Restore Hyper-V Virtual Machine from Windows Server Backup

What is Windows Server Backup

If you are looking for a built-in way to back up Hyper-V virtual machines and restore them on Windows Server, then you definitely cannot miss Windows Server Backup.

Windows Server Backup (WSB) is a feature that provides a set of wizards and other tools for you to perform basic backup tasks for the server it is installed on. It enables you to backup and restore a full server (all volumes), selected volumes, the system state, specific files or folders, and Hyper-V virtual machines.

Starting from Windows Server 2012, WSB allows you to backup single Hyper-V virtual machines, instead of the full server. But if you have created a virtual machine backup, how to restore a Hyper-V virtual machine from Windows Server Backup? Next, I will introduce the detailed steps in this article.

Evolution of Hyper-V virtual machine backup on Windows Server Backup

In the previous version of Windows Server Backup, Hyper-V virtual machines are backed up and restored as part of full server or volume. So, you cannot backup or restore an individual virtual machine from a Hyper-V host. Luckily things changed in Windows Server 2012. Now it is possible to perform separate backup and restore for a single Hyper-V virtual machine. The WSB capabilities in backing up the Hyper-V infrastructure includes:

• Full backup Hyper-V host with VMs included
• Backup Hyper-V host without VMs
• Backup individual VM from the host level
• Backup from inside VM guest OS

How to restore Hyper-V virtual machine from Windows Server Backup

In this section, I will introduce how to restore Hyper-V virtual machine from Windows Server Backup. This operation also applies to restore Hyper-V virtual machine from Windows Server Backup 2012r2. Before you start, please note that if the restore is performed while the VM is running, it will actually turn off and delete the VM before the VM is restored.

Here are the specific steps:

1. Launch Windows Server Backup and click Recover… from the right Actions inventory to open a wizard.

2. Select where is the backup stored that you want to use for recovery, and click Next to continue.

3.  Select the date and time of a backup to use for recovery, then click Next.

4. Select Hyper-V option as what do you want to recover.

5. Specify the Hyper-V virtual machine you want to recover.

6. Specify recovery options:

• Recover to original location: Choose this option if your virtual machine was lost or needs to be rolled back using the backup copy.
• Recover to alternative location: Choose this option if you want to restore the virtual machine to a different location.
• Copy to folder: Choose this option to copy the files belonging to the virtual machine to a folder. This will not recover the virtual machine itself.

Note: If another version of this virtual machine already exists, it will first be deleted before proceeding with the recovery.

Then click Next.

7. Confirm the backup and the Hyper-V virtual machine you are going to restore, and then click Recover to start.

Wait for the recovery process. Click Close the recovery operation will continue to run in the background.

An easier way to backup and restore Hyper-V virtual machines (free)

Although there is a built-in backup method, Windows Server Backup, many IT professionals still choose to use more stable third-party software to back up Hyper-V virtual machines. This is because Windows Server Backup is only suitable for small sizes and numbers of virtual machines, and is not stable when backing up large numbers of VMs, and may cause some errors such like Hyper-V VM stuck at restoring.

Furthermore, third-party software tends to offer simpler steps than restore VM from Windows Server Backup. AOMEI Cyber Backup, a free Hyper-V backup software which I am going to introduce to you, is one of them. In addition, it has the following benefits:

✦ Easy image-level VM Backup: with 3 easy steps you can create a complete image-level VMs backup task that covers multiple VMs.
✦ Restore Entire VM: restore immediately available VMs from any selected restore points.
✦ Automated Execution: create backup schedules to automate virtual machine protection.

AOMEI Cyber Backup supports Hyper-V in Windows 8/8.1/10/11, Windows Server/Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2012 R2 and later versions. It also enables you to centrally manage VMs on both Hyper-V and VMware ESXi.

Next, I will demonstrate how to restore Hyper-V virtual machines with 3 simple steps.

You can click the following button to download the freeware.

*You can choose to install this VM backup software on either Windows or Linux system.

How to restore entire Hyper-V virtual machine

Note: Before you start backup and restore, you need to bind your Hyper-V host for authorization. Once bound the host your do not need to repeat this step later.

1. Access AOMEI Cyber Backup web client, and the accomplished backup task will be listed in Backup Task. Select which backup you want to restore, and click ... > Restore to open the wizard.

Or you can navigate to Backup Management > History Versions. Specify a VM and select a restore point from the left list.

2. Confirm the source host and VM, choose to Restore to original location. Then you can click Start Restore.

While the Free Edition covers most of VM backup needs, you can also upgrade to Premium Edition to enjoy:
▶ Batch VM backup: batch backup large numbers of VMs managed by vCenter Server or on standalone ESXi hosts.
▶ Backup cleanup: Configure a retention policy to auto delete old backup files and save storage space.
▶ Restore to new location: Create a new VM in the same or another datastore/host directly from the backup, saves the trouble of re-configuring the new VM.

Summary

Windows Server Backup is a built-in feature that enables Windows Server users to backup and restore a full server, selected volumes, the system state, files or folders, and Hyper-V virtual machines. If you created Hyper-V backup in this way, you can refer to this this article to learn how to restore Hyper-V virtual machine from Windows Server Backup.

However, as Windows Server Backup only suitable for small amount of data, it is recommended you try a professional and stable software for Hyper-V restore deleted VM at image-level. In this regard, AOMEI Cyber Backup definitely worth a try.