This article covers a simple method to convert Hyper-V VHDX file to VHD using PowerShell. VHDX is a file format for virtual hard disks that stands for Virtual Hard Disk. This is a newer format that VHD and has some significant advantages over it. A VHDX file works well with modern hardware thanks to its 4KB logical sector size. Also, VHDX has a maximum capacity limit of 64 TB which is way higher than the 2 TB limit of VHD.
Most of the modern software and system use the VHDX files due to its advantages like freedom to create fix or dynamic storage. So, if you work with a system or tool that doesn’t support VHDX file types, you can convert the VHDX to VHD and use then use it normally. And, the best thing is that you don’t have to install anything to convert VHDX to VHD as long as you have a Windows PC. All you have to do is paste a simple command in the PowerShell, that’s it.
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Convert Hyper-V VHDX file to VHD using PowerShell
The process of converting a VHDX file to VHD is very simple and straightforward. The first thing you have to do is note or copy the path to the VHDX file and open Windows PowerShell with administrative privileges. To do that, press Win+X on your keyboard and select the Windows PowerShell (Admin) option from the popup. Then, use the following command to convert the VHDX file to VHD:
Convert-VHD –Path <PATH_TO_THE_VHDX_FILE> –DestinationPath <PATH_TO_SAVE_VHD_FILE>
For example, I have a Linux Mint VHDX file saved on my Desktop, I can convert it to VHD with the following command:
Convert-VHD –Path C:\Users\ILOVEFREESOFTWARE\Desktop\linuxmint.vhdx –DestinationPath C:\Users\ILOVEFREESOFTWARE\Desktop\linuxmint.vhd
Depending on the size of the file, the conversion will take some time and gives you the VHD file in the directory mentioned in the command. The command also works in reverse. If you want to convert a VHD file to VHDX file, you can do that by simply replacing the files in the command.
Convert-VHD –Path C:\Users\ILOVEFREESOFTWARE\Desktop\linuxmint.vhd –DestinationPath C:\Users\ILOVEFREESOFTWARE\Desktop\linuxmint.vhdx
Closing Words
This is how you can convert Hyper-V VHDX file to VHD using PowerShell. The process is really simple that you can easily perform with a PC running Windows 10. This way, you can make the VHDX and VHD files compatible with other Virtual Machines that don’t support the format.
