMs\1.vhd and \\ServerB\Z:\ReplicatedVMs\E\VMs\2.vhd
  4. Select the additional options that you want to use for this restore job, and then click Next.
    Overwrite powered on virtual machines Select this option to enable powered on virtual machines to be overwritten and restored. By default, virtual machines must be turned off before the restore job processes and the virtual machine is overwritten. If a virtual machine is running during a restore job, but this option is not selected, the job fails. You must manually turn off the virtual machine before you attempt to run the restore job again.
    Do not overwrite powered on virtual machines Select this option to prevent powered on virtual machines from being overwritten and restored. By default, virtual machines are turned off before the restore job processes and the virtual machine is overwritten. If a virtual machine is running during a restore job, and this option is selected, the job fails. You must manually turn off the virtual machine before you attempt to run the restore job again.
    Power on the virtual machine after restore and resume from the available saved state Select this option to turn on the virtual machine automatically after the restore job completes. The virtual machine resumes operations from the saved state from the time of the backup.
    Note: This option applies only to virtual machines that are backed up using a saved state. Virtual machines that are backed up online do not have a saved state.
    Power on the virtual machine after restore and discard the available saved state Select this option to turn on the virtual machine automatically after the restore job completes. The virtual machine discards the available saved state.
    Note: This option applies only to virtual machines that are backed up using a saved state. Virtual machines that are backed up online do not have a saved state.
  5. Enter a name for this restore job and select the schedule for the job, and then click Next.
  6. Review the job summary, and then click Finish.
More Information
Methods for restoring data in Backup Exec