Where Does Multipass Store VMs and Images?
Multipass keeps instances and image cache in per OS data dirs. The Linux, Windows, and macOS roots plus the override.
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Multipass stores VM instances and downloaded images in a data root plus a cache root. On Linux (snap) those are /var/snap/multipass/common/data/multipassd and the matching cache path. Windows uses C:\ProgramData\Multipass. macOS uses /var/root/Library/Application Support/multipassd.
Old Windows installs may still sit under a systemprofile AppData path from before 1.9. Set MULTIPASS_STORAGE to relocate the roots, then fix the absolute image paths recorded in multipass-vm-instances.json and the vault records, or instances fail to start.
Where Multipass stores this, by platform
/var/snap/multipass/common/data/multipassd
Instance data here; image cache in common/cache/multipassd. Needs root to browse. MULTIPASS_STORAGE with a systemd override relocates both; snap confinement limits targets to home or removable mounts.
C:\ProgramData\Multipass
Data and cache below this root since 1.9. Pre 1.9 installs may live under systemprofile AppData instead. Relocate via the MULTIPASS_STORAGE environment value, then update Hyper-V media paths.
/var/root/Library/Application Support/multipassd
Root owned location, so use sudo to inspect. Image cache twin under /var/root/Library/Caches/multipassd. Move with MULTIPASS_STORAGE and migrate the multipassd directory itself, not its parent.
Frequently asked questions
how do i free multipass disk space
Delete unused instances with multipass delete plus purge, then clear stale image cache. Check the data and cache roots above for orphans after crashes; failed launches can leave full image copies behind.
how do i move multipass vms to another drive
Follow the official storage guide: create the target, copy data and cache over, set MULTIPASS_STORAGE, then rewrite the absolute paths in multipass-vm-instances.json and the vault image records. Skipping the JSON edits strands the instances.
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