Forgotten VMware Snapshots? Automate Detection and Alerting with PowerCLI

In any VMware environment, snapshots are powerful but risky tools. They're great for backups or quick rollback points during updates, but leaving them for too long can seriously degrade performance, consume excessive datastore space, and even cause backup failures.

Tools like RVTools give you visibility into your snapshots, but wouldn’t it be better if you could automate the process and be proactively alerted when snapshots become a problem?

​That’s exactly what we’ll do in this blog—let’s build a PowerCLI script that checks for old snapshots and alerts you automatically.

The Problem: Forgotten Snapshots

Snapshots are meant to be temporary. VMware recommends deleting them within 24–72 hours in most production environments. However, admins often forget to clean them up—especially in environments with multiple teams or large numbers of VMs.

Leaving snapshots too long can result in:

• Slower VM performance
• Datastores filling up unexpectedly
• Failed backup jobs
• Risky system state assumptions

The Solution: PowerCLI Snapshot Age Monitor

We’ll create a script that:

• Connects to vCenter
• Checks all snapshots
• Flags snapshots older than a set number of days (default: 30)
• Outputs a report (CSV or HTML)
• Can be scheduled for regular execution

PowerCLI Script

​# Load VMware PowerCLI module
Import-Module VMware.PowerCLI

# Connect to vCenter
$vCenter = Read-Host "Enter vCenter Server"
Connect-VIServer -Server $vCenter

# Set age threshold in days
$maxSnapshotAge = 30
$today = Get-Date

# Prepare list
$oldSnapshots = @()

# Get all snapshots and filter by age
Get-VM | Get-Snapshot | ForEach-Object {
    $age = ($today - $_.Created).Days
    if ($age -gt $maxSnapshotAge) {
        $oldSnapshots += [PSCustomObject]@{
            VMName        = $_.VM.Name
            SnapshotName  = $_.Name
            Created       = $_.Created
            AgeDays       = $age
            Description   = $_.Description
        }
    }
}

# Export or alert
if ($oldSnapshots.Count -gt 0) {
    $reportPath = "Old_Snapshots_Report.csv"
    $oldSnapshots | Export-Csv -Path $reportPath -NoTypeInformation
    Write-Host "⚠️ Found $($oldSnapshots.Count) old snapshots. Report saved to $reportPath."
} else {
    Write-Host "✅ No snapshots older than $maxSnapshotAge days were found."
}

# Disconnect from vCenter
Disconnect-VIServer -Server $vCenter -Confirm:$false

​Enhancements You Can Add

Feature
Email alerts
HTML reports
Auto-delete options
​
Task Scheduler or Jenkins

Benefit
Send automated snapshot reports to IT team
Clean, readable format for management
Automatically clean up snapshots past a certain age (with tags/safety checks)
​Run the script weekly or daily without manual effort

​Set It and Forget It

Once you test and validate the script, schedule it to run using Windows Task Scheduler or your favorite automation tool. Just make sure your environment allows for non-interactive logins with saved credentials (or use secure credential management via PowerShell).

​Final Thoughts

This kind of proactive monitoring is what separates reactive IT teams from strategic infrastructure teams. Snapshots are small risks that can grow into major problems—but with this script, you can detect them early and keep your environment clean and efficient.
​
If you’re already using RVTools for visibility, this script brings automation and accountability to the mix. Clean snapshots, clean conscience!