.VMSN File Extension
VMware Snapshot State File
| Developer | VMware |
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What is a VMSN file?
A VMSN file saves the virtual machine (VM) data for a snapshot, which is a frozen state of the VM saved at a particular point in time. VMware virtualization software creates a VMSN file when a user takes a snapshot of a VM, which allows them to revert a VM to a saved point. VMSN files are saved with a .VMSD file, which contains the metadata for the snapshot.
More Information
VMware Fusion and VMware Workstation are virtualization applications that can run multiple VMs on a single machine. VM snapshots save a VM state you can revert to in case something happens to the VM. For example, you can save a fresh installation of a guest operating system (OS) as a snapshot and revert to the clean OS install even after installing applications.
How to create a VMSN file
When taking a snapshot of a VM, VMware virtualization software creates a VMSN file in the VM file. For example, you can take a snapshot in Fusion by selecting , then Fusion creates the VMSN file in the .VMWAREVM file, which you can find in the following location (Fusion saves it here by default):
Macintosh HD/Users/[username]/Virtual Machines
Common VMSN Filenames
[VM name]-Snapshot[number].vmsn - The name of the VMSN file is the same name as the VM followed by the numbered snapshot. For example, the VMSN file for the second snapshot of a "Windows 11" VM is Windows 11-Snapshot2.vmsn.
How to open a VMSN file
You should not attempt to open a VMSN file manually. Instead, you can open a VMSN file from within the VMware Fusion or VMware Workstation user interface. For example, to open a VMSN file in Fusion, select , then double-click the snapshot to load it.