Microsoft today announced the public preview of a new VM Conversion extension for Windows Admin Center, enabling IT administrators to migrate virtual machines from VMware vCenter to Hyper-V with minimal downtime.
Available at no cost during its preview phase, the lightweight tool supports online replication and conversion of both Windows and Linux VMs, streamlining hybrid data center modernization and cloud enablement.
With the VM Conversion extension, organizations can move up to ten VMs in a single batch, grouping workloads by application dependency, cluster membership, rack placement, or business unit boundaries.
By persisting static IP configurations and dynamically configuring Secure Boot and UEFI settings, the tool ensures network continuity and compliance with security policies—critical for enterprises running mission-critical services.
Key Features
Cluster-Aware Migration – The extension supports migration from ESXi hosts directly into Windows Server Failover Clusters, simplifying high-availability scenarios without manual reconfiguration.
Bulk Migration – Admins can select up to ten VMs per task, allowing the simultaneous conversion of interdependent workloads such as multi-tier applications or test-and-preproduction environments.
Static IP Preservation – By retaining original network settings, the tool reduces post-migration network troubleshooting and accelerates cut-over.
Secure Boot & UEFI Configuration – Integrated osType detection ensures correct Secure Boot templates for Windows and Linux guests, with error handling for unsupported OS types.
Multi-Disk & Multi-vCenter Support – All attached virtual disks are replicated and synchronized, and administrators can manage multiple vCenter endpoints to streamline large-scale migrations.
Localization & Prechecks – The extension offers localized user interfaces and a comprehensive set of prechecks—covering snapshots, Change Block Tracking (CBT), PowerCLI installation, Visual C++ dependencies, and storage validation—to catch potential issues before they disrupt migration workflows.
To get started, administrators must install the VM Conversion (Preview) extension via Windows Admin Center’s Extensions pane. Once installed, linking vCenter requires only the FQDN, username, and password of the vSphere endpoint.
After connecting, users run synchronization prechecks, specify a destination path, and initiate online replication. The tool creates VHDX files automatically, providing progress notifications for each phase.
Migration follows a similar pattern: after ensuring vCPU availability, absence of naming conflicts, and presence of synchronized VHDX files, admins switch to the Migrate tab, select desired VMs, and proceed.
The extension handles delta replication, powers off the source VM, performs final synchronization, and imports the VM into Hyper-V, all while maintaining logs and error reports for troubleshooting.
Windows Admin Center 2410 build 2.4.12.10 or later is required, along with VMware PowerCLI, the VDDK 8.0.3 package, and the Hyper-V role enabled on target hosts.
The solution supports vCenter 6.x and 7.x, Windows Server 2012 R2 through 2025, Windows 10, and a broad range of Linux distributions—provided Hyper-V drivers are installed on Linux guests.
As the VM Conversion extension progresses toward general availability, Microsoft plans to incorporate user feedback, enhance performance at scale, and expand support for additional guest operating systems and clustering topologies.
By integrating VMware migration into Windows Admin Center, Microsoft empowers enterprises to accelerate their journey to a modern, Hyper-V–based infrastructure with confidence and efficiency.
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