Chapter 7. Deleting virtual machines

To delete virtual machines in RHEL 9, use the command line interface or the web console GUI.

7.1. Deleting virtual machines by using the command line interface

To delete a virtual machine (VM), you can remove its XML configuration and associated storage files from the host by using the command line. Follow the procedure below:

Prerequisites

  • Back up important data from the VM.
  • Shut down the VM.
  • Make sure no other VMs use the same associated storage.

Procedure

  • Use the virsh undefine utility.

    For example, the following command removes the guest1 VM, its associated storage volumes, and non-volatile RAM, if any. 

    # virsh undefine guest1 --remove-all-storage --nvram
Domain 'guest1' has been undefined
Volume 'vda'(/home/images/guest1.qcow2) removed.

Additional resources

  • The virsh undefine --help command
  • The virsh man page

7.2. Deleting virtual machines by using the web console

To delete a virtual machine (VM) and its associated storage files from the host to which the RHEL 9 web console is connected with, follow the procedure below:

Prerequisites

  • The web console VM plug-in is installed on your system.
  • Back up important data from the VM.
  • Make sure no other VM uses the same associated storage.
  • Optional: Shut down the VM.

Procedure

  1. In the Virtual Machines interface, click the Menu button ⋮ of the VM that you want to delete.

    A drop down menu appears with controls for various VM operations.

  2. Click Delete.

    A confirmation dialog appears.

    Image displaying the Confirm deletion of VM dialog box.
  3. Optional: To delete all or some of the storage files associated with the VM, select the checkboxes next to the storage files you want to delete.

  4. Click Delete.

    The VM and any selected storage files are deleted.