Moving a virtual machine to a different hypervisor without rebuilding it
You have a VM running on one hypervisor, and you need it on another. Rebuilding it from scratch means reinstalling software and redoing settings, and every manual step is a chance for a mistake. StarWind V2V Converter is a free tool that converts the disk of an existing VM from one format to another, so you can skip the rebuild.
Quick facts
- Price: free
- Platform: Windows
- Formats: VMDK, VHD/VHDX, QCOW2 and StarWind's native IMG
- Developer: StarWind Software Inc.
Key features
Convert a VM between hypervisor formats in either direction
The converter handles VMDK, VHD/VHDX, QCOW2 and StarWind's own IMG format. You can go from VMware's format to Microsoft's and back again. The vendor lists ESXi, Hyper-V, oVirt, Proxmox and VirtualBox as the supported hypervisors.
Keep the source VM running during conversion
The vendor says the source VM stays live while it converts, which avoids downtime on the original machine.
Move VMs to and from Amazon AWS and Microsoft Azure
Migrations to and from AWS and Azure are supported, so you can use the same tool for a cloud move.
Turn a physical machine into a virtual one
The same tool also does physical-to-virtual (P2V) conversion. A review site reports that it takes a VSS snapshot of the source machine to keep the data consistent.
Convert without leaving the original disk image changed
Earlier versions copied the disk sector by sector and did not modify the source image. You can keep using the original after you convert it.
Who it's for
This tool suits admins and home-lab users who are switching hypervisors, consolidating VMs, or moving workloads to a cloud provider and want a free converter rather than a paid migration suite.
Pros and cons
- Pro: free, with no cost or strings attached according to the vendor.
- Pro: converts in both directions between the major disk formats.
- Pro: the source VM can stay live during conversion.
- Con: it is a conversion tool only. It does not manage or run VMs.
- Con: it runs on Windows only.
FAQs
Is StarWind V2V Converter really free?
Yes. The vendor describes it as 100% free.
Which formats can it convert?
VMDK, VHD/VHDX, QCOW2 and StarWind IMG.
Can I convert a physical computer?
Yes. It supports physical-to-virtual conversion as well as virtual-to-virtual.
Will it change my original virtual disk?
The tool is designed to leave the source image in place, so you can keep using it.
Can I use it for cloud migrations?
Yes. It supports moves to and from Amazon AWS and Microsoft Azure.