Download Large VMDK Files Faster from VMware Host Faster

I have a few very large obsolete VM files that I need to get off from the Host to save storage spaces for other things. Downloading the files directly from vCenter doesn’t seem to work because, based on the download rate, which is at 15MBps at best, it would take days to transfer my files.

Since I am using Windows, WinSCP is the next tool I tried.

First, start the host’s SSH service by

  1. Select the host in vCenter and click Configure tab.
  2. Then select Services from the left-side panel under the System section.
  3. Start the SSH service there.

Now it’s ready to use WinSCP. Simply log in with the host’s root account and then navigate to the storage volume at /vmfs/volumes.

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