For the purpose of this tutorial let's say we have a virtual machine named Server1 on datastore1 and we will move the virtual machine to datastore2.

Move the files:

1. If the virtual machine is running, power off the virtual machine
2. In vSphere, highlight the ESXi root
3. Select the Configuration tag
4. Select Storage
5. Right-click on datastore1 and select Browse Datastore
6. Highlight Server1 and select Move
7. Move Server1 to datastore2

Refresh the inventory:

1. Right-click on the Server1 virtual machine and select Remove from Inventory. The virtual machine no longer appears in vSphere.
2. Highlight the ESXi root
3. Select the Configuration tag
4. Select Storage
5. Right-click on datastore1 and select Browse Datastore
6. Highlight Server1
7. Right-click on the Server1.vmx file and select Add to Inventory
8. In the Add to Inventory dialog box, select Next, Next, Finish. The virtual machine should now be listed in vSphere again.

Power on the virtual machine:

1. Power on the virtual machine
2. In the Virtual Machine Question pop-up box, select I Moved It and select OK

The virtual machine is now moved to a new datastore and powered on.