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Restore

Restore a Hyper-V VM

MoorNest restores a Hyper-V virtual machine whole, as a new VM on a Hyper-V host. The restored VM is switched off and not connected to any network, so it cannot clash with the original. The original VM is never touched, and restoring never changes the backup.

Before you start

  • The receiving server must be a connected Hyper-V host with the MoorNest agent installed. It can be the same host or another one.
  • Restores must be allowed on that host. Open it, go to Server details, find Restores to this server and click Allow restores. Confirm with your password and a fresh code.
  • You need the Administrator role.

Restore step by step

  1. Click Restore in the left rail and pick the Hyper-V host whose backup you want, or click Restore on the host's page.
  2. Choose a restore point. The newest is first. Pick a night that is marked readable when you can. Click Continue.
  3. Virtual machine. The screen confirms which VM is restored and that it comes back as a new VM. Click Continue.
  4. Where should it go? Pick the Hyper-V host that receives the VM. Hosts that cannot receive it are greyed out with the reason. Click Continue.
  5. Check and start. Check the summary and click Start restore. Confirm with your password and a fresh authenticator code.

Progress shows on the page and on Activity. When it is done, the page says the VM was created on the host, switched off and not connected to any network.

After the restore

  1. Open Hyper-V Manager on the receiving host and find the new VM.
  2. Check its settings before you start it.
  3. Connect it to a virtual switch only when you are ready for it to join a network, and make sure it will not clash with the original if that is still running.

How the VM was backed up

How the restored VM behaves depends on the plan's setting under While backing up a VM:

  • Keep it running: the VM was backed up while it ran. The restored VM starts like a machine after a power cut, which Windows and SQL Server handle.
  • Only back up VMs that are shut down: the cleanest copy, taken while the VM was off.

Cancel a restore

Click Cancel on the running restore and confirm. Hyper-V may finish work it already started, so check the host before you try again.

If a host cannot be chosen

Hover over a greyed-out host, or click it, to see why:

  • Restores to this server are not approved. Allow restores on its Server details tab.
  • This server cannot receive virtual machines. Pick a host where Hyper-V is installed. The installer only switches on Hyper-V support when Hyper-V is already there, so if Hyper-V was added later, reinstall the agent.
  • Offline right now. Check the host is on and its agent is running.

A VM backup restores the whole VM; single files cannot be picked from it. If you want to restore single files from inside a VM, also install the agent inside that VM and back up those folders with a folder plan. See Choose what to back up.

Last updated 4 October 2026.

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