Unable to Resize VM

Question

Hi,

I'm getting the following error when I try to resize my VM:

Failed to resize virtual machine 'vmavdpusw20001' to size 'Standard D2s v4'. Error: Operation could not be completed as it results in exceeding approved standardBasv2Family Cores quota. Additional details - Deployment Model: Resource Manager, Location: westus2, Current Limit: 0, Current Usage: 4, Additional Required: -2, (Minimum) New Limit Required: 2.

This seems to be a catch 22, as azure is expecting the new limit to be 2, because I have another VM using 2 vcpus for Basv2. However, I am unable to increase the quota for Basv2 from 0->4. It seems like my Basv2 quota was decreased from 4->0 while I had the VMs running.

I am trying to move it out from Basv2 to D series VMs with more quotal.

Answer 1

Hello Shane

Thank you for sharing the details. This behavior is expected and is related to vCPU quota enforcement at the VM family level, not an issue with the resize target itself.

Why the resize is still failing :

Even though all Basv2 VMs are now deallocated, Azure still validates VM‑family vCPU quota compliance before allowing a resize operation.

In your subscription and region (West US 2):

• Basv2 family quota = 0
• Azure requires the current VM family allocation to be within quota before releasing it and moving the VM to another family (for example, D‑series).
• When a quota has been reduced to 0, Azure blocks any operation that triggers capacity validation, including resize—even when moving away from Basv2.

This validation behavior is documented and applies to both allocated and deallocated cores, which explains why deallocating the VMs alone did not resolve the issue.

Why Quota requests are being rejected :

For Pay‑As‑You‑Go subscriptions, some VM‑family quotas (including B‑series) can become non‑adjustable through self‑service, especially after:

• Subscription changes
• Risk or capacity enforcement
• Internal quota corrections

In such cases, the portal quota request may be auto‑rejected.

Request a quota increase from Portal :

1. Sign in to the Azure portal.
2. Enter "quotas" into the search box, and then select Quotas.
3. On the Overview page, select a provider, such as Compute.
4. On the My quotas page, under Quota name, select the quota you want to increase. Make sure that the Adjustable column shows Yes for this quota.
5. Near the top of the page, select New Quota Request, then select Enter a new limit.
   
6. In the New Quota Request pane, enter a numerical value for your new quota limit, then select Submit.
7. Your request will be reviewed, and you'll be notified if the request can be fulfilled. This usually happens within a few minutes. If your request isn't fulfilled, you'll see a link to create a support request. When you use this link, a support engineer will assist you with your increase request.

Thanks,
Manish.

Answer 2

The error is correct and it is related to regional vCPU quota enforcement, not to the resize target itself.

Azure enforces vCPU quotas per VM family per region. In your case:

Region: westus2 Family: Standard Basv2 Current limit: 0 Current usage: 4

This means your subscription currently has zero allowed vCPUs for the Basv2 family in westus2, while you already have 4 vCPUs allocated to running Basv2 VMs. This situation typically occurs when:

• A quota reduction was applied to the subscription
• The subscription type changed
• A temporary capacity or offer restriction was enforced

Azure does not automatically shut down running VMs when quota is reduced. However, any operation that triggers a capacity validation check, including resize, will fail if the family is over quota.

Why the resize fails

Even though you are resizing to D series, Azure must first validate the current allocation state. During resize, the platform performs quota checks before releasing the existing family allocation. Since your Basv2 usage exceeds the allowed quota, the validation fails before the migration to D series can proceed.

This is not a catch 22, but a strict quota enforcement rule.

Resolution options

Option 1 Increase Basv2 quota.

Go to:

Azure Portal Subscriptions Your subscription Usage and quotas

Locate Standard Basv2 Family vCPUs in westus2 and request a quota increase to at least 4. Once approved, the resize operation will succeed.

If the quota increase request from 0 to 4 is blocked, open a support ticket under:

Service and subscription limits Compute vCPU quota

Support can manually correct the quota state.

Option 2 Deallocate one Basv2 VM first.

If possible:

• Stop and deallocate one Basv2 VM
• Confirm that total Basv2 usage drops within allowed limit
• Then perform the resize operation

However, since your quota is currently 0, even one running VM exceeds the limit, so this option may not be sufficient unless quota is raised above 0.

Option 3 Move region.

If urgent and quota cannot be adjusted quickly:

• Create a new VM in a different region with sufficient quota
• Migrate disk or snapshot
• Recreate VM using desired size

Root cause summary

The platform validates current family allocation before allowing resize. Because Basv2 usage exceeds the configured family quota, the resize validation fails even though the target family has available capacity.

The correct remediation is to raise the Basv2 quota temporarily to match current usage, perform the resize, then optionally reduce the quota again if required.

If you confirm the subscription type such as Enterprise Agreement, CSP, or Pay As You Go, I can advise the fastest quota escalation path.