As system administrators and generally someone who takes pride in how rack equipment and network cabling are organized, we cannot escape the need to power down our ESXi host. It is not advisable to just pull the plug. So here is a simple step-by-step guide on how to gracefully shut down a VMWare ESXi host without causing any issues.
Step 1: Access the ESXi Host

You can access your ESXi host server via the the web interface by entering its IP address or hostname in your web browser. If you’re on vCenter, you can manage multiple ESXi hosts from a single interface. Just be careful to select the right host before proceeding to shut down the VM clients.
Step 2: Shut Down Virtual Machines

After selecting the correct ESXi host, it’s time to shut down the virtual machines (VMs) running on it. Click on the VM and then click on the ‘Shut down guest OS’ button as in the image above.
Do this for every VM that is hosted in the ESXi server that you’re planning to shut down. Once all the VMs are powered down, you can check their status to ensure they are completely powered off.

Step 3: Enter Maintenance Mode
Once all the VMs have been powered off, it is time to put your ESXi host into ‘Maintenance Mode‘. This is important because it prevents any new VMs from being powered on during the shutdown process. To enter ‘Maintenance Mode‘, go to the Host menu and select ‘Enter Maintenance Mode‘.

Step 4: Shut Down the ESXi Host
Once your targeted ESXi host has entered ‘Maintenance mode‘, do proceed to shut down the host. When you’re finished with your tasks, you can boot up the server remotely of physically and then get out of the maintenance mode by.. you guessed it.. clicking on ‘Exit Maintenance Mode‘ option. Once that is completed, you can proceed to boot up your VMs.
Conclusion On How to Shut Down a VMWare Host
Shutting down ESXi hosts requires only a few simple steps, but it’s important to follow them carefully to avoid any data loss or corruption. So good luck and may it run without any hiccups!
TL;DR
- Access host > Shut down VMs > Enter host into ‘Maintenance Mode’ > Power off host.