Azure Databricks workspace stuck in "Deleting" state for 3+ days – blocking resource group and subscription deletion

Question

Title: Azure Databricks workspace stuck in "Deleting" state for 3+ days – blocking resource group and subscription deletion

Question:

Hello everyone,

I am facing an issue with an Azure Databricks workspace that has been stuck in a "Deleting" state for more than 3 days, and I’m unable to proceed with any cleanup operations.

Environment details:

Moving PII information to private message

Current situation:

The Databricks workspace appears in:

az databricks workspace list

  `az resource list`

  
  Provisioning state remains: **Deleting**

  
  The managed resource group (`databricks-rg-...`) is still present
```**Issues encountered:**

Unable to delete the workspace

Unable to delete the resource group (`ResourceGroupDeletionBlocked`)

Unable to cancel the subscription (`ResourcesExistingOnSubscription`)

**Errors received:**

`ApplianceBeingDeleted`

`ResourceGroupDeletionBlocked`

`ResourceNotFound` (when using some Databricks commands)

**Actions already attempted:**

Deleted via Azure Portal

Deleted via CLI:

   `az databricks workspace delete`
   
   Forced deletion:
   
```sql
  `az resource delete --ids <workspace-resource-id>`

  
  Checked activity logs (multiple failed delete attempts)

  
  Retried deletion multiple times over several days
```**Observation:** The workspace seems to be in a **"ghost" or inconsistent state**, where:

It is still listed as a resource

But cannot be managed or deleted properly

**Request:** Has anyone experienced this situation before? Is there any workaround to force deletion or unlock the resource without Microsoft Support intervention?

Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!**Title:**

Azure Databricks workspace stuck in "Deleting" state for 3+ days – blocking resource group and subscription deletion

**Question:**

Hello everyone,

I am facing an issue with an Azure Databricks workspace that has been stuck in a **"Deleting"** state for more than 3 days, and I’m unable to proceed with any cleanup operations.

**Environment details:**

Subscription ID: `5b3f48fd-274e-4e70-af02-ec9ce9c614a3`

Resource Group: `David_group`

Databricks Workspace: `DatabricksDemoRG`

Region: West US 2

**Current situation:**

The Databricks workspace appears in:

   `az databricks workspace list`
   
```yaml
  `az resource list`

  
  Provisioning state remains: **Deleting**

  
  The managed resource group (`databricks-rg-...`) is still present
```**Issues encountered:**

Unable to delete the workspace

Unable to delete the resource group (`ResourceGroupDeletionBlocked`)

Unable to cancel the subscription (`ResourcesExistingOnSubscription`)

**Errors received:**

`ApplianceBeingDeleted`

`ResourceGroupDeletionBlocked`

`ResourceNotFound` (when using some Databricks commands)

**Actions already attempted:**

Deleted via Azure Portal

Deleted via CLI:

   `az databricks workspace delete`
   
   Forced deletion:
   
```sql
  `az resource delete --ids <workspace-resource-id>`

  
  Checked activity logs (multiple failed delete attempts)

  
  Retried deletion multiple times over several days
```**Observation:**  
The workspace seems to be in a **"ghost" or inconsistent state**, where:

It is still listed as a resource

But cannot be managed or deleted properly

**Request:**  
Has anyone experienced this situation before?  
Is there any workaround to force deletion or unlock the resource without Microsoft Support intervention?

Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

Answer 1

The behavior matches a stuck or inconsistent control-plane state for the Databricks workspace. There is no documented self-service operation that can repair a workspace that is already stuck in Deleting for days; available tools only cover normal delete and force-delete paths.

From the documented options, the only supported delete mechanisms are:

1. Delete the workspace normally
   • From Azure portal: open the Databricks workspace resource and select Delete.
   • Or via CLI:

          az databricks workspace delete \
            --name DatabricksDemoRG \
            --resource-group David_group
     

   • Or via PowerShell:

          Remove-AzDatabricksWorkspace -Name DatabricksDemoRG -ResourceGroupName David_group
     

   These are the standard operations already attempted.
2. Force delete the workspace catalog and managed resource group This only applies if the workspace is still in a normal state and the goal is to ensure the managed resource group and Unity Catalog data are removed at delete time:
   • Azure portal: when deleting the workspace, select the checkbox to delete the workspace along with its managed resource group.
   • Azure CLI:

          az databricks workspace delete \
            --name DatabricksDemoRG \
            --resource-group David_group \
            --force-deletion true
     

   • Azure PowerShell:

          Remove-AzDatabricksWorkspace \
            -Name DatabricksDemoRG \
            -ResourceGroupName David_group \
            -ForceDeletion
     

   • Or by deleting the parent resource group with force-deletion types:

          az group delete \
            --name David_group \
            --force-deletion-types Microsoft.Databricks/workspaces
     

          Remove-AzResourceGroup \
            -Name David_group \
            -ForceDeletionType Microsoft.Databricks/workspaces \
            -Force
     

3. Soft-delete behavior and retention
   • When a Databricks workspace is deleted successfully, it enters a 7‑day soft-delete state where only Databricks-managed metadata may be recoverable; Azure resources (VMs, disks, networking) are cleaned up immediately.
   • This retention does not block deletion of the Azure resource itself; it only affects Databricks-side metadata. A workspace stuck in Deleting for days is not a normal part of this retention behavior.

Given that:

• The workspace is already in Deleting for multiple days.
• Standard delete and force-deletion paths have been tried.
• The resource group and subscription deletions are blocked by this state.

There is no additional documented CLI/PowerShell or portal operation that can clear a Databricks workspace that is already stuck in Deleting. Resolution in such cases requires backend intervention by Microsoft/Azure Databricks support to fix the control-plane state and complete or roll back the delete.

The practical next step is to open a support case with Azure (or via the Databricks support channel if available for the workspace) and provide:

• Subscription ID, resource group, workspace name, and region.
• The fact that provisioningState is Deleting for >72 hours.
• The errors ApplianceBeingDeleted, ResourceGroupDeletionBlocked, and ResourceNotFound for management operations.

Support can then clear the stuck resource so that resource group and subscription deletion can proceed.

---

References:

• Delete a workspace
• Force delete the workspace catalog
• Workspace deletion retention policy
• az databricks workspace delete
• Databricks.WorkspacesDelete Method