---
title: "Restore a VM from a snapshot"
description: "Put a TIR Virtual Machine's disk back to the state of a snapshot, and know what the restore replaces before you start."
content_type: "how-to"
product: "tir-snapshots"
platform: "TIR"
url: "/tir/tir-snapshots/how-to/restore-a-vm-from-a-snapshot/"
topic: ["use-a-snapshot"]
relationships: {"requires":["/tir/tir-snapshots/how-to/create-a-vm-snapshot/"]}
---

# Restore a VM from a snapshot

Restore a TIR Virtual Machine from a snapshot to bring its disk back to how it was when the snapshot
was taken, for example after an update or a change that went wrong.

## Before you begin

- A snapshot of the VM that is **Ready**. See
  [Create a VM snapshot](/tir/tir-snapshots/how-to/create-a-vm-snapshot/).
- The snapshot's source VM, which must still exist. A snapshot of a deleted VM can still be deleted
  or used to create a new VM. See
  [Delete a VM snapshot](/tir/tir-snapshots/how-to/delete-a-vm-snapshot/) and
  [Create a VM from a snapshot](/tir/tir-snapshots/how-to/create-a-vm-from-a-snapshot/).
- Update permission in the project. See [TIR Access Control](/tir/tir-iam/).
- (Optional) A new snapshot of the disk as it is now, if you want to keep it.

## Restore the VM

A restore replaces the VM's whole disk. Everything written since the snapshot was taken is lost for
good, and the VM is offline until the restore finishes. To keep the current disk, take a snapshot of
it first, or create a separate VM from the old snapshot instead.

1. Find the snapshot. In the side menu, under **Storage**, select **Snapshots** to see every snapshot
   in the project. Or, under **Compute**, select **Virtual Machines**, open the VM, and select its
   **Snapshots** tab.
2. In the **Actions** menu of the snapshot, select **Restore**.
3. Tick "I understand the current disk will be replaced." and select **Restore**.

The VM goes offline briefly: it stops, gets a disk built from the snapshot, and starts again.

## Check the restored VM

Watch the VM's **Status** in **Manage VMs**. During the restore it reads **Stopping**, then
**Stopped**, **Starting**, and **Running**. Then connect over SSH to look at the files; see [Connect to a VM over SSH](/tir/tir-vm/how-to/connect-to-a-vm-over-ssh/).

The VM starts again on its own plan, so the region needs free capacity for it. If the status reads
**Failed**, or the VM fails to return to **Running**, contact support with the VM name, the
snapshot name, and the time you started the restore; see [Create a support
ticket](/tir/tir-support/how-to/create-a-support-ticket/).

To start a separate VM from the same snapshot instead, see
[Create a VM from a snapshot](/tir/tir-snapshots/how-to/create-a-vm-from-a-snapshot/). If your files
look different from what you expected, see
[Troubleshooting TIR Snapshots](/tir/tir-snapshots/troubleshooting/tir-snapshots/#my-files-are-gone-after-i-restored-a-snapshot).