Azure Virtual Machines
An Azure service that is used to provision Windows and Linux virtual machines.
Cannot delete orphaned disk
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Ben
0
Reputation points
Hello,
I have an orphaned managed disk still visible in my subscription via az disk list, but its resource group has already been deleted. There is no trace of it in the Azure Portal. I tried:
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az disk delete→ returns ResourceGroupNotFound -
az restto DELETE the disk via ARM → same result
I do not have support request capabilities in my subscription, and I’m being redirected to Q&A. Could this be escalated to the product team for backend deletion if I submit the full resource id?
Regards, Ben
Azure Virtual Machines
{count} votes
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TP 134.2K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator2025-08-07T17:17:46.3866667+00:00 Hi Ben,
Please try creating the resource group using exact same name/region as before, and then trying to delete the disk again. It may not work in this case but it is quick to try so worth it.
Thanks.
-TP
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Himanshu Shekhar 255 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator2025-08-07T19:21:42.7766667+00:00 Hello Ben
When the disk’s resource group was deleted, the disk itself was left behind but lost its connection to that resource group. Because of this, Azure can see the disk, but it doesn’t belong to any resource group anymore.
From azure portal cloud shell please check once all disks in your subscription to confirm the disk names and ID associated with this:
az disk list --query "[].{Name:name, Id:id}" --output tableTry getting the orphaned disk’s properties:
az resource show --ids /subscriptions/<subscription-id>/resourceGroups/<Resource-Group>/providers/Microsoft.Compute/disks/<diskname> --api-version <Version details> --output jsonTo get above available API version details:
az provider show --namespace Microsoft.Compute --query "resourceTypes[?resourceType=='disks'].apiVersions[]" --output tablePost execution please look for
"managedBy"and other metadata.Please refer Microsoft documentation for Azure Resource Manager resource group and resource deletion: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-resource-manager/management/delete-resource-group?tabs=azure-powershell
Note: You may need to ask your subscription administrator to run the required command only after confirmation (kindly double check) before going for deletion.
Regards,
Himanshu Shekhar
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Ben 0 Reputation points
2025-08-08T07:08:59.3+00:00 Hi,
first, thanks for supporting me :-)
I tried both approaches:
I have recreated the missing resource group and tried
az disk deleteagain. There was no error but the disk still exists whenaz list diskeven after a couple of hoursWith the second (Himanshu's) approach and without the resource group existing,
az resource showI get an error because the resource group could not be found. I then added the resource group again and finally I get(ResourceNotFound) The Resource 'Microsoft.Compute/disks/<diskname>' under resource group '<resource group>' was not found. For more details please go to https://aka.ms/ARMResourceNotFoundFixCode: ResourceNotFoundSo I am afraid, that I am still a bit lost with this issue. At least I have even identified a second orphaned disk ;-)
Regards, Ben
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TP 134.2K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
2025-08-08T09:41:55.0633333+00:00 What Azure support plan do you have? You can check in portal using link below:
https://portal.azure.com/#view/Microsoft_Azure_Support/HelpAndSupportBlade/~/supportPlans
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Ben 0 Reputation points
2025-08-08T12:33:03.91+00:00 It appears to be "Developer"
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Himanshu Shekhar 255 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
2025-08-18T17:51:24.41+00:00 Hello Ben
Please double-Check Disk Ownership
- Confirm that your subscription truly owns the disk by viewing with: az disk show --ids <DiskResourceId> and if this fails, the disk may not exist or may be in a “ghost” state.
- Check for Locks or Policies: Use the CLI or portal to check whether any resource locks or policies are preventing deletion: az lock list --resource-type Microsoft.Compute/disks --resource-group <rgName>
- Try Using another resource manager API version: Sometimes, older API versions might permit actions newer ones do not: az resource delete --ids <DiskResourceId> --api-version <older-api-version>
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Himanshu Shekhar 255 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
2025-08-20T00:04:38.8766667+00:00 Hello Ben ,
Could you please provide an update on this post?
Kindly let us know if the below helps or you need further assistance on this issue.
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Ben 0 Reputation points
2025-08-20T09:19:24.1833333+00:00 Hello Himanshu,
Here are my results
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az disk showgives me ResourceNotFound - no locks regarding disks
- I tried all the api-versions dating from 2024 (the disk was created that year) but this did not help
I suspect that the disk is in a kind of ghost state. But how can I get rid of it?
Best, Ben
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Himanshu Shekhar 255 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
2025-08-29T19:30:02.3866667+00:00 Ben Thank you for sharing details
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