---
title: "Choose backup retention for virtual machines"
description: "Keep enough restore points to recover yesterday’s mistake and last quarter’s compliance question, then delete the rest on purpose."
url: https://howtobackupvm.com/en/blog/backup-retention-for-vms/
---

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# Choose backup retention for virtual machines

Keep enough restore points to recover yesterday’s mistake and last quarter’s compliance question, then delete the rest on purpose.

Published 2026-07-30· HowToBackupVM editors

Daily points for 14 to 30 days cover operator error. Weekly points for a few months cover a quiet corruption. Monthly points for the retention your regulator or contract names cover the long question. Write those three numbers next to the job so a full disk does not invent a new policy overnight.

Immutability or an account that the backup admin cannot delete protects the points from ransomware that also steals backup credentials. Retention without a lock is only a suggestion.

When you shorten retention, restore one old point first so you know which reports you are about to lose.

## Questions

On storage that does not share the production datastore, rack power, or backup admin password.

A boot of the restored guest on an isolated network, plus a recent application record.

Daily for two to four weeks, weekly for a few months, and monthly for the period your contract names.

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