Why is the target server dropdown grayed out when restoring an Azure SQL Database LTR backup to another logical server in the same subscription and region despite having Owner RBAC permissions?

Question

I’m trying to restore an Azure SQL Database LTR backup to a different logical server, but the target server dropdown is grayed out in the Azure portal. I am Owner at the subscription level and have also tested additional RBAC roles including SQL Server Contributor on both source and target servers. Both servers are in the same tenant, subscription, resource group, and region (Central US). I can see the LTR backups, can restore them to them to the origional servers, but I cannot select a different server during restore. Is there an additional requirement or limitation I might be missing? Thanks,

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EDIT:
2026/02/25 2:13PM CST:

I was able to perform an LTR db restore from server 1 to server 2 as desired using CLI in browser. But not in the Portal. Any reason why the options to do it the portal are greyed-out and not permitted to be used as described? Thanks,

Here is the CLI prompt I used to achieve this:

"az sql db ltr-backup restore --dest-resource-group <redacted> --dest-server <redacted> --dest-database <redacted> --backup-id "/subscriptions/<redacted>/resourceGroups/<redacted>/providers/Microsoft.Sql/locations/centralus/longTermRetentionServers/<redacted>/longTermRetentionDatabases/<redacted>/longTermRetentionBackups/<redacted>;Hot""

Answer 1

hello daniel,

This is not an RBAC issue.

When you initiate the restore from:

Server → Backups → Long-term retention → Restore

the Azure Portal scopes the operation to that specific logical server. Because of that, the Server dropdown is disabled, even though the backend API supports restoring an LTR backup to a different logical server in the same subscription and region.

That’s why:

• Restore to the original server works in the Portal

Selecting another server is greyed out

The same restore works via CLI

Since your CLI command succeeds, it confirms:

Permissions are correct

Same-region restore is supported

No subscription/tenant restriction exists

This is a Portal UX limitation, not a platform limitation.

For cross-server LTR restores, use CLI, PowerShell, or ARM/Bicep.This is not an RBAC issue.

When you initiate the restore from:

Server → Backups → Long-term retention → Restore

the Azure Portal scopes the operation to that specific logical server. Because of that, the Server dropdown is disabled, even though the backend API supports restoring an LTR backup to a different logical server in the same subscription and region.

That’s why:

Restore to the original server works in the Portal

Selecting another server is greyed out

The same restore works via CLI

Since your CLI command succeeds, it confirms:

Permissions are correct

Same-region restore is supported

No subscription/tenant restriction exists

This is a Portal UX limitation, not a platform limitation.

For cross-server LTR restores, use CLI, PowerShell, or ARM/Bicep.

Answer 2

Hi Daniel-4204,

This behavior is caused by a known limitation in the Azure Portal UI. The Azure SQL LTR restore experience in the portal uses older validation logic that only enables the original server for restore, so the Server dropdown appears grayed out even when RBAC and region conditions are correct.

However, the underlying SQL REST API does support restoring an LTR backup to any logical server in the same region. This is why your CLI restore works successfully the CLI interacts directly with the SQL Resource Provider and does not rely on the portal’s UI validation.

To restore an LTR backup to another server, use either:

• Azure CLI
• ARM/REST API
• PowerShell

The portal behavior is a UI-side limitation and not an RBAC or platform restriction. Microsoft is expected to update the Portal restore experience to reflect the current capabilities documented for LTR.

Hope this helps, Please let us know if you have any questions and concerns.