This document describes how to copy your VM to a different project.

Before you begin

• Review Best practices for persistent disk snapshots and prepare your boot disk for snapshots.
• If you haven't already, set upauthentication. Authentication verifies your identity for access to Google Cloud services and APIs. To run code or samples from a local development environment, you can authenticate to Compute Engine by selecting one of the following options:

  1. Install the Google Cloud CLI. After installation,initialize the Google Cloud CLI by running the following command:

     gcloudinit

     If you're using an external identity provider (IdP), you must first sign in to the gcloud CLI with your federated identity.

     Note: If you installed the gcloud CLI previously, make sure you have the latest version by runninggcloud components update.
  2. Set a default region and zone.

Required roles

To get the permissions that you need to copy VM between projects, ask your administrator to grant you theCompute Instance Admin (v1) (roles/compute.instanceAdmin.v1) IAM role on the project. For more information about granting roles, seeManage access to projects, folders, and organizations.

This predefined role contains the permissions required to copy VM between projects. To see the exact permissions that are required, expand theRequired permissions section:

You might also be able to get these permissions withcustom roles or otherpredefined roles.

Copy a VM to another project

1. In your source project, create a snapshot of the VM's boot disk, using oneof the following commands:

   Zonal boot disk

   If your VM has a zonal boot disk, create a snapshot using the followingcommand:

   gcloud compute snapshots createSNAPSHOT_NAME \    --source-diskSOURCE_DISK \    --snapshot-typeSNAPSHOT_TYPE \    --source-disk-zoneSOURCE_DISK_ZONE

   Replace the following:

   • SNAPSHOT_NAME: A name for the snapshot.
   • SOURCE_DISK: The name of the zonal Persistent Disk volume from which you want to create a snapshot.
   • SNAPSHOT_TYPE: The snapshot type, eitherSTANDARD orARCHIVE. If a snapshot type is not specified, aSTANDARD snapshot is created. Choose Archive for more cost-efficient data retention.
   • SOURCE_DISK_ZONE: The zone of the zonal Persistent Disk volume from which you want to create a snapshot.

   Regional boot disk

   If your VM has a regional boot disk, create a snapshot using thefollowing command:

   gcloud compute snapshots createSNAPSHOT_NAME \    --source-diskSOURCE_DISK \    --source-disk-region=SOURCE_DISK_REGION \    --snapshot-type=SNAPSHOT_TYPE

   Replace the following:

   • SNAPSHOT_NAME: A name for the snapshot.
   • SOURCE_DISK: The name of the regional Persistent Disk volume from which you want to create a snapshot.
   • SOURCE_DISK_REGION: The region of the regional Persistent Disk volume from which you want to create a snapshot.
   • SNAPSHOT_TYPE: The snapshot type, eitherSTANDARD orARCHIVE. If a snapshot type is not specified, aSTANDARD snapshot is created.

2. Create a custom image from the snapshot using the following command:

   gcloud compute images createIMAGE_NAME \    --source-snapshot=SOURCE_SNAPSHOT \    [--storage-location=LOCATION]

   Replace the following:

   • IMAGE_NAME: a name for the new image
   • SOURCE_SNAPSHOT: the snapshot from which you want to create the image
   • LOCATION: Optional: a flag that lets you designate the region or multi-region where your image is stored. For example, specifyus to store the image in theus multi-region, orus-central1 to store it in theus-central1 region. If you don't make a selection, Compute Engine stores the image in the multi-region closest to your image's source location.

3. Optional: Share the custom image with users who create VMs in thedestination project. For more information about sharing custom images, seeSharing custom image within an organization.

4. In your destination project, create a VM from the custom image using thefollowing command:

   gcloud compute instances createVM_NAME \    --image-projectIMAGE_PROJECT \IMAGE_FLAG \    --subnetSUBNET

   Replace the following:

   • VM_NAME: the name of the VM
   • IMAGE_PROJECT: the ID of the Google Cloud project that contains the image
   • IMAGE_FLAG: specify one of the following:
     • Use the--imageIMAGE_NAME flag to specify a custom image.

       For example,--image my-debian-image-v2.

     • If you created your custom images as part of acustom image family, use the--image-familyIMAGE_FAMILY_NAME flag to specify that custom image family.

       This creates the VM from the most recent, non-deprecated OS image and OS version in your custom image family. For example, if you specify--image-family my-debian-family, Compute Engine creates a VM from the latest OS image in your custommy-debian-family image family.

     Note: Compute Engine uses the default image family and project if you don't specify an image, for exampledebian-10 anddebian-cloud, respectively.

   • SUBNET: if the subnet and instance are in the same project, replaceSUBNET with the name of a subnet that is in the same region as the instance.

     To specify a subnet in a Shared VPC network, replaceSUBNET with a string of the form:

             projects/HOST_PROJECT_ID/regions/REGION/subnetworks/SUBNET_NAME

     Replace the following:

     • HOST_PROJECT_ID: the project ID of the Shared VPC host project
     • REGION: the region of the subnet
     • SUBNET_NAME: the name of the subnet

     The region of the subnet for a Shared VPC network must also match the region containing the instance.

What's next

• Customize the destination project'sVPC network.