Recover Deleted Flat Vmdk File Extra Quality Page

lsof | grep -i "deleted" If you see your -flat.vmdk listed as (deleted) , the file is still open by a running VM. (force power off). The file will be released, and you may lose it forever unless you use advanced recovery tools (rare). Proceed to Step 2.

VMFS (typically version 5, 6, or 6.81) is complex. Consumer tools won't work. You need VMware-aware recovery tools: recover deleted flat vmdk file

SSH into the ESXi host. Run: