How To Convert VMware Workstation To Hyper-V

It’s possible to convert VMware Workstation VMs to Hyper-V VMs. To Convert VMs from VMware Workstation to Hyper-V, pick one of two options:

• Backup the VM, create a Hyper-V VM and restore into it
• Use Microsoft Virtual Machine Converter to convert the VM to Hyper-V. ❗ Note: To convert from VMware Workstation with Microsoft Virtual Machine Converter, you will have to specify the type of machine to convert from as a physical machine, then specify the IP address of the VM in VMware Workstation

I recommend using the first option to convert Windows VMs from VMware Workstation because it allows you to simultaneously test your disaster recovery, but is also a supported method from both VMware and Microsoft’s perspective.

If your backup system relies on restoring back into VMware Workstation (or other VMware product), you could look at converting to Hyper-V using option 2. Although I would recommend changing your backup solution if this is the case (which you will have to do anyway when you convert to Hyper-V). Option 2 may also be attractive if you’re using a Linux VM and you’re not that comfortable with Linux administration.

If none of the above options suit your needs, you may investigate this list of VMware to Hyper-V conversion tools:

• V2V Converter from StarWind
• Disk2vhd from Microsoft’s Mark Russinovich
• Microsoft Virtual Machine Converter