how to delete a Immutable blob storage which is delete-protected by locked time based retention policy

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how to delete a Immutable blob storage which is delete-protected by locked time based retention policy

Jagdeep Kaur Saini 20

how to delete a Immutable blob storage which is delete-protected by locked time based retention policy?

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Answer 1

Nandamuri Pranay Teja 3,610 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hello Jagdeep Kaur

Thank you for your question

Please be informed that since direct deletion is not allowed while the policy is active, you need to wait for the Retention period to Expire. Because Each blob subject to the policy will have an Effective Legal Hold Time (or Immutable Until time). The blob cannot be deleted until this exact date and time has passed.

Firstly, Identify the effective retention date/time for the specific blob**.**

Navigate to your Storage Account -> Containers.
Select the relevant Container.
Browse to the Blob.
In the blob's properties, look for fields related to immutability, such as Retention Policy End Date or Immutable Until. Wait until this date and time has completely passed.
Once the retention period has expired, the blob will become eligible for deletion, and you can then delete it using Azure Portal.

While you specifically mentioned a time-based retention policy, it's important to note that if a Legal Hold is also applied (either at the container or blob level), it overrides the time-based retention.

A legal hold prevents deletion indefinitely until the legal hold is explicitly removed.
Check if any legal holds are active on the container or the specific blob.
If a legal hold is present, you must remove the legal hold first. This can typically be done in the Azure portal under the container's "Immutability policy" settings.

Once the legal hold is removed, the time-based retention policy (if still active and unexpired) will then apply. If the time-based retention has also expired, the blob becomes deletable.

Note- There is NO direct way to forcibly delete a blob that is currently under a locked time-based retention policy before its Immutable Until date. This is precisely the purpose of the "locked" state – to provide non-erasable, non-modifiable storage for compliance.

References: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/storage/blobs/immutable-storage-overview

Hope the above answer helps! Please let us know do you have any further queries.

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Jagdeep Kaur Saini 20 Reputation points

2025-06-20T22:56:48.79+00:00

hi thanks for information.

i am unable to find Retention Policy End Date or Immutable Until

Identifier Scope Retention interval State

Time-based retention Container 20 days Locked

Time-based retention Container 20 days Locked

and policy audit shows:

so i should be able to delete this blob as retention period of 20 days ended back in 2022. but i am still getting "protected from deletion due to immutability policy"

please guide
Jagdeep Kaur Saini 20 Reputation points

2025-06-20T23:10:00.1566667+00:00

there is no legal hold on blob or container
Nandamuri Pranay Teja 3,610 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-06-22T23:56:21.62+00:00
Hello Jagdeep Kaur

Thank you for the kind response!

Please be informed that since the policy was set in 2022 with a 20-day retention period, it should have expired long ago (e.g., 20 days after creation in 2022). The persistence of the error suggests a configuration or metadata issue.

However, to find the Immutable Until Navigate to the desired container in the Azure portal.

In the context menu of the container, select Access policy.

Under Immutable blob storage, you can manage the immutability policies.

Here is the article on Immutable policy: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/storage/blobs/immutable-policy-configure-container-scope?wt.mc_id=knowledgesearch_inproduct_copilot-in-azure#lock-a-time-based-retention-policy

Please let us know if you have any further queries. I’m happy to assist you further.
Jagdeep Kaur Saini 20 Reputation points

2025-06-23T16:48:14.7033333+00:00

hi i checked but it says in locked state as below with delete option greyed out. How can i delete this now?
Nandamuri Pranay Teja 3,610 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-06-24T07:05:22.54+00:00

Hello Jagdeep Kaur

As discussed in the "Troubleshooting Grayed Out 'Lock policy' Option in Immutable Blob Storage", if the policy is already showing as "Locked," then the "Lock policy" option will be grayed out because you cannot lock a policy that is already locked.

If you see my below screenshot it seems to be unlocked hence, I could see Lock policy enabled.
Nandamuri Pranay Teja 3,610 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-06-25T01:25:02.66+00:00

Hello Jagdeep Kaur

Just checking in to see if the provided comment helped. And, if you have any further queries do let us know.
Jagdeep Kaur Saini 20 Reputation points

2025-06-25T16:48:04.6366667+00:00

not much. i want to delete this policy but that is greyed out. and this policy should not be in locked state as 20 days completed back in 2022.

please help as this is costing me money and i just want to delete the entire storage account.
Nandamuri Pranay Teja 3,610 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-06-26T16:05:46.56+00:00

Hello Jagdeep Kaur

Thank you for the response

This situation indicates a backend service issue with the immutable policy enforcement. It is not expected behavior for a policy to remain undeletable and block resource deletion once its conditions are met.

To delete these blobs, you must open a support request with Microsoft Azure Support. They are the only ones who can investigate the internal state of your storage account and address why the immutability is persisting beyond its defined Immutable Until time.

Please inform in support request sating that Immutable Blob Storage policy stuck in 'Locked' state despite retention period expiration (2022), preventing deletion of Storage Account 'fileshareurb1' and incurring costs.

Please let us know if you have any further queries. I’m happy to assist you further.
Jagdeep Kaur Saini 20 Reputation points

2025-06-26T18:20:08.3933333+00:00

thank you. do you have azure support link?
Nandamuri Pranay Teja 3,610 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-06-27T18:32:17.32+00:00
Hello Jagdeep Kaur

Here is the azure support link article on how to raise a request: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-portal/supportability/how-to-create-azure-support-request

Step: 1

Step: 2

Please provide them with all the details

Your Azure Subscription ID.

The Storage Account name.

The Container name.

The exact Blob name(s) you're trying to delete.

Confirmation that the policy is Locked for 20 days and was set in 2022.

Confirmation that there is no legal hold.

The exact error message you receive ("protected from deletion due to immutability policy").

Mention that you've confirmed the policy is locked (delete option grayed out).

Hope the above answer helps! Please let us know do you have any further queries.
Jagdeep Kaur Saini 20 Reputation points

2025-06-27T19:56:00.6533333+00:00

I was able to delete container and storage account today. i did nothing different. no need to raise support request.

thank you for your guidance. :)

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how to delete a Immutable blob storage which is delete-protected by locked time based retention policy

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