Getting a backup from the paid virtual machine

Question

My Azure subscription has been not paid for, but I don't want to use Azure. I can't access my virtual machine because I can't afford to pay. Do I have to pay to get the backups in it, how can I get a backup without paying?

Answer 1

Hi, If your Azure subscription is not paid for, Microsoft may suspend your account and any resources associated with it, including your virtual machine and backups. In this case, you may not be able to access your virtual machine or retrieve backups until you pay your outstanding balance. However, you may still have the option to retrieve your data if you had previously created backups of your virtual machine using Azure Backup. Azure Backup allows you to create and store backups of your virtual machines in a separate storage account, which can be used to recover data in case of a disaster. If you had previously configured Azure Backup for your virtual machine, you can access the backups in the Azure portal and restore the data to a new virtual machine. To do this, you will need to create a new virtual machine and restore the backup data to it. You may incur charges for creating a new virtual machine, but you may be able to retrieve your data without having to pay for your outstanding balance. If you did not have Azure Backup configured for your virtual machine, and your account has been suspended due to non-payment, you may need to contact Microsoft support to discuss your options for retrieving your data.

f you do not have a backup of your virtual machine and your Azure subscription has been suspended due to non-payment, you may have several options to retrieve your data:

1. Pay your outstanding balance: The simplest solution may be to pay your outstanding balance and restore your virtual machine from the Azure portal. This will allow you to access your data and resume using your virtual machine as before.
2. Export your virtual machine: If you have access to your virtual machine, you can export it to a storage account or as a virtual hard disk (VHD) file. This will allow you to retrieve your data and restore it to a new virtual machine on a different cloud provider or on-premises. You can use Azure Site Recovery to replicate your virtual machine to a different location, but this may incur additional costs.
3. Use Azure Storage Explorer: If you have any data stored in Azure Storage, you can use Azure Storage Explorer to access and download your data. Azure Storage Explorer is a free, cross-platform tool that allows you to view and manage your data in Azure Storage.
4. Contact Microsoft support: If you are unable to retrieve your data using any of the above methods, you can contact Microsoft support for further assistance. They may be able to provide additional options or guidance on how to retrieve your data. Regards, Divya