# Create a snapshot
virsh snapshot-create-as windows11 --name "clean-install"
If you want to distribute this image or use it as a master template:
After installing Windows 11 and removing bloatware, reclaim space: windows 11 qcow2 download
# Inside Windows: sdelete -z c: (zero free space)
# On host:
qemu-img convert -O qcow2 -c windows11.qcow2 windows11_compacted.qcow2
The -c flag enables compression.
| Task | Command |
|------|---------|
| Create new QCOW2 | qemu-img create -f qcow2 win11.qcow2 80G |
| Inspect QCOW2 | qemu-img info win11.qcow2 |
| Convert to QCOW2 | qemu-img convert -f vmdk -O qcow2 input.vmdk output.qcow2 |
| Compress QCOW2 | qemu-img convert -O qcow2 -c original.qcow2 compressed.qcow2 |
| Resize QCOW2 | qemu-img resize win11.qcow2 +20G |
| Check for corruptions | qemu-img check win11.qcow2 | After installing Windows 11 and removing bloatware, reclaim
Many websites offer ready-made Windows 11 QCOW2 images. But Alex learned caution: The -c flag enables compression