Cannot drop databases with corrupted names (trailing newline character) on MongoDB vCore cluster

Question

Cannot drop databases with corrupted names (trailing newline character) on MongoDB vCore cluster

Mikey Casalaina 5

I have two databases on my Azure Cosmos DB for MongoDB vCore cluster whose names contain a trailing newline character (U+000A). These appear as dev\n and prod\n in db.adminCommand('listDatabases') output, distinct from my legitimate dev and prod databases.

I cannot drop them through any means:

db.getSiblingDB("dev\n").dropDatabase() via mongosh — fails
MongoDB Node.js driver with the literal newline — fails
Azure Portal — does not display these databases
Azure CLI — no database-level drop command for vCore clusters

Databases to delete:

dev\n (4 chars: d,e,v,linefeed) — 9 collections including CORRUPTED
prod\n (5 chars: p,r,o,d,linefeed) — 5 collections including CORRUPTED

Databases to keep: dev, prod, meevee-v3

All data in the corrupted databases is duplicated and can be safely deleted. Could someone from the Azure Cosmos DB team assist with removing these server-side?

VRISHABHANATH PATIL 5,255 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-02-09T01:13:51+00:00
Hi @Mikey Casalaina

Thank you for contacting Microsoft Q&A. Please find below the detailed steps to address the reported issue.

What is happening and why these databases exist

The two extra databases (dev\n and prod\n) were created with a trailing newline (line feed, U+000A) character in their names. Although this character is not visible, it makes the database name different at the byte level from the normal dev and prod databases.

MongoDB allows database names to contain Unicode characters, including control characters. As a result:

listDatabases correctly returns dev\n and prod\n as distinct databases

They coexist alongside the valid dev and prod databases

This typically happens due to:

An application or script accidentally appending \n when creating the database name

A migration or restore process preserving an unintended newline character

Why self‑service deletion does not work

In Azure Cosmos DB for MongoDB vCore (Azure DocumentDB) clusters, there is a separation between:

Data‑plane operations (for example: listing databases)

Management / DDL paths (for example: dropDatabase, portal, CLI)

While the data plane can read and return these names, the management layers enforce name validation and sanitization. Control characters such as newline (U+000A) are rejected or normalized during destructive operations.

As a result:

db.getSiblingDB("dev\n").dropDatabase() fails in mongosh

MongoDB drivers (Node.js, etc.) fail for the same reason

Azure Portal does not display these databases

Azure CLI cannot delete them because vCore clusters do not support database‑level delete commands like RU‑based Cosmos DB accounts

This is a known edge‑case limitation: the databases exist internally, but customer‑side tooling cannot safely target them for deletion.

Can this be fixed from the customer side?

No. Because the database names contain a control character, there is currently no supported self‑service method to delete them in a vCore (DocumentDB) cluster.

This is not a permission issue or a syntax issue—it requires server‑side metadata cleanup.

What Azure Support needs to remove them safely

Please open an Azure Support ticket and include the following information so the service team can remove the databases server‑side:

Full resource ID of the vCore cluster (example: /subscriptions/.../providers/Microsoft.DocumentDB/mongoClusters/<cluster-name>)

Exact database names, explicitly stating the trailing newline:

dev\n (contains U+000A at the end)

prod\n (contains U+000A at the end)

Confirmation that the data can be safely deleted (for example: “All data is duplicated in the valid dev and prod databases.”)

Region and cluster tier (for example: North Europe, M10)

(Optional but helpful)

Output of listDatabases showing the names

Any error messages returned by dropDatabase()
Pilladi Padma Sai Manisha 5,315 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-02-13T14:15:40.8433333+00:00

Hi @Mikey Casalaina,
I hope you had a chance to review the information shared earlier, and I hope this information has been helpful! If you still have questions, please let us know what is needed in the comments so the question can be answered.
Mikey Casalaina 5 Reputation points

2026-02-13T14:27:15.4566667+00:00

Thank you, yes, looked over the information, but the thing is, I cannot figure out how to create a Support ticket, so I was hoping someone from Support might chime in here. Otherwise, it's very unclear how one is supposed to get help.
Pilladi Padma Sai Manisha 5,315 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-02-13T15:04:27.8966667+00:00

Hi Mikey Casalaina

You can follow the below link for support ticket raise
If you need any assistance please let us know!
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-portal/supportability/how-to-create-azure-support-request
Mikey Casalaina 5 Reputation points

2026-02-13T15:10:16.1+00:00

Unfortunately, that leaves me no path to create an actual ticket.
Pilladi Padma Sai Manisha 5,315 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-02-16T16:01:51.4966667+00:00

Hi Mikey Casalaina,

thanks for the update. If the link is not opening, please try copying and pasting it directly into your browser address bar:

https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/azure-portal/supportability/how-to-create-azure-support-request

Alternatively, you can go to the Azure portal → Help + Support → New support request and try creating the ticket from there. If the option is still unavailable, please share a screenshot of the Help + Support page so we can check further.
Mikey Casalaina 5 Reputation points

2026-02-16T16:17:11.11+00:00

Yes, not having any problem accessing the website. Apologies if that screenshot in my previous message was unclear. In Help + Support there is simply no way I can find to create a support request, and all paths lead me to Q&A.

Which is why I added something here, in the hopes Support would also create tickets from here, but apparently not.
Pilladi Padma Sai Manisha 5,315 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-02-16T17:46:16.48+00:00

Could you please share the requested details in private message.
Pilladi Padma Sai Manisha 5,315 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-02T19:50:13.78+00:00

Hi Mikey Casalaina
I hope you had a chance to review the information shared earlier, and I hope this information has been helpful! If you still have questions, please let us know what is needed in the comments so the question can be answered.

1 answer

Your answer

Pilladi Padma Sai Manisha 5,315 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-02-13T14:15:40.8433333+00:00

Hi @Mikey Casalaina,
I hope you had a chance to review the information shared earlier, and I hope this information has been helpful! If you still have questions, please let us know what is needed in the comments so the question can be answered.
Mikey Casalaina 5 Reputation points

2026-02-13T14:27:15.4566667+00:00

Thank you, yes, looked over the information, but the thing is, I cannot figure out how to create a Support ticket, so I was hoping someone from Support might chime in here. Otherwise, it's very unclear how one is supposed to get help.
Pilladi Padma Sai Manisha 5,315 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-02-13T15:04:27.8966667+00:00

Hi Mikey Casalaina

You can follow the below link for support ticket raise
If you need any assistance please let us know!
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-portal/supportability/how-to-create-azure-support-request
Mikey Casalaina 5 Reputation points

2026-02-13T15:10:16.1+00:00

Unfortunately, that leaves me no path to create an actual ticket.
Pilladi Padma Sai Manisha 5,315 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-02-16T16:01:51.4966667+00:00

Hi Mikey Casalaina,

thanks for the update. If the link is not opening, please try copying and pasting it directly into your browser address bar:

https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/azure-portal/supportability/how-to-create-azure-support-request

Alternatively, you can go to the Azure portal → Help + Support → New support request and try creating the ticket from there. If the option is still unavailable, please share a screenshot of the Help + Support page so we can check further.
Mikey Casalaina 5 Reputation points

2026-02-16T16:17:11.11+00:00

Yes, not having any problem accessing the website. Apologies if that screenshot in my previous message was unclear. In Help + Support there is simply no way I can find to create a support request, and all paths lead me to Q&A.

Which is why I added something here, in the hopes Support would also create tickets from here, but apparently not.
Pilladi Padma Sai Manisha 5,315 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-02-16T17:46:16.48+00:00

Could you please share the requested details in private message.
Pilladi Padma Sai Manisha 5,315 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-02T19:50:13.78+00:00

Hi Mikey Casalaina
I hope you had a chance to review the information shared earlier, and I hope this information has been helpful! If you still have questions, please let us know what is needed in the comments so the question can be answered.

Answer 1

It seems that you are encountering an issue with dropping databases that have corrupted names due to a trailing newline character in Azure Cosmos DB for MongoDB. Unfortunately, the current capabilities of Azure Cosmos DB for MongoDB do not provide a direct way to drop databases with such corrupted names through the usual methods (mongosh, Node.js driver, Azure Portal, or Azure CLI).

Since these databases are not accessible through standard commands and Azure Portal does not display them, the best course of action would be to reach out to Azure support for assistance. They may have the necessary tools and permissions to handle such cases on the server-side and help you remove these corrupted databases.

Make sure to provide them with all relevant details, including the resource ID and the exact names of the databases you wish to drop. This will help them assist you more effectively.

References:

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Cannot drop databases with corrupted names (trailing newline character) on MongoDB vCore cluster

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