Your IP : 216.73.217.13

Current Path : /snap/lxd/current/share/lxd-documentation/howto/instances_migrate/
Upload File :
Current File : //snap/lxd/current/share/lxd-documentation/howto/instances_migrate/index.html

<!doctype html>
<html class="no-js" lang="en" data-content_root="../../">
  <head><meta charset="utf-8">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width,initial-scale=1">
    <meta name="color-scheme" content="light dark"><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" />
<meta property="og:title" content="How to migrate LXD instances between servers" />
<meta property="og:type" content="website" />
<meta property="og:url" content="/howto/instances_migrate/" />
<meta property="og:site_name" content="LXD documentation" />
<meta property="og:description" content="If you use the LXD client, you can migrate or copy instances from one LXD server (remote or local) to another. Migrate instances: To migrate an instance (move it from one LXD server to another) usi..." />
<meta property="og:image" content="https://documentation.ubuntu.com/lxd/latest/_static/lxd_tag.png" />
<meta property="og:image:alt" content="LXD documentation" />
<meta name="description" content="If you use the LXD client, you can migrate or copy instances from one LXD server (remote or local) to another. Migrate instances: To migrate an instance (move it from one LXD server to another) usi..." />

    <meta property="article:modified_time" content="2026-02-13T21:24:04+00:00" /><link rel="index" title="Index" href="../../genindex/"><link rel="search" title="Search" href="../../search/"><link rel="next" title="How to import physical or virtual machines to LXD instances" href="../import_machines_to_instances/"><link rel="prev" title="How to back up instances" href="../instances_backup/">
        <link rel="canonical" href="/howto/instances_migrate/">

    <link rel="shortcut icon" href="../../_static/favicon.ico"><!-- Generated with Sphinx 7.4.7 and Furo 2025.12.19 -->
        <title>How to migrate LXD instances between servers - LXD documentation</title>
      <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../../_static/pygments.css?v=d111a655" />
    <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../../_static/styles/furo.css?v=7bdb33bb" />
    <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../../_static/copybutton.css?v=76b2166b" />
    <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../../_static/config-options.css" />
    <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../../_static/related-links.css" />
    <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../../_static/terminal.css" />
    <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../../_static/youtube.css" />
    <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../../_static/sphinx-design.min.css?v=95c83b7e" />
    <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../../_static/styles/furo-extensions.css?v=8dab3a3b" />
    <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../../_static/lxd_custom.css?v=bfbf4da2" />
    <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../../_static/cookie-banner.css?v=b74831ab" />
    <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../../_static/custom.css?v=e189117a" />
    <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../../_static/header.css?v=a8078839" />
    <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../../_static/github_issue_links.css?v=3d761185" />
    <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../../_static/furo_colors.css?v=825fec6f" />
    
</head>
  <body>
    <header id="header" class="p-navigation">
  <!-- Google Tag Manager -->
  <script>
    (function(w, d, s, l, i) {
      w[l] = w[l] || [];
      w[l].push({
        'gtm.start': new Date().getTime(),
        event: 'gtm.js'
      });
      var f = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];
      var j = d.createElement(s);
      var dl = '';
      if (l != 'dataLayer') {
          dl = '&l=' + l;
      }
      j.async = true;
      j.src = 'https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id=' + i + dl;
      f.parentNode.insertBefore(j, f);
    })(window, document, 'script', 'dataLayer', 'GTM-KNX3CJC');
  </script>
  
  <div class="p-navigation__nav" role="menubar">

    <ul class="p-navigation__links" role="menu">

      <li>
        
        <a class="p-logo" href="https://canonical.com/lxd" aria-current="page">
          <img src="../../_static/lxd_tag.png" alt="Logo" class="p-logo-image">
          <div class="p-logo-text p-heading--4">LXD
          </div>
        </a>
        
      </li>

      <li class="nav-ubuntu-com">
        
        <a href="https://canonical.com/lxd" class="p-navigation__link">canonical.com/lxd</a>
        
      </li>

      <li class="nav-dropdown">
        <a href="#" class="p-navigation__link nav-more-links"
           id="more-resources-toggle"
           aria-haspopup="true"
           aria-expanded="false">
          More resources
        </a>
        <ul class="more-links-dropdown" aria-labelledby="more-resources-toggle">
          
          <li>
            <a href="https://discourse.ubuntu.com/c/lxd/" class="p-navigation__sub-link p-dropdown__link">Discourse</a>
          </li>
          
      
          
      
          
          <li>
            <a href="https://matrix.to/#/#documentation:ubuntu.com" class="p-navigation__sub-link p-dropdown__link">Matrix</a>
          </li>
          
      
          
          <li>
            <a href="https://github.com/canonical/lxd" class="p-navigation__sub-link p-dropdown__link">GitHub</a>
          </li>
          

        </ul>
      </li>

    </ul>
  </div>
</header>
   
    <script>
      document.body.dataset.theme = localStorage.getItem("theme") || "auto";
    </script>
    

<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" style="display: none;">
  <symbol id="svg-toc" viewBox="0 0 24 24">
    <title>Contents</title>
    <svg stroke="currentColor" fill="currentColor" stroke-width="0" viewBox="0 0 1024 1024">
      <path d="M408 442h480c4.4 0 8-3.6 8-8v-56c0-4.4-3.6-8-8-8H408c-4.4 0-8 3.6-8 8v56c0 4.4 3.6 8 8 8zm-8 204c0 4.4 3.6 8 8 8h480c4.4 0 8-3.6 8-8v-56c0-4.4-3.6-8-8-8H408c-4.4 0-8 3.6-8 8v56zm504-486H120c-4.4 0-8 3.6-8 8v56c0 4.4 3.6 8 8 8h784c4.4 0 8-3.6 8-8v-56c0-4.4-3.6-8-8-8zm0 632H120c-4.4 0-8 3.6-8 8v56c0 4.4 3.6 8 8 8h784c4.4 0 8-3.6 8-8v-56c0-4.4-3.6-8-8-8zM115.4 518.9L271.7 642c5.8 4.6 14.4.5 14.4-6.9V388.9c0-7.4-8.5-11.5-14.4-6.9L115.4 505.1a8.74 8.74 0 0 0 0 13.8z"/>
    </svg>
  </symbol>
  <symbol id="svg-menu" viewBox="0 0 24 24">
    <title>Menu</title>
    <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor"
      stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="feather-menu">
      <line x1="3" y1="12" x2="21" y2="12"></line>
      <line x1="3" y1="6" x2="21" y2="6"></line>
      <line x1="3" y1="18" x2="21" y2="18"></line>
    </svg>
  </symbol>
  <symbol id="svg-arrow-right" viewBox="0 0 24 24">
    <title>Expand</title>
    <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor"
      stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="feather-chevron-right">
      <polyline points="9 18 15 12 9 6"></polyline>
    </svg>
  </symbol>
  <symbol id="svg-sun" viewBox="0 0 24 24">
    <title>Light mode</title>
    <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor"
      stroke-width="1" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="feather-sun">
      <circle cx="12" cy="12" r="5"></circle>
      <line x1="12" y1="1" x2="12" y2="3"></line>
      <line x1="12" y1="21" x2="12" y2="23"></line>
      <line x1="4.22" y1="4.22" x2="5.64" y2="5.64"></line>
      <line x1="18.36" y1="18.36" x2="19.78" y2="19.78"></line>
      <line x1="1" y1="12" x2="3" y2="12"></line>
      <line x1="21" y1="12" x2="23" y2="12"></line>
      <line x1="4.22" y1="19.78" x2="5.64" y2="18.36"></line>
      <line x1="18.36" y1="5.64" x2="19.78" y2="4.22"></line>
    </svg>
  </symbol>
  <symbol id="svg-moon" viewBox="0 0 24 24">
    <title>Dark mode</title>
    <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor"
      stroke-width="1" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="icon-tabler-moon">
      <path stroke="none" d="M0 0h24v24H0z" fill="none" />
      <path d="M12 3c.132 0 .263 0 .393 0a7.5 7.5 0 0 0 7.92 12.446a9 9 0 1 1 -8.313 -12.454z" />
    </svg>
  </symbol>
  <symbol id="svg-sun-with-moon" viewBox="0 0 24 24">
    <title>Auto light/dark, in light mode</title>
    <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor"
      stroke-width="1" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round"
      class="icon-custom-derived-from-feather-sun-and-tabler-moon">
      <path style="opacity: 50%" d="M 5.411 14.504 C 5.471 14.504 5.532 14.504 5.591 14.504 C 3.639 16.319 4.383 19.569 6.931 20.352 C 7.693 20.586 8.512 20.551 9.25 20.252 C 8.023 23.207 4.056 23.725 2.11 21.184 C 0.166 18.642 1.702 14.949 4.874 14.536 C 5.051 14.512 5.231 14.5 5.411 14.5 L 5.411 14.504 Z"/>
      <line x1="14.5" y1="3.25" x2="14.5" y2="1.25"/>
      <line x1="14.5" y1="15.85" x2="14.5" y2="17.85"/>
      <line x1="10.044" y1="5.094" x2="8.63" y2="3.68"/>
      <line x1="19" y1="14.05" x2="20.414" y2="15.464"/>
      <line x1="8.2" y1="9.55" x2="6.2" y2="9.55"/>
      <line x1="20.8" y1="9.55" x2="22.8" y2="9.55"/>
      <line x1="10.044" y1="14.006" x2="8.63" y2="15.42"/>
      <line x1="19" y1="5.05" x2="20.414" y2="3.636"/>
      <circle cx="14.5" cy="9.55" r="3.6"/>
    </svg>
  </symbol>
  <symbol id="svg-moon-with-sun" viewBox="0 0 24 24">
    <title>Auto light/dark, in dark mode</title>
    <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor"
      stroke-width="1" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round"
      class="icon-custom-derived-from-feather-sun-and-tabler-moon">
      <path d="M 8.282 7.007 C 8.385 7.007 8.494 7.007 8.595 7.007 C 5.18 10.184 6.481 15.869 10.942 17.24 C 12.275 17.648 13.706 17.589 15 17.066 C 12.851 22.236 5.91 23.143 2.505 18.696 C -0.897 14.249 1.791 7.786 7.342 7.063 C 7.652 7.021 7.965 7 8.282 7 L 8.282 7.007 Z"/>
      <line style="opacity: 50%" x1="18" y1="3.705" x2="18" y2="2.5"/>
      <line style="opacity: 50%" x1="18" y1="11.295" x2="18" y2="12.5"/>
      <line style="opacity: 50%" x1="15.316" y1="4.816" x2="14.464" y2="3.964"/>
      <line style="opacity: 50%" x1="20.711" y1="10.212" x2="21.563" y2="11.063"/>
      <line style="opacity: 50%" x1="14.205" y1="7.5" x2="13.001" y2="7.5"/>
      <line style="opacity: 50%" x1="21.795" y1="7.5" x2="23" y2="7.5"/>
      <line style="opacity: 50%" x1="15.316" y1="10.184" x2="14.464" y2="11.036"/>
      <line style="opacity: 50%" x1="20.711" y1="4.789" x2="21.563" y2="3.937"/>
      <circle style="opacity: 50%" cx="18" cy="7.5" r="2.169"/>
    </svg>
  </symbol>
  <symbol id="svg-pencil" viewBox="0 0 24 24">
    <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor"
      stroke-width="1" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="icon-tabler-pencil-code">
      <path d="M4 20h4l10.5 -10.5a2.828 2.828 0 1 0 -4 -4l-10.5 10.5v4" />
      <path d="M13.5 6.5l4 4" />
      <path d="M20 21l2 -2l-2 -2" />
      <path d="M17 17l-2 2l2 2" />
    </svg>
  </symbol>
  <symbol id="svg-eye" viewBox="0 0 24 24">
    <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor"
      stroke-width="1" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="icon-tabler-eye-code">
      <path stroke="none" d="M0 0h24v24H0z" fill="none" />
      <path d="M10 12a2 2 0 1 0 4 0a2 2 0 0 0 -4 0" />
      <path
        d="M11.11 17.958c-3.209 -.307 -5.91 -2.293 -8.11 -5.958c2.4 -4 5.4 -6 9 -6c3.6 0 6.6 2 9 6c-.21 .352 -.427 .688 -.647 1.008" />
      <path d="M20 21l2 -2l-2 -2" />
      <path d="M17 17l-2 2l2 2" />
    </svg>
  </symbol>
</svg>

<input type="checkbox" class="sidebar-toggle" name="__navigation" id="__navigation" aria-label="Toggle site navigation sidebar">
<input type="checkbox" class="sidebar-toggle" name="__toc" id="__toc" aria-label="Toggle table of contents sidebar">
<label class="overlay sidebar-overlay" for="__navigation"></label>
<label class="overlay toc-overlay" for="__toc"></label>

<a class="skip-to-content muted-link" href="#furo-main-content">Skip to content</a>



<div class="page">
  <header class="mobile-header">
    <div class="header-left">
      <label class="nav-overlay-icon" for="__navigation">
        <span class="icon"><svg><use href="#svg-menu"></use></svg></span>
      </label>
    </div>
    <div class="header-center">
      <a href="../../"><div class="brand">LXD documentation</div></a>
    </div>
    <div class="header-right">
      <div class="theme-toggle-container theme-toggle-header">
        <button class="theme-toggle" aria-label="Toggle Light / Dark / Auto color theme">
          <svg class="theme-icon-when-auto-light"><use href="#svg-sun-with-moon"></use></svg>
          <svg class="theme-icon-when-auto-dark"><use href="#svg-moon-with-sun"></use></svg>
          <svg class="theme-icon-when-dark"><use href="#svg-moon"></use></svg>
          <svg class="theme-icon-when-light"><use href="#svg-sun"></use></svg>
        </button>
      </div>
      <label class="toc-overlay-icon toc-header-icon" for="__toc">
        <span class="icon"><svg><use href="#svg-toc"></use></svg></span>
      </label>
    </div>
  </header>
  <aside class="sidebar-drawer">
    <div class="sidebar-container">
      
      <div class="sidebar-sticky"><a class="sidebar-brand" href="../../">
  
  <span class="sidebar-brand-text">LXD documentation</span>
  
</a><form class="sidebar-search-container" method="get" action="../../search/" role="search">
    <input class="sidebar-search" placeholder="Search" name="q" aria-label="Search">
    <input type="submit" value="Go">
    <input type="hidden" name="check_keywords" value="yes">
    <input type="hidden" name="area" value="default">
  </form>
  <div id="searchbox"></div><div class="sidebar-scroll"><div class="sidebar-tree">
  <ul class="current">
<li class="toctree-l1"><a class="reference internal" href="../../">LXD</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l1"><a class="reference internal" href="../../tutorial/first_steps/">Tutorial</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l1 current has-children"><a class="reference internal" href="../">How-to guides</a><input aria-label="Toggle navigation of How-to guides" checked="" class="toctree-checkbox" id="toctree-checkbox-1" name="toctree-checkbox-1" role="switch" type="checkbox"/><label for="toctree-checkbox-1"><span class="icon"><svg><use href="#svg-arrow-right"></use></svg></span></label><ul class="current">
<li class="toctree-l2 has-children"><a class="reference internal" href="../../getting_started/">Getting started</a><input aria-label="Toggle navigation of Getting started" class="toctree-checkbox" id="toctree-checkbox-2" name="toctree-checkbox-2" role="switch" type="checkbox"/><label for="toctree-checkbox-2"><span class="icon"><svg><use href="#svg-arrow-right"></use></svg></span></label><ul>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../../installing/">Install LXD</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../initialize/">Initialize LXD</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../access_ui/">Access the UI</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../access_documentation/">Access documentation locally</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="toctree-l2 has-children"><a class="reference internal" href="../../operation/">LXD server and client</a><input aria-label="Toggle navigation of LXD server and client" class="toctree-checkbox" id="toctree-checkbox-3" name="toctree-checkbox-3" role="switch" type="checkbox"/><label for="toctree-checkbox-3"><span class="icon"><svg><use href="#svg-arrow-right"></use></svg></span></label><ul>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../server_expose/">Expose LXD to the network</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../server_configure/">Configure the LXD server</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3 has-children"><a class="reference internal" href="../oidc/">Configure single sign-on with OIDC</a><input aria-label="Toggle navigation of Configure single sign-on with OIDC" class="toctree-checkbox" id="toctree-checkbox-4" name="toctree-checkbox-4" role="switch" type="checkbox"/><label for="toctree-checkbox-4"><span class="icon"><svg><use href="#svg-arrow-right"></use></svg></span></label><ul>
<li class="toctree-l4"><a class="reference internal" href="../oidc_auth0/">How to configure Auth0</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l4"><a class="reference internal" href="../oidc_ory/">How to configure Ory Hydra</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l4"><a class="reference internal" href="../oidc_keycloak/">How to configure Keycloak</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l4"><a class="reference internal" href="../oidc_entra_id/">How to configure Entra ID</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../../remotes/">Add remote servers</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../lxc_alias/">Add command aliases</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="toctree-l2 current has-children"><a class="reference internal" href="../../instances/">Instances</a><input aria-label="Toggle navigation of Instances" checked="" class="toctree-checkbox" id="toctree-checkbox-5" name="toctree-checkbox-5" role="switch" type="checkbox"/><label for="toctree-checkbox-5"><span class="icon"><svg><use href="#svg-arrow-right"></use></svg></span></label><ul class="current">
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../instances_create/">Create instances</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../instances_configure/">Configure instances</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../instances_manage/">Manage instances</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../../profiles/">Use profiles</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../instances_troubleshoot/">Troubleshoot errors</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../instances_ubuntu_pro_attach/">Auto attach Ubuntu Pro</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../instances_access_files/">Access files</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../instances_console/">Access the console</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../../instance-exec/">Run commands</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../../cloud-init/">Use cloud-init</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../instances_routed_nic_vm/">Add a routed NIC to a VM</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../instances_backup/">Back up instances</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3 current current-page"><a class="current reference internal" href="#">Migrate instances</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../import_machines_to_instances/">Import existing machines</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../container_gpu_passthrough_with_docker/">Pass NVIDIA GPUs</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="toctree-l2 has-children"><a class="reference internal" href="../../images/">Images</a><input aria-label="Toggle navigation of Images" class="toctree-checkbox" id="toctree-checkbox-6" name="toctree-checkbox-6" role="switch" type="checkbox"/><label for="toctree-checkbox-6"><span class="icon"><svg><use href="#svg-arrow-right"></use></svg></span></label><ul>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../images_remote/">Use remote images</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../images_manage/">Manage images</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../images_profiles/">Associate profiles</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../images_copy/">Copy and import images</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../images_create/">Create images</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="toctree-l2 has-children"><a class="reference internal" href="../../projects/">Projects</a><input aria-label="Toggle navigation of Projects" class="toctree-checkbox" id="toctree-checkbox-7" name="toctree-checkbox-7" role="switch" type="checkbox"/><label for="toctree-checkbox-7"><span class="icon"><svg><use href="#svg-arrow-right"></use></svg></span></label><ul>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../projects_create/">Create and configure</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../projects_work/">Work with projects</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../projects_confine/">Confine users to projects</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="toctree-l2 has-children"><a class="reference internal" href="../../storage/">Storage</a><input aria-label="Toggle navigation of Storage" class="toctree-checkbox" id="toctree-checkbox-8" name="toctree-checkbox-8" role="switch" type="checkbox"/><label for="toctree-checkbox-8"><span class="icon"><svg><use href="#svg-arrow-right"></use></svg></span></label><ul>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../storage_pools/">Manage pools</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../storage_volumes/">Manage volumes</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../storage_buckets/">Manage buckets</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../storage_create_instance/">Create an instance in a pool</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../storage_backup_volume/">Back up a volume</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../storage_move_volume/">Move or copy a volume</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../storage_csi/">Use the LXD CSI driver with Kubernetes</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="toctree-l2 has-children"><a class="reference internal" href="../../networks/">Networking</a><input aria-label="Toggle navigation of Networking" class="toctree-checkbox" id="toctree-checkbox-9" name="toctree-checkbox-9" role="switch" type="checkbox"/><label for="toctree-checkbox-9"><span class="icon"><svg><use href="#svg-arrow-right"></use></svg></span></label><ul>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../network_create/">Create a network</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../network_configure/">Configure a network</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../network_bgp/">Configure as BGP server</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../network_acls/">Configure network ACLs</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../network_forwards/">Configure forwards</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../network_zones/">Configure network zones</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../network_bridge_firewalld/">Configure your firewall</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../network_bridge_resolved/">Integrate with resolved</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../network_ovn_setup/">Set up OVN</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../network_load_balancers/">Configure load balancers</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../network_ovn_peers/">Configure peer routing</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../network_ipam/">Display IPAM information</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="toctree-l2 has-children"><a class="reference internal" href="../../clustering/">Clustering</a><input aria-label="Toggle navigation of Clustering" class="toctree-checkbox" id="toctree-checkbox-10" name="toctree-checkbox-10" role="switch" type="checkbox"/><label for="toctree-checkbox-10"><span class="icon"><svg><use href="#svg-arrow-right"></use></svg></span></label><ul>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../cluster_form/">Form a cluster</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../cluster_manage/">Manage a cluster</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../cluster_config_networks/">Configure networks</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../cluster_config_storage/">Configure storage</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../cluster_manage_instance/">Manage instances</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../cluster_groups/">Set up cluster groups</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../cluster_placement_groups/">Use placement groups</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../cluster_recover/">Recover a cluster</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../cluster_vip/">Set up a highly available virtual IP</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="toctree-l2 has-children"><a class="reference internal" href="../../production-setup/">Production setup</a><input aria-label="Toggle navigation of Production setup" class="toctree-checkbox" id="toctree-checkbox-11" name="toctree-checkbox-11" role="switch" type="checkbox"/><label for="toctree-checkbox-11"><span class="icon"><svg><use href="#svg-arrow-right"></use></svg></span></label><ul>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../benchmark_performance/">Benchmark performance</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../network_increase_bandwidth/">Increase bandwidth</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../../metrics/">Monitor metrics</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../logs_loki/">Send logs to Loki</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../grafana/">Set up Grafana</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../../backup/">Back up a server</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../disaster_recovery/">Recover instances</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../disaster_recovery_replication/">Disaster recovery with storage replication</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="../snap/">Manage the snap</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="../security_harden/">Harden security</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l2 has-children"><a class="reference internal" href="../troubleshoot/">Troubleshooting</a><input aria-label="Toggle navigation of Troubleshooting" class="toctree-checkbox" id="toctree-checkbox-12" name="toctree-checkbox-12" role="switch" type="checkbox"/><label for="toctree-checkbox-12"><span class="icon"><svg><use href="#svg-arrow-right"></use></svg></span></label><ul>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../network_bridge_firewalld/">Configure your firewall</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../instances_troubleshoot/">Troubleshoot instances</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../dqlite_troubleshoot/">Troubleshoot Dqlite</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../../debugging/">Debug LXD</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../../faq/">Frequently asked</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="../../support/">Get support</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="../../contributing/">Contribute to LXD</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="../auth_bearer/">How to authenticate to the LXD API using bearer tokens</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="../devlxd_authenticate/">How to authenticate to the DevLXD API</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="toctree-l1 has-children"><a class="reference internal" href="../../explanation/">Explanation</a><input aria-label="Toggle navigation of Explanation" class="toctree-checkbox" id="toctree-checkbox-13" name="toctree-checkbox-13" role="switch" type="checkbox"/><label for="toctree-checkbox-13"><span class="icon"><svg><use href="#svg-arrow-right"></use></svg></span></label><ul>
<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="../../explanation/lxd_lxc/"><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">lxd</span></code> and <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">lxc</span></code></a></li>
<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="../../explanation/instances/">Containers and VMs</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="../../image-handling/">Local and remote images</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="../../explanation/storage/">Storage pools, volumes, and buckets</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="../../explanation/networks/">Networking setups</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="../../database/">The LXD Dqlite database</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="../../explanation/lxc_show_info/"><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">lxc</span></code> <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">show</span></code> and <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">info</span></code></a></li>
<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="../../authentication/">Remote API authentication</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="../../explanation/authorization/">Remote API authorization</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="../../explanation/projects/">Instances grouping with projects</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="../../explanation/clusters/">Clusters</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="../../explanation/performance_tuning/">Performance tuning</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="../../explanation/security/">Security</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="../../explanation/bpf/">Privilege delegation using BPF Token</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="../../explanation/csi/">The LXD CSI driver</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="toctree-l1 has-children"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/">Reference</a><input aria-label="Toggle navigation of Reference" class="toctree-checkbox" id="toctree-checkbox-14" name="toctree-checkbox-14" role="switch" type="checkbox"/><label for="toctree-checkbox-14"><span class="icon"><svg><use href="#svg-arrow-right"></use></svg></span></label><ul>
<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="../../requirements/">Requirements</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="../../architectures/">Architectures</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l2 has-children"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/release-notes/">Release notes</a><input aria-label="Toggle navigation of Release notes" class="toctree-checkbox" id="toctree-checkbox-15" name="toctree-checkbox-15" role="switch" type="checkbox"/><label for="toctree-checkbox-15"><span class="icon"><svg><use href="#svg-arrow-right"></use></svg></span></label><ul>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/release-notes/release-notes-6.7/">LXD 6.7</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/release-notes/release-notes-6.6/">LXD 6.6</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/releases-snap/">Releases and snap</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/remote_image_servers/">Remote image servers</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/image_format/">Image format</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="../../guest-os-compatibility/">Guest OS compatibility</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="../../container-environment/">Container environment</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="../../config-options/">Configuration option index</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="../../server/">Server configuration</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l2 has-children"><a class="reference internal" href="../../explanation/instance_config/">Instance configuration</a><input aria-label="Toggle navigation of Instance configuration" class="toctree-checkbox" id="toctree-checkbox-16" name="toctree-checkbox-16" role="switch" type="checkbox"/><label for="toctree-checkbox-16"><span class="icon"><svg><use href="#svg-arrow-right"></use></svg></span></label><ul>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/instance_properties/">Instance properties</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/instance_options/">Instance options</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3 has-children"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/devices/">Devices</a><input aria-label="Toggle navigation of Devices" class="toctree-checkbox" id="toctree-checkbox-17" name="toctree-checkbox-17" role="switch" type="checkbox"/><label for="toctree-checkbox-17"><span class="icon"><svg><use href="#svg-arrow-right"></use></svg></span></label><ul>
<li class="toctree-l4"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/standard_devices/">Standard devices</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l4"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/devices_none/">Type: <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">none</span></code></a></li>
<li class="toctree-l4"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/devices_nic/">Type: <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">nic</span></code></a></li>
<li class="toctree-l4"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/devices_disk/">Type: <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">disk</span></code></a></li>
<li class="toctree-l4"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/devices_unix_char/">Type: <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">unix-char</span></code></a></li>
<li class="toctree-l4"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/devices_unix_block/">Type: <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">unix-block</span></code></a></li>
<li class="toctree-l4"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/devices_usb/">Type: <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">usb</span></code></a></li>
<li class="toctree-l4"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/devices_gpu/">Type: <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">gpu</span></code></a></li>
<li class="toctree-l4"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/devices_infiniband/">Type: <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">infiniband</span></code></a></li>
<li class="toctree-l4"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/devices_proxy/">Type: <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">proxy</span></code></a></li>
<li class="toctree-l4"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/devices_unix_hotplug/">Type: <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">unix-hotplug</span></code></a></li>
<li class="toctree-l4"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/devices_tpm/">Type: <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">tpm</span></code></a></li>
<li class="toctree-l4"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/devices_pci/">Type: <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">pci</span></code></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/instance_units/">Units for storage and network limits</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/preseed_yaml_fields/">Preseed YAML file fields</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/projects/">Project configuration</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l2 has-children"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/storage_drivers/">Storage drivers</a><input aria-label="Toggle navigation of Storage drivers" class="toctree-checkbox" id="toctree-checkbox-18" name="toctree-checkbox-18" role="switch" type="checkbox"/><label for="toctree-checkbox-18"><span class="icon"><svg><use href="#svg-arrow-right"></use></svg></span></label><ul>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/storage_dir/">Directory - <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">dir</span></code></a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/storage_btrfs/">Btrfs - <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">btrfs</span></code></a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/storage_lvm/">LVM - <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">lvm</span></code></a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/storage_zfs/">ZFS - <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">zfs</span></code></a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/storage_ceph/">Ceph RBD - <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">ceph</span></code></a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/storage_powerflex/">Dell PowerFlex - <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">powerflex</span></code></a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/storage_pure/">Pure Storage - <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">pure</span></code></a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/storage_alletra/">HPE Alletra - <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">alletra</span></code></a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/storage_cephfs/">CephFS - <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">cephfs</span></code></a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/storage_cephobject/">Ceph Object - <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">cephobject</span></code></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="toctree-l2 has-children"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/networks/">Networks</a><input aria-label="Toggle navigation of Networks" class="toctree-checkbox" id="toctree-checkbox-19" name="toctree-checkbox-19" role="switch" type="checkbox"/><label for="toctree-checkbox-19"><span class="icon"><svg><use href="#svg-arrow-right"></use></svg></span></label><ul>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/network_bridge/">Bridge network</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/network_ovn/">OVN network</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/network_macvlan/">Macvlan network</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/network_physical/">Physical network</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/network_sriov/">SR-IOV network</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/cluster_member_config/">Cluster configuration</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/placement_groups/">Placement group configuration</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/server_settings/">Production server settings</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/provided_metrics/">Provided metrics</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/permissions/">Permissions</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l2 has-children"><a class="reference internal" href="../../restapi_landing/">REST API</a><input aria-label="Toggle navigation of REST API" class="toctree-checkbox" id="toctree-checkbox-20" name="toctree-checkbox-20" role="switch" type="checkbox"/><label for="toctree-checkbox-20"><span class="icon"><svg><use href="#svg-arrow-right"></use></svg></span></label><ul>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../../rest-api/">Main API documentation</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../../api/">Main API specification</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../../api-extensions/">Main API extensions</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../../events/">Events API documentation</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../../dev-lxd/">Instance API</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/driver_csi/">LXD CSI driver reference</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l2 has-children"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/manpages/">Man pages</a><input aria-label="Toggle navigation of Man pages" class="toctree-checkbox" id="toctree-checkbox-21" name="toctree-checkbox-21" role="switch" type="checkbox"/><label for="toctree-checkbox-21"><span class="icon"><svg><use href="#svg-arrow-right"></use></svg></span></label><ul>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/manpages/lxc/"><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">lxc</span></code></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="toctree-l2 has-children"><a class="reference internal" href="../../internals/">Internals</a><input aria-label="Toggle navigation of Internals" class="toctree-checkbox" id="toctree-checkbox-22" name="toctree-checkbox-22" role="switch" type="checkbox"/><label for="toctree-checkbox-22"><span class="icon"><svg><use href="#svg-arrow-right"></use></svg></span></label><ul>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../../environment/">Environment variables</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/uefi_variables/">UEFI variables for VMs</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../../daemon-behavior/">Daemon behavior</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../../syscall-interception/">System call interception</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../../userns-idmap/">User namespace setup</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/ovn-internals/">OVN implementation</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/vm_live_migration_internals/">VM live migration implementation</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/dqlite-internals/">Dqlite</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference external" href="https://github.com/canonical/lxd">Project repository</a></li>
<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference external" href="https://images.lxd.canonical.com">Image server</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>

</div>
</div>

      </div>
      
    </div>
  </aside>
  <div class="main">
    <div class="content">
      <div class="article-container">
        <a href="#" class="back-to-top muted-link">
          <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 24 24">
            <path d="M13 20h-2V8l-5.5 5.5-1.42-1.42L12 4.16l7.92 7.92-1.42 1.42L13 8v12z"></path>
          </svg>
          <span>Back to top</span>
        </a>
        <div class="content-icon-container">
          <div class="edit-this-page">
  <a class="muted-link" href="https://github.com/canonical/lxd/edit/main/doc/howto/instances_migrate.md" title="Contribute to this page">
    <svg><use href="#svg-pencil"></use></svg>
    <span class="visually-hidden">Contribute to this page</span>
  </a>
</div><div class="theme-toggle-container theme-toggle-content">
            <button class="theme-toggle" aria-label="Toggle Light / Dark / Auto color theme">
              <svg class="theme-icon-when-auto-light"><use href="#svg-sun-with-moon"></use></svg>
              <svg class="theme-icon-when-auto-dark"><use href="#svg-moon-with-sun"></use></svg>
              <svg class="theme-icon-when-dark"><use href="#svg-moon"></use></svg>
              <svg class="theme-icon-when-light"><use href="#svg-sun"></use></svg>
            </button>
          </div>
          <label class="toc-overlay-icon toc-content-icon" for="__toc">
            <span class="icon"><svg><use href="#svg-toc"></use></svg></span>
          </label>
        </div>
        <article role="main" id="furo-main-content">
          <section id="how-to-migrate-lxd-instances-between-servers">
<span id="howto-instances-migrate"></span><h1>How to migrate LXD instances between servers<a class="headerlink" href="#how-to-migrate-lxd-instances-between-servers" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h1>
<p>If you use the LXD client, you can migrate or copy instances from one LXD server (remote or local) to another.</p>
<div class="admonition note">
<p class="admonition-title">Note</p>
<p><a class="reference internal" href="../../remotes/#remotes"><span class="std std-ref">Remote servers</span></a> are a concept of the LXD client.
Therefore, there is no direct equivalent for migrating instances between servers in the API or the UI.</p>
<p>However, you can <a class="reference internal" href="../instances_backup/#instances-backup-export-instance"><span class="std std-ref">export an instance</span></a> from one server and <a class="reference internal" href="../instances_backup/#instances-backup-import-instance"><span class="std std-ref">import it</span></a> to another server.</p>
</div>
<section id="migrate-instances">
<h2>Migrate instances<a class="headerlink" href="#migrate-instances" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<p>To migrate an instance (move it from one LXD server to another) using the CLI, use the <a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/manpages/lxc/move/#lxc-move-md"><span class="std std-ref"><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">lxc</span> <span class="pre">move</span></code></span></a> command:</p>
<div class="highlight-none notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span>lxc move [&lt;source_remote&gt;:]&lt;source_instance_name&gt; &lt;target_remote&gt;:[&lt;target_instance_name&gt;]
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>When migrating a container, you must stop it first.</p>
<p>When migrating a virtual machine, you must either enable <a class="reference internal" href="#live-migration"><span class="std std-ref">Live migration</span></a> or stop it first.</p>
</section>
<section id="copy-instances">
<h2>Copy instances<a class="headerlink" href="#copy-instances" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<p>Use the <a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/manpages/lxc/copy/#lxc-copy-md"><span class="std std-ref"><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">lxc</span> <span class="pre">copy</span></code></span></a> command if you want to duplicate the instance instead of migrating it:</p>
<div class="highlight-none notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span>lxc copy [&lt;source_remote&gt;:]&lt;source_instance_name&gt; &lt;target_remote&gt;:[&lt;target_instance_name&gt;]
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>If the volume already exists in the target location, use the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">--refresh</span></code> flag to update the copy. To learn about the benefits, see: <a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/storage_drivers/#storage-optimized-volume-transfer"><span class="std std-ref">Optimized volume transfer</span></a>.</p>
</section>
<section id="migrate-and-copy-options">
<h2>Migrate and copy options<a class="headerlink" href="#migrate-and-copy-options" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<p>For both migrating and copying instances, you don’t need to specify the source remote if it is your default remote, and you can leave out the target instance name if you want to use the same instance name on the target remote server.</p>
<p>If you want to migrate the instance to a specific cluster member, specify that member’s name with the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">--target</span></code> flag.
In this case, do not specify the source and target remote.</p>
<p>You can add the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">--mode</span></code> flag to choose a transfer mode, depending on your network setup:</p>
<dl class="simple myst">
<dt><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">pull</span></code> (default)</dt><dd><p>Instruct the target server to connect to the source server and pull the respective instance.</p>
</dd>
<dt><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">push</span></code></dt><dd><p>Instruct the source server to connect to the target server and push the instance.</p>
</dd>
<dt><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">relay</span></code></dt><dd><p>Instruct the client to connect to both the source and the target server and transfer the data through the client.</p>
</dd>
</dl>
<p>If you need to adapt the configuration for the instance to run on the target server, you can either specify the new configuration directly (using <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">--config</span></code>, <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">--device</span></code>, <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">--storage</span></code> or <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">--target-project</span></code>) or through profiles (using <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">--no-profiles</span></code> or <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">--profile</span></code>). See <a class="reference internal" href="../../reference/manpages/lxc/move/#lxc-move-md"><span class="std std-ref"><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">lxc</span> <span class="pre">move</span> <span class="pre">--help</span></code></span></a> for all available flags.</p>
</section>
<section id="live-migration">
<span id="id1"></span><h2>Live migration<a class="headerlink" href="#live-migration" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<p>Live migration means migrating an instance to another server while it is running, avoiding any downtime. This method is supported for virtual machines.</p>
<p>For a virtual machine to be eligible for live migration, it must meet the following criteria:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>It must have support for stateful migration enabled. To enable this, set <a class="configref reference internal" href="../../reference/instance_options/#instance-migration:migration.stateful"><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">migration.stateful</span></code></a> to <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">true</span></code> on the virtual machine. This setting can only be updated when the machine is stopped. Thus, be sure to configure this setting before you need to live-migrate:</p>
<div class="highlight-default notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="n">lxc</span> <span class="n">config</span> <span class="nb">set</span> <span class="o">&lt;</span><span class="n">instance</span><span class="o">-</span><span class="n">name</span><span class="o">&gt;</span> <span class="n">migration</span><span class="o">.</span><span class="n">stateful</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="n">true</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<div class="admonition note">
<p class="admonition-title">Note</p>
<p>When <a class="configref reference internal" href="../../reference/instance_options/#instance-migration:migration.stateful"><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">migration.stateful</span></code></a> is enabled in LXD, virtiofs shares are disabled, and files are only shared via the 9P protocol. Consequently, guest OSes lacking 9P support, such as CentOS 8, cannot share files with the host unless stateful migration is disabled. Additionally, the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">lxd-agent</span></code> will not function for these guests under these conditions.</p>
</div>
</li>
<li><p>When using a local pool, the <a class="configref reference internal" href="../../reference/devices_disk/#device-disk-device-conf:size.state"><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">size.state</span></code></a> of the virtual machine’s root disk device must be set to at least the size of the virtual machine’s <a class="configref reference internal" href="../../reference/instance_options/#instance-resource-limits:limits.memory"><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">limits.memory</span></code></a> setting.</p>
<div class="admonition note">
<p class="admonition-title">Note</p>
<p>If you are using a remote storage pool like Ceph RBD to back your instance, you don’t need to set <a class="configref reference internal" href="../../reference/devices_disk/#device-disk-device-conf:size.state"><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">size.state</span></code></a> to perform live migration.</p>
</div>
</li>
<li><p>The virtual machine must not depend on any resources specific to its current host, such as local storage or a local (non-OVN) bridge network.</p></li>
</ul>
</section>
<section id="temporarily-migrate-all-instances-from-a-cluster-member">
<h2>Temporarily migrate all instances from a cluster member<a class="headerlink" href="#temporarily-migrate-all-instances-from-a-cluster-member" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<p>For LXD servers that are members of a cluster, you can use the evacuate and restore operations to temporarily migrate all instances from one cluster member to another. These operations can also live-migrate eligible instances.</p>
<p>For more information, see: <a class="reference internal" href="../cluster_manage/#cluster-evacuate-restore"><span class="std std-ref">Evacuate and restore cluster members</span></a>.</p>
</section>
<section id="related-topics">
<h2>Related topics<a class="headerlink" href="#related-topics" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<p>How-to guides:</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li><p><a class="reference internal" href="../cluster_manage_instance/#howto-cluster-manage-instance-migrate"><span class="std std-ref">Migrate instances in a cluster</span></a></p></li>
<li><p><a class="reference internal" href="../projects_work/#howto-projects-work-move-instance"><span class="std std-ref">Move an instance to another project</span></a></p></li>
<li><p><a class="reference internal" href="../import_machines_to_instances/#import-machines-to-instances"><span class="std std-ref">Import machines to LXD instances</span></a></p></li>
<li><p><a class="reference internal" href="../../backup/#secondary-backup-server"><span class="std std-ref">Secondary backup LXD server</span></a></p></li>
<li><p><a class="reference internal" href="../instances_backup/#instances-backup-export-instance"><span class="std std-ref">Export an instance</span></a></p></li>
<li><p><a class="reference internal" href="../instances_backup/#instances-backup-import-instance"><span class="std std-ref">Restore an instance from an export file</span></a></p></li>
<li><p><a class="reference internal" href="../storage_move_volume/#howto-storage-move-volume"><span class="std std-ref">Move or copy storage volumes</span></a></p></li>
</ul>
</section>
</section>

        </article>
      </div>
      <footer>
        
   

<div class="related-pages">
  
  
      
  
  
  <a class="next-page" href="../import_machines_to_instances/">
        <div class="page-info">
          <div class="context">
            <span>Next</span>
          </div>
          <div class="title">How to import physical or virtual machines to LXD instances</div>
        </div>
        <svg class="furo-related-icon"><use href="#svg-arrow-right"></use></svg>
      </a>
    <a class="prev-page" href="../instances_backup/">
        <svg class="furo-related-icon"><use href="#svg-arrow-right"></use></svg>
        <div class="page-info">
          <div class="context">
            <span>Previous</span>
          </div>
          
            <div class="title">How to back up instances</div>
          
        </div>
      </a>
</div>
<div class="bottom-of-page">
  <div class="left-details">
    <div class="copyright">
        &copy; 2014-2026 AGPL-3.0, LXD contributors 
    </div><div class="last-updated">
      Last updated on Feb 13, 2026</div>
  </div>
  <div class="right-details">
    
      <a href="" class="js-revoke-cookie-manager muted-link">Manage your tracker settings</a>
</div>

      </footer>
    </div>
    <aside class="toc-drawer">
      
<div class="toc-sticky toc-scroll">
   
    <div class="toc-title-container">
      <span class="toc-title">
       Contents
      </span>
    </div>
    <div class="toc-tree-container">
      <div class="toc-tree">
        <ul>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#">How to migrate LXD instances between servers</a><ul>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#migrate-instances">Migrate instances</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#copy-instances">Copy instances</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#migrate-and-copy-options">Migrate and copy options</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#live-migration">Live migration</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#temporarily-migrate-all-instances-from-a-cluster-member">Temporarily migrate all instances from a cluster member</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#related-topics">Related topics</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>

      </div>
    </div>
   
    
    <div class="relatedlinks-title-container">
      <span class="relatedlinks-title">
       Related links
      </span>
    </div>
    <div class="relatedlinks-container">
      <div class="relatedlinks">
        
          <ul><li><a href="https://discuss.linuxcontainers.org/t/16635" target="_blank">Online&#32;VM&#32;live-migration&#32;(QEMU&#32;to&#32;QEMU)</a></li></ul>
        
        
      </div>
    </div>
    
  </div>

    </aside>
  </div>
</div><script src="../../_static/jquery.js?v=5d32c60e"></script>
    <script src="../../_static/_sphinx_javascript_frameworks_compat.js?v=2cd50e6c"></script>
    <script src="../../_static/documentation_options.js?v=a5603611"></script>
    <script src="../../_static/doctools.js?v=9a2dae69"></script>
    <script src="../../_static/sphinx_highlight.js?v=dc90522c"></script>
    <script src="../../_static/scripts/furo.js?v=46bd48cc"></script>
    <script src="../../_static/clipboard.min.js?v=a7894cd8"></script>
    <script src="../../_static/copybutton.js?v=b01cb6f2"></script>
    <script src="../../_static/config-options.js"></script>
    <script src="../../_static/design-tabs.js?v=f930bc37"></script>
    <script src="../../_static/js/bundle.js?v=a4d88309"></script>
    <script src="../../_static/header-nav.js?v=e117ad08"></script>
    <script src="../../_static/github_issue_links.js?v=32bb732f"></script>
    
<script>
  const github_url = "https://github.com/canonical/lxd";
</script>
</body>
</html>