Create and Revert Snapshots

Snapshot Master provides a consistent UI for creating, listing, reverting, and deleting snapshots across VMware, Hyper-V, and Azure. The terminology differs by platform (VMware "snapshots", Hyper-V "checkpoints", Azure "VM snapshots") but the operations map cleanly.

Where to find it

The main window lists every VM across every connected hypervisor with current snapshot state. Click any VM to see its snapshot chain in the details panel; right-click for the action menu.

Create a snapshot

Single VM

1. Right-click the VM → Create Snapshot.
2. Enter a snapshot name and description. Both fields support free text — use a description that lets a future admin understand why the snapshot exists.
3. (VMware / Hyper-V only) Tick Include memory if you want a live-state snapshot. Off by default — disk-only snapshots are faster and smaller.
4. (VMware only) Tick Quiesce filesystem if VMware Tools is installed and you want filesystem-consistent state.
5. Click Create. The snapshot starts immediately. Progress is shown in the bottom status bar.

Bulk

Select multiple VMs (Ctrl+click or Shift+click) → right-click → Create Snapshot. The name and description apply to all selected VMs (the snapshot name auto-suffixes with the VM name to keep them distinguishable). Each platform applies the appropriate snapshot operation.

List snapshots

Click any VM in the main view. The right panel shows every snapshot for that VM with:

• Name and description
• Created at — timestamp
• Created by — service-account or user
• Size — disk space the snapshot is consuming (approximate; depends on platform)
• Memory snapshot — yes / no
• Parent snapshot — for tree-structured snapshot chains

Revert to a snapshot

1. Click the VM → right panel snapshot list → right-click the target snapshot → Revert to this snapshot.
2. Confirm the action. Snapshot Master shows the affected state changes (which snapshots become orphaned, whether the VM will need to restart).
3. Click Revert. The platform applies the revert. For most platforms, the VM is briefly offline during revert.

Delete a snapshot

1. Right-click the snapshot → Delete.
2. Confirm. The platform applies the delete. For VMware, deleting a snapshot in the middle of a chain triggers automatic consolidation — see consolidation.

Delete all snapshots for a VM

Right-click the VM → Delete All Snapshots. Confirms before applying. Useful for cleanup after a maintenance window where snapshots were taken as safety nets and are no longer needed.

When to take a snapshot

Standard practice:

• Before any significant change — patches, software upgrades, configuration changes.
• Before risky operations — major application installs, database migrations, network reconfigurations.
• As a short-term safety net — not a long-term backup. Snapshots are not a substitute for backup; they consume storage and degrade VM performance the longer they exist.

When NOT to take a snapshot

• As a long-term backup. Snapshots are designed for short-term rollback. Use proper backup tools for long-term protection.
• On VMs with high I/O — large databases, busy mail servers — without confirming performance impact in your environment. Snapshots add I/O overhead.
• Indefinitely. Aged snapshots silently consume increasing storage. Either delete or consolidate within days.

See also

• Schedule snapshots — for automated take-and-delete operations.
• Consolidation — for old-snapshot cleanup.
• Reporting and notifications — for visibility into snapshot operations.

Need help? support@smikar.com.