Archive and reclaim
Park a stopped machine as a compressed bundle and get the disk space back. Run the same command again to restore it.
Why it matters
The reason people delete VMs is disk pressure, and deleting the wrong one is expensive. Archiving turns that decision into a reversible one.
What changes
Without it
- A machine you might need next quarter occupies its full size all quarter.
- So you delete it, and rebuild it later from scratch.
- Or you keep it, and run out of room for the machine you need today.
With 1VMTool
- `1vm archive <vm>` compresses the bundle and returns the space.
- The same command restores it — there is nothing else to remember.
- The storage view shows allocated, on-disk and reclaimable on one bar.
How it works
Archive a stopped machine
`1vm archive <vm>` compresses the whole bundle in place. The machine stays in your library, marked as archived, rather than disappearing.
Restore by repeating
Running `1vm archive` again on an archived machine expands it. Archived machines can also be restored or deleted from the app.
See where the space went
`1vm du` reports disk usage across the library, and the storage window shows allocated against on-disk against reclaimable.
What it covers
- `1vm archive <vm>` to compress and to restore
- Restore or delete an archived machine from the app
- `1vm du` for library-wide disk usage
- Storage view with allocated, on-disk and reclaimable
What you get out of it
- Keep a machine you rarely need without paying for it in disk
- Make the delete decision reversible
- See which machine is actually costing you the space
Try it on your own Mac
Every screen states its limits before you commit to anything.