SOLVED: What’s the Difference Between DELETE and REMOVE in VMware

In VMware, the terms “delete” and “remove” have distinct meanings:

• Remove from Inventory: This option unregisters the virtual machine (VM) from the host and the vCenter Server inventory, but the VM’s files remain on the datastore. This means you can still access the VM directly and its data if needed. It will not show up under vCenter, and therefore it is not possible to manage isolated virtual machines from vCenter
• Delete from Disk: This option removes the VM from the inventory and deletes its files from the datastore. This is a permanent and non-reversible deletion of the VM and its constituent datastore from the ESXi Host. Once this option is exercised, you will not be able to recover either the VM or the data

If you want to keep the VM’s files for future re-registration, you should select “remove from inventory.”

If you want to delete the VM and its files permanently, you should select “delete from disk, like you can see we did, in the screenshot to the right.