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Linux
Windows
This document describes the common issues that you might encounter when you
import images to Compute Engine and when you export images
to Cloud Storage.
Diagnose image import and export issues
Diagnose the cause of image import or export issues by reviewing the
Cloud Build logs and the serial port output of the temporary
VMs (or worker VMs).
Review Cloud Build logs
The image import tool uses the Cloud Build API to import and export images.
Review the Cloud Build logs to get the status of the running process.
To view Cloud Build logs, do one of the following:
If you import or export images by using Google Cloud console, view logs on the
Images page in the Google Cloud console, in the Image import history or Image export history tab.
Click the Cloud Build ID to view the logs.
If you import or export images by using Google Cloud CLI, you can view the
Cloud Build log location at the standard output after running the process.
Review serial port output
Reviewing the serial port output of the worker VMs that are created during the image
import or export process might be useful to troubleshoot issues with system-level
entities. For more information about these logs,
see Viewing serial port output.
Common errors
The following are examples of common errors you might encounter when you import
or export images.
ExportFailed error when exporting images larger than 2 TB
The maximum size for images in vmdk, vpc, and vhd formats is limited to
2 TB. Therefore, when you export images larger than 2 TB in these formats, you
might see an error message similar to the following in the log:
Error message:
[image -export]: 2022 - 01 - 27T16: 08: 24Z Error running workflow: step
"image-export-export-disk" run error: step "wait-for-inst-image-export-export-disk"
run error: WaitForInstancesSignal FailureMatch found for
"WORKER_VM_NAME--SUFFIX":
"ExportFailed: Failed to export disk source to DESTINATION_URI"
Resolution:
To resolve this issue, specify the image format as vdi, vhdx, or qcow2 and
set the --timeout value as 24h when you run the
gcloud compute images export command.
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Hard to understand","hardToUnderstand","thumb-down"],["Incorrect information or sample code","incorrectInformationOrSampleCode","thumb-down"],["Missing the information/samples I need","missingTheInformationSamplesINeed","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2025-08-29 UTC."],[[["\u003cp\u003eThis document provides guidance on diagnosing common issues encountered when importing images to Compute Engine or exporting images to Cloud Storage.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eCloud Build logs, accessible via the Google Cloud console or CLI, can be reviewed to track the status of image import and export processes.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eReviewing the serial port output of worker VMs can help in troubleshooting system-level issues during image import or export.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eExporting images larger than 2 TB in \u003ccode\u003evmdk\u003c/code\u003e, \u003ccode\u003evpc\u003c/code\u003e, or \u003ccode\u003evhd\u003c/code\u003e formats may result in an \u003ccode\u003eExportFailed\u003c/code\u003e error, and specifying \u003ccode\u003evdi\u003c/code\u003e, \u003ccode\u003evhdx\u003c/code\u003e, or \u003ccode\u003eqcow2\u003c/code\u003e as the format may resolve this.\u003c/p\u003e\n"]]],[],null,["# Troubleshooting image import and export\n\nLinux Windows\n\n*** ** * ** ***\n\nThis document describes the common issues that you might encounter when you import images to Compute Engine and when you export images to Cloud Storage.\n\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\nDiagnose image import and export issues\n---------------------------------------\n\nDiagnose the cause of image import or export issues by reviewing the\nCloud Build logs and the serial port output of the temporary\nVMs (or worker VMs).\n\n### Review Cloud Build logs\n\nThe image import tool uses the Cloud Build API to import and export images.\nReview the Cloud Build logs to get the status of the running process.\n\nTo view Cloud Build logs, do one of the following:\n\n- If you import or export images by using Google Cloud console, view logs on the\n **Images** page in the Google Cloud console, in the **Image import history** or **Image export history** tab.\n Click the Cloud Build ID to view the logs.\n\n [Go to Images](https://console.cloud.google.com/compute/images)\n- If you import or export images by using Google Cloud CLI, you can view the\n Cloud Build log location at the standard output after running the process.\n\n### Review serial port output\n\nReviewing the serial port output of the worker VMs that are created during the image\nimport or export process might be useful to troubleshoot issues with system-level\nentities. For more information about these logs,\nsee [Viewing serial port output](/compute/docs/troubleshooting/viewing-serial-port-output).\n\nCommon errors\n-------------\n\nThe following are examples of common errors you might encounter when you import\nor export images.\n\n### ExportFailed error when exporting images larger than 2 TB\n\nThe maximum size for images in `vmdk`, `vpc`, and `vhd` formats is limited to\n2 TB. Therefore, when you export images larger than 2 TB in these formats, you\nmight see an error message similar to the following in the log:\n\n**Error message**: \n\n```\n[image -export]: 2022 - 01 - 27T16: 08: 24Z Error running workflow: step\n\"image-export-export-disk\" run error: step \"wait-for-inst-image-export-export-disk\"\nrun error: WaitForInstancesSignal FailureMatch found for\n\"WORKER_VM_NAME--SUFFIX\":\n\"ExportFailed: Failed to export disk source to DESTINATION_URI\"\n```\n\n**Resolution**:\n\nTo resolve this issue, specify the image format as `vdi`, `vhdx`, or `qcow2` and\nset the `--timeout` value as `24h` when you run the\n[`gcloud compute images export` command](/sdk/gcloud/reference/compute/images/export).\n\nIf the issue persists, contact [Google Cloud Support](/support) for\nassistance."]]
