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Guide: Upload a General Image

This guide describes how to upload a custom operating system image (in OVA or OVF format) for use when creating an Instance.

Before You Begin​

  • The image file must be in .OVA or .OVF format.
  • Ensure you have a stable network connection — image files are typically large.
  • You are in a Project that belongs to a Specific VPC or a General VPC.

Steps​

  1. In the left navigation bar, select Compute Engine → Custom images.

    Custom Images list

  2. Ensure the General Image tab is selected (the default tab).

  3. Click the Upload button in the upper-right corner.

    General Image upload form

  4. Fill in the form:

    • File — click to select a file or drag and drop a .OVA / .OVF file into the upload area.
    • Name — enter an identifier name for the image (required).
    • Description — a short description of the image (optional).
    • Add tag — enter tags to categorize the image (optional; multiple tags can be added).

  5. Click Confirm to start the upload.

  6. The image appears in the list with Uploading status while the upload is in progress, and changes to Active when complete.

Note: Do not close the browser tab during the upload — doing so may interrupt the upload process.

Note: Once the image is in Active status, you can select this image as the source when creating a new Instance from Compute Engine → Instances.