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# How to use ARM Explorer to capture your own custom virtual machine image under Azure Resource Manager
- URL: https://codeisahighway.com/how-to-use-arm-explorer-to-capture-your-own-custom-virtual-machine-image-under-azure-resource-manager/
- Published: 2015-12-23T16:47:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-07-30T19:45:37.000Z
- Author: Stephane Lapointe
- Tags: Microsoft Azure, Virtual Machines, Azure Resource Manager, Azure Resource Explorer, ARM, HowTo, #Import 2023-07-11 16:44, #Import 2026-09-04 10:31, #Import 2026-09-04 13:56

You have a v2 Azure Virtual Machine that has been generalized and are ready to capture it using ARM Explorer? All right, buckle your seat belt and follow this guide, at the end you should have your captured VHD in your storage account.

> This post assume you already have a virtual machine on Azure that have been generalized and you want to capture it. You can find out how to generalize your VM and other alternatives for your capture in this article: [Step by Step: How to capture your own custom virtual machine image under Azure Resource Manager](https://codeisahighway.com/how-to-capture-your-own-custom-virtual-machine-image-under-azure-resource-manager-api)

# Capture VM image with ARM Explorer

Start by opening the [ARM Explorer](https://resources.azure.com/?ref=codeisahighway.com) website. We'll do more than GET operations in ARM Explorer so we need to allow PUT and POST verbs by enabling write mode (it is Read Only\* by default). At the top right of the site, ensure **Read/Write** is selected.  
![Read/Write mode in ARM Explorer](https://codeisahighway.com/content/images/2015/08/EnableWriteMode.png)

At the top you'll find a search box, type the name of your virtual machine and select it from the drop down. In my case, my VM is named *CaptureVMImage*, yours will probably be different.  
![Search Your VM in ARM Explorer](https://codeisahighway.com/content/images/2015/08/SearchVmToCapture.png)

You should now see your virtual machine in the right section of the site.

![Virtual machine information in ARM Explorer](https://codeisahighway.com/content/images/2015/08/VirtualMachineInARMExplorer.png)

Click **Actions (POST, DELETE)**, you'll see a lot of action that you can perform on your virtual machine...

![Actions (POST, DELETE) for VM view In ARMExplorer](https://codeisahighway.com/content/images/2015/08/ActionsPostDeleteForVMInARMExplorer.png)

- Click the **Deallocate** button  
![Deallocate button](https://codeisahighway.com/content/images/2015/08/DeallocateButton.png)
- The status of the VM should go from `Stopped` to `Updating` to `Stopped (deallocated)`.
- Now that your VM is deallocated, Click the **Generalize** button  
![Generalize button](https://codeisahighway.com/content/images/2015/08/GeneralizeButton.png)  
Your VM OSState should now be marked as `OSState/generalized`.  
![Virtual Machine OSState in ARM Explorer](https://codeisahighway.com/content/images/2015/08/VirtualMachineOsStateInARMExplorer.png)

```json
{
  "code": "OSState/generalized",
  "level": "Info",
  "displayStatus": "VM generalized"
}

```

- Still in the *Actions (POST, DELETE)* section, scroll to the capture operation and fill the required information:

```json
{
  "vhdPrefix": "template",
  "destinationContainerName": "mytemplates",
  "overwriteVhds": "false"
}

```

- Click the **Capture** button  
![Capture button](https://codeisahighway.com/content/images/2015/08/CaptureButton-1.png)

## Capture is done, what's next?

Your image will now be ready in a minute or two! Jump to [Capture is done, what's next?](https://codeisahighway.com/how-to-capture-your-own-custom-virtual-machine-image-under-azure-resource-manager-api#AfterCapture)