Create and manage instant snapshots

This document explains how to create and manageinstant snapshots.Instant snapshots capture the contents of a disk and can be used to create anew disk in minutes.

Instant snapshots are stored in the samezone or region as their source disks andarenot a replacement for standard snapshots, which offer off-site backupfor disaster recovery. Learn about the otherdata protection options available in Compute Engine.

To access the data on an instant snapshot, use the instant snapshot tocreate a new disk.

If you want to copy an instant snapshot to another location or retain the snapshotteddata after the source disk is deleted,create a standard snapshot from the instant snapshot.

Before you begin

Required roles and permissions

To get the permissions that you need to create instant snapshots, ask your administrator to grant you the following IAM roles on the project:

For more information about granting roles, seeManage access to projects, folders, and organizations.

These predefined roles contain the permissions required to create instant snapshots. To see the exact permissions that are required, expand theRequired permissions section:

Required permissions

The following permissions are required to create instant snapshots:

  • To create an instant snapshot: compute.instantSnapshots.create
  • To view instant snapshots: compute.instantSnapshots.list
  • To view instant snapshots details: compute.instantSnapshots.get
  • To delete an instant snapshot: compute.instantSnapshots.delete

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

Limitations

  • You can't create instant snapshots of Hyperdisk Throughput or Hyperdisk ML volumes.

  • You can't select the storage location of an instant snapshot.It's always stored in the same region or zone as the source disk.

  • When you delete a disk, all instant snapshots of the disk are deleted.This means that when you delete a VM, instant snapshots of the VM's boot disk aredeleted. Instant snapshots of non-boot disks attached to the VM are also deleted ifyou'veenabled auto-delete for the disk.To retain the data on an instant snapshot before it is deleted,create a standard snapshot from the instant snapshot.

  • An instant snapshot is accessible only within the zone or region where it's stored.To move an instant snapshot to another region, you must create a standard snapshotfrom the instant snapshot.

  • When you create a disk from a CMEK-encrypted instant snapshot, you must providethe instant snapshot's encryption key.

  • You can create a standard snapshot of an individual disk at most 6 times every60 minutes. This limit also applies to creating a standard snapshot from aninstant snapshot of a disk.

  • You can't create a VM from an instant snapshot of a boot disk. Create adisk from the instant snapshot first, and choose the disk as the source for the VM.

  • You can create an instant snapshot of a given disk at most once every 30seconds.

  • You can't have more than 32 instant snapshots of the same disk.

  • You can't create instant snapshots with snapshot schedules.

  • You can't create instant snapshots on secondary asynchronouslyreplicated Persistent Disk volumes.

  • Instant snapshotsarecrash consistentand not application consistent. This means that any in-memory data thathasn't yet been written to the disk isn't captured in the instant snapshot.If you require application consistency, create anapplication consistent standard snapshot.

  • You can't move a disk until you delete all the instant snapshots of the disk.For more information, seeMoving a disk that has instant snapshots.

  • You can't edit the data stored in an instant snapshot.

  • You can't recover deleted instant snapshots.

Create an instant snapshot of a disk

Instant snapshots of zonal disks are stored in the same zone as the source disk.Likewise, instant snapshots of regional disks are stored in the same region asthe disk.

You can create an instant snapshot with the gcloud CLI,Google Cloud console, or REST.

Console

  1. In the Google Cloud console, go to theVM instances page.

    Go to VM instances

  2. Select the project you want to work with.

  3. In theName column, click the name of the VM attached to the disk you want to back up.

  4. In theStorage section, select a disk in one of the following ways:

    • To back up the VM's boot disk, in theBoot disk section,click theName of the boot disk.
    • To back up an attached disk volume, in theAdditional disks section,click theName of the disk.

  5. To finish creating an instant snapshot, on theCreate a snapshot page,do the following:

    1. In theName field, enter a unique name to identify the instant snapshot.
    2. Optional: Add more details about the snapshot in theDescription field.
    3. In theType field, selectInstant snapshot. TheLocation fieldis automatically set to the same zone or region as the disk.
    4. In theSnapshot source type field, verify thatDisk is selected.
    5. Optional: To organize your project, add one or morelabels.
    6. ClickCreate.

gcloud

To create an instant snapshot, use thegcloud compute instant-snapshots createcommand:

Zonal disk

To create an instant snapshot of a zonal disk:

 gcloud compute instant-snapshots createINSTANT_SNAPSHOT_NAME \   --source-disk=SOURCE_DISK_NAME \   --zone=SOURCE_DISK_ZONE

Replace the following:

  • INSTANT_SNAPSHOT_NAME: a unique name for the instant snapshot.
  • SOURCE_DISK_NAME: the name of the source disk.
  • SOURCE_DISK_ZONE: the zone of the source disk.The instant snapshot will be created in the same zone.

Regional disk

To create an instant snapshot of a regional disk:

 gcloud compute instant-snapshots createINSTANT_SNAPSHOT_NAME \   --source-disk=SOURCE_DISK_NAME \   --region=SOURCE_DISK_REGION

Replace the following:

  • INSTANT_SNAPSHOT_NAME: a unique name for the instant snapshot.
  • SOURCE_DISK_NAME: the name of the source disk.
  • SOURCE_DISK_REGION: the region of the sourcedisk. The instant snapshot will be created in the same region.

REST

To create an instant snapshot, make aPOST request to theinstantSnapshots.insertmethod.

  • Create an instant snapshot of a zonal disk:

    Specify the zone in the URL of thePOST request. In the request body,specify a name for the new snapshot and the URL of the source disk.

    POST https://compute.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/PROJECT_ID/zones/DISK_ZONE/instantSnapshots{ "name": "INSTANT_SNAPSHOT_NAME", "sourceDisk": "projects/PROJECT_ID/zones/DISK_ZONE/disks/SOURCE_DISK_NAME"}

    Replace the following with the corresponding values:

    • PROJECT_ID: the name of the project containing the disk.
    • DISK_ZONE: the zone where the disk is located.the instant snapshot will be created in this zone.
    • INSTANT_SNAPSHOT_NAME: a unique name for the instant snapshot.
    • SOURCE_DISK_NAME: the name of the source disk.

  • Create an instant snapshot of a regional disk:

    Specify the region in the URL of thePOST request.Include the name and source disk of the new snapshot in the request body.

    POST https://compute.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/PROJECT_ID/regions/DISK_REGION/instantSnapshots{  "name": "INSTANT_SNAPSHOT_NAME",  "sourceDisk": "projects/PROJECT_ID/regions/DISK_REGION/disks/SOURCE_DISK_NAME"}

    Replace the following in the request body with the corresponding values:

    • PROJECT_ID: the name of the project containing the disk.
    • DISK_REGION: the region where the source disk is located. The snapshot will be created in the same region.
    • INSTANT_SNAPSHOT_NAME: a unique name for the snapshot.
    • SOURCE_DISK_NAME: The name of the source disk.

Request response

If thePOST request is successful, the response body will be an objectthat you can poll to get the status of the instant snapshot's creation. SeeHandling API responsesfor more information.

Restore an instant snapshot to a new disk

To restore data backed up with an instant snapshot,create a new disk from the instant snapshot.

View the instant snapshots in a project or location

You can view the list of all instant snapshots in a project or location byusing the gcloud CLI, Google Cloud console, or REST.

Console

  1. In the Google Cloud console, go to theSnapshots page.

    Go to the Snapshots page

  2. Click theInstant snapshots tab. The list of instant snapshots appears.

  3. Optional: Narrow your results with thefilter_listFilter field. Enter a propertyname or value in thefilter_listFilter field, or choose from the available properties.

gcloud

You can list the instant snapshots in a specific project or location with thegcloud compute instant-snapshots list command.

List all the snapshots in a project or the snapshots in a zone or region:

  • List all the instant snapshots in a particular project:

    gcloud compute instant-snapshots list --project=PROJECT_ID

    ReplacePROJECT_ID with the ID of the project.

  • List the instant snapshots in a zone with the--zones argument:

    gcloud compute instant-snapshots list --zones=ZONE

    ReplaceZONE with the name of the target zone.

  • List the regional instant snapshots in a region using the--regionsargument:

    gcloud compute instant-snapshots list --regions=REGION

    ReplaceREGION: with the name of the targetregion.

REST

You can retrieve a list of the instant snapshots in a specific project orlocation.

  • List the snapshots in a project:

    Make aGET request to theinstantSnapshots.aggregatedListmethod:

    GET https://compute.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/PROJECT_ID/aggregated/instantSnapshots

    ReplacePROJECT_ID with the ID of the project.

  • List the instant snapshots in a zone or region:

    Make aGET request to theinstantSnapshots.list method.

    • List the instant snapshots in a zone:

      GET https://compute.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/PROJECT_ID/zones/SOURCE_ZONE//instantSnapshots

      Replace the following:

      • PROJECT_ID: the ID of the project.
      • SOURCE_ZONE: the target zone, forexample,us-west1-a.

    • List the regional instant snapshots in a region:

      GET https://compute.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/PROJECT_ID/regions/SOURCE_REGION/instantSnapshots

      Replace the following:

      • PROJECT_ID: the ID of the project.
      • SOURCE_REGION: the target region, forexample,us-west1.

View the instant snapshots for a disk

You can view the list of instant snapshots for a disk by using thegcloud CLI, Google Cloud console, or REST.

Console

  1. In the Google Cloud console, go to theSnapshots page.

    Go to the Snapshots page

  2. Click theInstant snapshots tab. The list of all theinstant snapshots in the project appears.

  3. Narrow the results by source disk:

    1. EnterSource disk: in thefilter_listFilter field.Entering the source disk filter

      A list of disks with instant snapshots appears.

    2. Select the name of the disk from theValues list. The list of instantsnapshots shows all instant snapshots for the disk.

      If you don't see the name of a disk in the filter_listFilter field,type in the first few letters of the disk's name tochange the list of filtered options that you see.

gcloud

  1. List the instant snapshots for a disk with thegcloud compute instant-snapshots listcommand and the--filterargument:

    • List the instant snapshots for a zonal disk:

      gcloud compute instant-snapshots list \--filter="sourceDisk:projects/PROJECT_ID/zones/ZONE/disks/DISK_NAME

      Replace the following:

      • PROJECT_ID: the ID of the project.
      • ZONE: the name of the zone for the disk,for example,us-west1-a.
      • DISK_NAME: the name of the source disk,for example,disk-1.

    • List the instant snapshots for a regional disk:

      gcloud compute instant-snapshots list \--filter=sourceDisk:projects/PROJECT_ID/regions/SOURCE_REGION/disks/DISK_NAME

      Replace the following:

      • PROJECT_ID: the ID of the project.
      • SOURCE_REGION: the name of the region for the disk,for example,us-west1.
      • DISK_NAME: the name of the disk, for example,disk-1.

REST

List the instant snapshots for a zonal or regional disk with aGET requestto theinstantSnapshots.listmethod.

Use thefilter=sourceDisk query parameter to specify the name of the disk.

  • List the instant snapshots for a zonal disk:

    GET https://compute.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/PROJECT_ID/zones/SOURCE_ZONE/instantSnapshots?filter=sourceDisk:'https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/PROJECT_ID/zones/SOURCE_ZONE/disks/DISK_NAME'

    Replace the following:

    • PROJECT_ID: the ID of the project.
    • SOURCE_ZONE: the target zone, for example,us-west1-a.
    • DISK_NAME: the name of the source disk, for example,disk-1.

  • List the instant snapshots for a regional Persistent Disk volume:

    GET https://compute.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/PROJECT_ID/regions/SOURCE_REGION/instantSnapshots?filter=sourceDisk:'https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/PROJECT_ID/regions/SOURCE_REGION/disks/DISK_NAME'

    Replace the following:

    • PROJECT_ID: the ID of the project.
    • SOURCE_REGION: the target region, for example,us-west1.
    • DISK_NAME: the name of the source disk, for example,disk-1.

View information about an instant snapshot

Retrieve detailed information about an instant snapshot, such as its location,source disk, and size by using the gcloud CLI, Google Cloud console,or REST.

Console

  1. In the Google Cloud console, go to theSnapshots page.

    Go to the Snapshots page

  2. Click theInstant snapshots tab. The list of instant snapshots appears.

  3. In theName column, click the name of the instant snapshot. TheInstant snapshot details page for the selected snapshot appears,showing its properties.

gcloud

  1. To view information about an instant snapshot,use thegcloud compute instant-snapshots describecommand.

    • If the snapshot is of a zonal disk, specify the zone withthe--zone flag:

      gcloud compute instant-snapshots describeINSTANT_SNAPSHOT_NAME  \   --zone=ZONE

      Replace the following with the corresponding values:

      • INSTANT_SNAPSHOT_NAME: the name of theinstant snapshot.
      • ZONE: the zone where the instant snapshot wascreated, for example,us-west1-a.

    • If the snapshot is of a regional disk, specify the region withthe--region flag:

      gcloud compute instant-snapshots describeINSTANT_SNAPSHOT_NAME \--region=REGION

      Replace the following with the corresponding values:

      • INSTANT_SNAPSHOT_NAME: the name of the instantsnapshot.
      • REGION: the region where the snapshot wascreated, for example,us-central1.

REST

The API method request you use depends on whether you'reworking with a regional or zonal instant snapshot.

Zonal instant snapshot

Make aGET request to theinstantSnapshots.getmethod by specifying the zone in the request:

GET https://compute.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/PROJECT_ID/zones/ZONE/instantSnapshots/INSTANT_SNAPSHOT_NAME

Replace the following with the corresponding values:

  • PROJECT_ID: the name of the project containingthe instant snapshot.
  • ZONE: the zone where the instant snapshot was created.
  • INSTANT_SNAPSHOT_NAME: the name of the instant snapshot.

Regional instant snapshot

Make aGET request to theinstantSnapshots.getmethod by specifying the region in the request:

GET https://compute.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/PROJECT_ID/regions/REGION/instantSnapshots/INSTANT_SNAPSHOT_NAME

Replace the following with the corresponding values:

  • PROJECT_ID: the name of the projectcontaining the instant snapshot.
  • REGION: the region where the instant snapshotwas created.
  • INSTANT_SNAPSHOT_NAME: the name of the instant snapshot.

Delete an instant snapshot

You can delete an instant snapshot by using the gcloud CLI,Google Cloud console, or REST.

Warning: Deleting an instant snapshot is irreversible. You can't recover a deleted instant snapshot.

Console

  1. In the Google Cloud console, go to theSnapshots page.

    Go to the Snapshots page

  2. Click theInstant snapshots tab.

  3. Select one more snapshots to delete.

  4. At the top of theSnapshots page, clickDelete.

gcloud

Delete an instant snapshot with thegcloud compute instant-snapshots deletecommand, specifying either the source zone or the source region.

  • Delete an instant snapshot of a zonal disk:

    gcloud compute instant-snapshots deleteINSTANT_SNAPSHOT_NAME \    --zone=ZONE

    Replace the following with the corresponding values:

    • ZONE: the name of the zone.
    • INSTANT_SNAPSHOT_NAME: the name of the instant snapshot.

  • Delete an instant snapshot of a regional disk:

    gcloud compute instant-snapshots deleteINSTANT_SNAPSHOT_NAME \   --region=REGION

    Replace the following:

    • REGION: the name of the region.
    • INSTANT_SNAPSHOT_NAME: the name of the instant snapshot.

REST

Delete an instant snapshot with aDELETE request to theinstantSnapshots.deletemethod:

  • Delete an instant snapshot of zonal disk:

    DELETE https://compute.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/PROJECT_ID/zones/ZONE/instantSnapshots/INSTANT_SNAPSHOT_NAME

    Replace the following with the corresponding values:

    • PROJECT_ID: the ID of the project.
    • ZONE: the name of the zone.
    • INSTANT_SNAPSHOT_NAME: the name of the instant snapshot.

  • Delete an instant snapshot of a regional disk:

    DELETE https://compute.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/PROJECT_ID/regions/REGION/instantSnapshots/INSTANT_SNAPSHOT_NAME

    Replace the following with the corresponding values:

    • PROJECT_ID: the ID of the project.
    • REGION: the name of the region.
    • INSTANT_SNAPSHOT_NAME: the name of the instant snapshot.

Change the storage location of an instant snapshot

An instant snapshot is always stored in the same location as the source disk.You can't make an instant snapshot accessible from a different zone or region.Instead, you can create a standard snapshot from the instant snapshot and usethe standard snapshot.

Learn how tocreate a standard snapshot from an instant snapshot.

Troubleshooting

SeeTroubleshooting instant snapshotsto resolve problems you encounter working with instant snapshots.

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Last updated 2025-12-15 UTC.