Vssadmin Commands: How to Manage Shadow Copies in Windows

Vssadmin commands let you control Windows Volume Shadow Copies directly from the Command Prompt. You can list, create, resize, or delete shadow copies to manage backups and disk space efficiently. This guide will show you exactly how to do it step by step.

How to use Vssadmin Commands?

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator

To start using Vssadmin commands, you must open Command Prompt with administrative privileges.

1. Press Windows + S and type cmd.
2. Right click Command Prompt.
3. Select Run as administrator to allow system level changes.
   

If you want to learn more about powerful system utilities, check out our guide on WMIC system info.

To confirm which account you are using and verify administrative rights before running system commands, see our detailed guide on the whoami command in Windows. It shows how to identify your current user and permissions quickly using Command Prompt.

Before running advanced system commands, it helps to understand how CMD works. See this complete Command Prompt commands list to learn other essential functions you can use alongside Vssadmin.

2. List All Shadow Copies

This command helps you see all existing shadow copies created on your system.

1. Type the following command: vssadmin list shadows
   
2. Review the list of shadow copies created for each volume.
3. Note the shadow ID and creation date for reference.

3. Check Shadow Storage Usage

You can check how much space your shadow copies use with a simple command.

1. Enter this command: vssadmin list shadowstorage
   
2. Identify how much space is allocated to shadow copies.
3. Compare the used and maximum space values.

This command is helpful when the Volume Shadow Copy Service uses too much storage. Read more about vssvc.exe and how it works in Windows.

4. Create a New Shadow Copy

Use this command to manually create a new shadow copy for a specific drive.

1. Run the command: vssadmin create shadow /for=C:
   
2. Replace C: with the desired drive letter.
3. Wait for confirmation that the shadow copy is created.

5. Resize Shadow Storage Space

If your disk space is running low, you can resize the area reserved for shadow copies.

1. Type this command: vssadmin resize shadowstorage /for=C: /on=C: /maxsize=10GB
2. Replace C: and adjust maxsize as needed.
3. Press Enter to apply the new limit.

6. Delete All Shadow Copies

This command removes all existing shadow copies from your chosen drive.

1. Run the following: vssadmin delete shadows /for=C: /all
2. Confirm the deletion when prompted.
3. Wait for the cleanup process to complete.

7. Delete Only the Oldest Shadow Copy

If you want to keep some restore points, delete only the oldest shadow copy instead.

1. Use this command: vssadmin delete shadows /for=C: /oldest
2. Confirm the removal of the oldest restore point.
3. Check remaining copies using vssadmin list shadows

8. View Registered VSS Providers

You can also list the software providers registered with Volume Shadow Copy Service.

1. Enter the command: vssadmin list providers
   
2. Check which VSS providers are installed.
3. Identify any third party backup tools listed.

9. Fix “VSS Service Not Running” Error

If you get an error that the VSS service is not running, start it manually.

1. Press Windows + R, type services.msc, and press Enter.
2. Find Volume Shadow Copy in the list.
3. Right click it, select Start, and set Startup type to Manual.

For more useful command line tools, explore our list of Shell commands in Windows 10.

FAQs

Conclusion

Vssadmin commands provide a straightforward way to create backups, control storage, and troubleshoot Volume Shadow Copy issues. Mastering these commands helps you keep restore points healthy and your system space under control.