How to Start, Stop, Restart and List VMs with Virsh

Updated on : Jul 10, 2026 Category : Advanced

Managing KVM virtual machines from the command line starts with knowing how to start, stop, restart, and list VMs using virsh. This guide covers the essential virsh commands for VM power management with real examples.

How to Start a VM with Virsh

To start a stopped or inactive virtual machine:

virsh start <vm-name>

Example:

virsh start ubuntu-server

If successful, you will see:

Domain ubuntu-server started

To start a VM and connect to its console immediately:

virsh start <vm-name> --console

How to List Running VMs

To see all currently running virtual machines:

virsh list

Output:

 Id   Name             State
-----------------------------
 1    ubuntu-server    running
 2    centos-web       running

How to List All VMs (Running and Stopped)

To see all virtual machines including those that are shut off:

virsh list --all

Output:

 Id   Name             State
-----------------------------
 1    ubuntu-server    running
 -    centos-web       shut off
 -    debian-test      shut off

How to Check the State of a VM

To check the current power state of a specific VM:

virsh domstate <vm-name>

Possible states: running, shut off, paused, crashed.

How to Gracefully Shutdown a VM

To send an ACPI shutdown signal (clean shutdown):

virsh shutdown <vm-name>

How to Force Stop a VM

If the VM is unresponsive or you need to stop it immediately:

virsh destroy <vm-name>

Note: Despite the name, virsh destroy does NOT delete the VM. It only forces it to stop immediately.

How to Restart a VM

To reboot a running VM gracefully:

virsh reboot <vm-name>

To force a hard reset:

virsh reset <vm-name>

How to Enable Autostart on Boot

To make a VM start automatically when the host server boots:

virsh autostart <vm-name>

To disable autostart:

virsh autostart --disable <vm-name>

Quick Reference Table

Task Command
Start a VM virsh start <vm-name>
List running VMs virsh list
List all VMs virsh list --all
Check VM state virsh domstate <vm-name>
Graceful shutdown virsh shutdown <vm-name>
Force stop virsh destroy <vm-name>
Reboot virsh reboot <vm-name>
Hard reset virsh reset <vm-name>
Enable autostart virsh autostart <vm-name>
Disable autostart virsh autostart --disable <vm-name>

Conclusion

These are the core virsh commands for managing VM power states. For a full list of virsh commands including snapshots, cloning, and network management, see our 20 Essential Virsh Commands guide.