====== Shrink Qcow2 Disk Files ======

===== Linux Guest Preparation =====

Use the following command to zero out your disk (inside the VM):

<code># dd if=/dev/zero of=/mytempfile
# rm -f /mytempfile</code>


===== Shrink the Disk File =====

Shut down the VM.

<note important>Create a backup of your existing VM disk file:</note>

<code># mv image.qcow2 image.qcow2_backup</code>

There are 2 options, one with compression and another without.

==== Option #1: No Compression ====

<code># qemu-img convert -O qcow2 image.qcow2_backup image.qcow2</code>

==== Option #2: With Compression (performance impact on slower systems) ====

<code># qemu-img convert -O qcow2 -c image.qcow2_backup image.qcow2</code>

Boot your VM and verify all is working.