How to delete a VM and Storage in Proxmox

Proxmox Virtual Environment (Proxmox VE) is an open-source platform for enterprise virtualization. It combines two powerful virtualization technologies: KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) for full virtualization, and LXC (Linux Containers) for lightweight container-based virtualization. In this article, we shall discuss how to delete a VM and Storage in Proxmox. Please, see how to create a bootable USB on Mac: Proxmox VE Setup, and how to install Proxmox VE on a Beelink EQ12 Mini PC.

Proxmox VE provides a web-based management interface and a robust command-line toolset which we will use to administer these tasks. That is, to manage virtual machines (VMs), containers, storage, networking, and high availability clustering.

Also, see how to resolve the Update Package Database failure on Proxmox VE, how to perform Cluster creation in Proxmox VE, and how to set up the OOTBI Virtual Appliance on Proxmox VE.

Delete a Virtual Machine from Proxmox

To delete a VM and its storage in Proxmox. First ensure the VM is stopped or powered off, then remove it via the web interface or command line.

Note: For storage, if it’s local storage associated with the VM, it will usually be deleted automatically upon VM removal. For shared storage, you may need to manually remove any leftover volumes as we will see very shortly.

As you can see below, the VM has been stopped and currently not running. In the Proxmox web interface, select the VM.

Click “More” on the right hand pane of the window. Lastly, click on “Remove”.

You will be prompted to confirm the deletion. This removes the VM configuration and its associated disk files as shown in the image below. click Remove to complete the VM deletion.

Please, see How to fix “Action required” in Microsoft Authenticator App, how to Fix AADSTS900144: The request body must contain the parameter, and how to install Trellix MVISON Endpoint.

Remove Proxmox Storage

Before proceeding with this step, ensure that no VM or CT is using the storage. Also, no backups, ISOs, or disk images are stored there unless you plan to delete them. This is because, AFAIK, this action is not reversable. Lastly, a backup is usually vital or handy to have in case anything goes wrong.

Sometimes, disks or backups remain on storage. To remove a storage in Proxmox VE, you can do it via the Web UI or using the command line.

To do this from the Web interface as shown below. Navigate to the Datacenter

Next, click on Storage. Next, Select the storage entry you want to remove and click on Remove.

When prompted if you are sure you wish to remove the storage, click on “YES”.

As you can see, we have removed the VM and and Storage as well.

Server Utilization

Server utilization is a metric that measures how effectively a server’s resources (such as CPU, memory, and storage) are being used at any given time.

Since you have deleted the VM and it is no longer running, you can now observe the current resource utilization of the Proxmox node as shown below.