How to delete KVM Virtual machine using virsh

Deleting a KVM virtual machine using “virsh” is a multi-step process. You need to stop the virtual machine, find the storage device used by them VM, and remove the storage devices. Then undefine the virtual machine.

Here are the commands used to delete a KVM VM with the name win10.

First shutdown the VM

virsh shutdown win10

1	virsh shutdown win10

If it did not stop, you can force stop with the command

virsh destroy win10

1	virsh destroy win10

Find information about the VM with the command “virsh dumpxml –domain VM_NAME”

root@mail:~# virsh dumpxml --domain win10
<domain type='kvm'>
  <name>win10</name>
  <uuid>e40399f7-9936-41ce-9a70-0251cb948cae</uuid>
  <metadata>
    <libosinfo:libosinfo xmlns:libosinfo="http://libosinfo.org/xmlns/libvirt/domain/1.0">
      <libosinfo:os id="http://microsoft.com/win/2k16"/>
    </libosinfo:libosinfo>
  </metadata>
  <memory unit='KiB'>16777216</memory>
  <currentMemory unit='KiB'>16777216</currentMemory>
  <vcpu placement='static'>4</vcpu>
  <os>
    <type arch='x86_64' machine='pc-q35-4.2'>hvm</type>
    <boot dev='hd'/>
  </os>
  <features>
    <acpi/>
    <apic/>
    <hyperv>
      <relaxed state='on'/>
      <vapic state='on'/>
      <spinlocks state='on' retries='8191'/>
    </hyperv>
    <vmport state='off'/>
  </features>
  <cpu mode='host-model' check='partial'/>
  <clock offset='localtime'>
    <timer name='rtc' tickpolicy='catchup'/>
    <timer name='pit' tickpolicy='delay'/>
    <timer name='hpet' present='no'/>
    <timer name='hypervclock' present='yes'/>
  </clock>
  <on_poweroff>destroy</on_poweroff>
  <on_reboot>restart</on_reboot>
  <on_crash>destroy</on_crash>
  <pm>
    <suspend-to-mem enabled='no'/>
    <suspend-to-disk enabled='no'/>
  </pm>
  <devices>
    <emulator>/usr/bin/qemu-system-x86_64</emulator>
    <disk type='block' device='disk'>
      <driver name='qemu' type='raw' cache='none' io='native'/>
      <source dev='/dev/vg1/win10'/>
      <target dev='sda' bus='sata'/>
      <address type='drive' controller='0' bus='0' target='0' unit='0'/>
    </disk>
    <disk type='file' device='cdrom'>
      <driver name='qemu' type='raw'/>
      <source file='/var/lib/libvirt/images/Win10_21H2_English_x64.iso'/>
      <target dev='sdb' bus='sata'/>
      <readonly/>
      <address type='drive' controller='0' bus='0' target='0' unit='1'/>
    </disk>
    <controller type='usb' index='0' model='qemu-xhci' ports='15'>
      <address type='pci' domain='0x0000' bus='0x02' slot='0x00' function='0x0'/>
    </controller>
    <controller type='sata' index='0'>
      <address type='pci' domain='0x0000' bus='0x00' slot='0x1f' function='0x2'/>
    </controller>
    <controller type='pci' index='0' model='pcie-root'/>
    <controller type='pci' index='1' model='pcie-root-port'>
      <model name='pcie-root-port'/>
      <target chassis='1' port='0x10'/>
      <address type='pci' domain='0x0000' bus='0x00' slot='0x02' function='0x0' multifunction='on'/>
    </controller>
    <controller type='pci' index='2' model='pcie-root-port'>
      <model name='pcie-root-port'/>
      <target chassis='2' port='0x11'/>
      <address type='pci' domain='0x0000' bus='0x00' slot='0x02' function='0x1'/>
    </controller>
    <controller type='pci' index='3' model='pcie-root-port'>
      <model name='pcie-root-port'/>
      <target chassis='3' port='0x12'/>
      <address type='pci' domain='0x0000' bus='0x00' slot='0x02' function='0x2'/>
    </controller>
    <controller type='pci' index='4' model='pcie-root-port'>
      <model name='pcie-root-port'/>
      <target chassis='4' port='0x13'/>
      <address type='pci' domain='0x0000' bus='0x00' slot='0x02' function='0x3'/>
    </controller>
    <controller type='pci' index='5' model='pcie-root-port'>
      <model name='pcie-root-port'/>
      <target chassis='5' port='0x14'/>
      <address type='pci' domain='0x0000' bus='0x00' slot='0x02' function='0x4'/>
    </controller>
    <controller type='virtio-serial' index='0'>
      <address type='pci' domain='0x0000' bus='0x03' slot='0x00' function='0x0'/>
    </controller>
    <interface type='bridge'>
      <mac address='52:54:00:98:19:16'/>
      <source bridge='br0'/>
      <model type='e1000e'/>
      <address type='pci' domain='0x0000' bus='0x01' slot='0x00' function='0x0'/>
    </interface>
    <serial type='pty'>
      <target type='isa-serial' port='0'>
        <model name='isa-serial'/>
      </target>
    </serial>
    <console type='pty'>
      <target type='serial' port='0'/>
    </console>
    <channel type='spicevmc'>
      <target type='virtio' name='com.redhat.spice.0'/>
      <address type='virtio-serial' controller='0' bus='0' port='1'/>
    </channel>
    <input type='tablet' bus='usb'>
      <address type='usb' bus='0' port='1'/>
    </input>
    <input type='mouse' bus='ps2'/>
    <input type='keyboard' bus='ps2'/>
    <graphics type='spice' port='-1' autoport='no' listen='127.0.0.1'>
      <listen type='address' address='127.0.0.1'/>
    </graphics>
    <sound model='ich9'>
      <address type='pci' domain='0x0000' bus='0x00' slot='0x1b' function='0x0'/>
    </sound>
    <video>
      <model type='qxl' ram='65536' vram='65536' vgamem='16384' heads='1' primary='yes'/>
      <address type='pci' domain='0x0000' bus='0x00' slot='0x01' function='0x0'/>
    </video>
    <redirdev bus='usb' type='spicevmc'>
      <address type='usb' bus='0' port='2'/>
    </redirdev>
    <redirdev bus='usb' type='spicevmc'>
      <address type='usb' bus='0' port='3'/>
    </redirdev>
    <memballoon model='virtio'>
      <address type='pci' domain='0x0000' bus='0x04' slot='0x00' function='0x0'/>
    </memballoon>
  </devices>
</domain>

root@mail:~#

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root@mail:~# virsh dumpxml --domain win10

<libosinfo:libosinfo xmlns:libosinfo="http://libosinfo.org/xmlns/libvirt/domain/1.0">

<libosinfo:os id="http://microsoft.com/win/2k16"/>

</libosinfo:libosinfo>

</metadata>

<os>

</os>

<acpi/>

<apic/>

</hyperv>

</features>

</clock>

<on_poweroff>destroy</on_poweroff>

<on_reboot>restart</on_reboot>

<on_crash>destroy</on_crash>

<pm>

<suspend-to-mem enabled='no'/>

<suspend-to-disk enabled='no'/>

</pm>

<emulator>/usr/bin/qemu-system-x86_64</emulator>

</disk>

</disk>

</controller>

</controller>

</controller>

</controller>

</controller>

</controller>

</controller>

</controller>

</interface>

</target>

</serial>

</console>

</channel>

</input>

</graphics>

</sound>

<video>

</video>

</redirdev>

</redirdev>

</memballoon>

</devices>

</domain>

root@mail:~#

In the above result, you can see we are using the following storage device for this VM

    <disk type='block' device='disk'>
      <driver name='qemu' type='raw' cache='none' io='native'/>
      <source dev='/dev/vg1/win10'/>
      <target dev='sda' bus='sata'/>
      <address type='drive' controller='0' bus='0' target='0' unit='0'/>
    </disk>
    <disk type='file' device='cdrom'>
      <driver name='qemu' type='raw'/>
      <source file='/var/lib/libvirt/images/Win10_21H2_English_x64.iso'/>
      <target dev='sdb' bus='sata'/>
      <readonly/>
      <address type='drive' controller='0' bus='0' target='0' unit='1'/>
    </disk>

</disk>

</disk>

This VM uses the storage device /dev/vg1/win10, we need to remove it.

lvremove /dev/vg1/win10

1	lvremove /dev/vg1/win10

The VM also uses ISO file /var/lib/libvirt/images/Win10_21H2_English_x64.iso, if you don’t need it, you can delete it.

rm -f /var/lib/libvirt/images/Win10_21H2_English_x64.iso

1	rm -f /var/lib/libvirt/images/Win10_21H2_English_x64.iso

To delete the VM, you can use

virsh undefine win10

1	virsh undefine win10

Example

root@mail:~# virsh undefine win10
Domain win10 has been undefined

root@mail:~#

root@mail:~# virsh undefine win10

Domain win10 has been undefined

root@mail:~#

Back to virsh

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