Set up the Azure Migrate appliance and start discovery

What you need before step 1

Applies to: Azure Migrate discovery and assessment for VMware vSphere (vCenter Server 5.5 to 9.0), Hyper-V and physical or other-cloud servers in Azure public cloud (as documented by Microsoft)

9 steps

1. 1

   Create the Azure Migrate project

   Where: Azure portal (https://portal.azure.com) > All services > search Azure Migrate > Azure Migrate > Get started

   Under Get started select Servers, databases and web apps, then Create project. Choose your subscription and resource group (or create one), enter a project name and choose the geography, then select Create.

   You should see: After a few minutes the project deploys and Azure Migrate: Discovery and assessment is added to it.
2. 2

   Generate the project key

   Where: Azure portal > Azure Migrate > your project > Servers, databases and web apps > Azure Migrate: Discovery and assessment > Discover

   In Are your servers virtualized? choose Yes, with VMware vSphere hypervisor, the Hyper-V option, or Physical or other (AWS, GCP, Xen, etc.). In 1: Generate project key type an appliance name (alphanumeric, 14 characters or fewer) and select Generate key. Do not close the pane while resources are created. Copy the key.

   You should see: A project key appears in the pane. Save it somewhere safe; you paste it into the appliance later.
3. 3

   Download the appliance

   Where: Same Discover pane, section 2: Download Azure Migrate appliance

   VMware: select OVA file and Download. Hyper-V or physical: download the installer zip (the script option). Microsoft asks you to check the file is secure before deploying it (see the "Verify security" section of the Azure Migrate appliance article).

   You should see: An .ova file or AzureMigrateInstaller.zip is saved to your PC.
4. 4

   VMware: deploy the OVA in vSphere

   Where: vSphere Client > File > Deploy OVF Template

   In Source enter the OVA location. Set the VM name and inventory location, the host or cluster, the datastore and disk format. In Network Mapping pick a network with internet access. Review and select Finish. Power on the VM, right-click it and select Open Console. Accept the licence terms, then set the language, time zone and administrator password.

   You should see: The appliance VM boots to the Windows sign-in screen and you can sign in with the password you set.
5. 5

   Hyper-V or physical: run the installer script

   Where: The Windows Server 2022/2025 machine that will host the appliance: right-click Start > Terminal (Admin)

   Extract the zip to a folder, change to that folder in the elevated PowerShell window and run the script. Choose the scenario (Hyper-V or Physical or other), Azure public cloud and default (public endpoint) connectivity when prompted.

   cd C:\Users\administrator\Desktop\AzureMigrateInstaller
   .\AzureMigrateInstaller.ps1

   You should see: The script installs IIS and the appliance services, then launches the appliance configuration manager automatically. Logs are in C:\ProgramData\Microsoft Azure\Logs.
6. 6

   Open the configuration manager and pass the prerequisites

   Where: Any browser that can reach the appliance: https://appliance-name-or-IP-address:44368

   Accept the licence terms. The appliance checks internet connectivity (select Setup proxy if you use one; only HTTP proxy is supported), time sync with internet time, and installs the latest updates. For VMware agentless migration it also checks the VDDK is extracted to C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Virtual Disk Development Kit.

   You should see: Each prerequisite shows a green tick.
7. 7

   Register the appliance with the project key

   Where: Appliance configuration manager > Register with Azure Migrate

   Paste the project key. Select Login, then in Continue with Azure Login select Copy code & Login. In the new browser tab paste the device code and sign in with your Azure username and password (sign-in with a PIN is not supported). Use the same account that generated the key.

   You should see: The appliance shows it is registered. Select View details to see the project and subscription.
8. 8

   Add vCenter Server or server credentials

   Where: Appliance configuration manager > Manage credentials and discovery sources

   VMware: in Step 1 select Add credentials, give them a friendly name and enter the vCenter discovery account. In Step 2 select Add discovery source and enter the vCenter IP or FQDN (port 443 by default). You can add up to 10 vCenter Servers per appliance. Physical: add credentials with source type Windows Server, Linux Server (Password-based) or Linux Server (SSH key-based), then Add discovery source with each server's IP/FQDN (single item, multiple items or Import CSV) and select Save.

   You should see: The appliance validates each source and shows the result in the Validation status column. Select a Failed status to see the error.
9. 9

   Start discovery

   Where: Appliance configuration manager, bottom of the page

   Select Start discovery. Check progress in the sources table.

   You should see: Discovery status changes to in progress. Microsoft says discovery across 10 vCenter Servers takes about 20 to 25 minutes, and installed application inventory for 500 servers about one hour to appear in the portal.

Expert tips

How to confirm it worked

• In the Azure portal open your project > Servers, databases and web apps > Azure Migrate: Discovery and assessment and check the discovered servers count is above zero.

• In the configuration manager, each vCenter Server or server in the sources table shows its discovery status.

• Web apps and SQL Server instances should begin to appear within 24 hours of starting discovery.

How to reverse it

Errors you might see

Questions

Official sources

Vendors change menus and requirements. Confirm on the source before you rely on a detail. Last checked 4 Nov 2026.