VM won't start ends in failed state

Question

VM won't start ends in failed state

Rick Fedor 0

Trying to restart a VM after a deallocation results in the following error

Start operation for virtual machine encountered an NetworkingInternalOperationError error.

the resource operation completed with terminal provisioning state 'failed'.

Manish Deshpande 6,835 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-05-19T23:36:20.16+00:00
Hello @Rick Fedor

Thanks for sharing the details and the error message.

The behavior you’re seeing typically occurs when the VM start operation fails due to a backend or networking-related issue, and the VM is left in a“Failed” provisioning state.
In Azure, this state reflects that the last control-plane operation didn’t complete successfully, which can block further actions like Start/Restart until the state is corrected.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/networking/troubleshoot-failed-state

Reapply the VM state (first step)

This is the least disruptive and often resolves transient issues.

In the portal: VM → Support + Troubleshooting → Redeploy + reapply → Reapply

Or via CLI:
az vm reapply -g <ResourceGroup> -n <VMName>

This action refreshes the VM’s provisioning state and re-syncs the current configuration.
Virtual machine stuck in a failed state : https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/azure/virtual-machines/windows/vm-stuck-in-failed-state?tabs=portal

Redeploy the VM (if the issue persists)

If reapply doesn’t help, redeploy the VM to a new host:

Portal: Redeploy + reapply → Redeploy

CLI:
az vm redeploy -g <ResourceGroup> -n <VMName>
This helps resolve underlying host or platform-related issues.

Validate networking components

Since the error includes NetworkingInternalOperationError, it’s worth checking:

Network Interface (NIC) provisioning state

NSG / route table configuration

Any recent networking changes

If the NIC is in a failed state, updating it or re-syncing the resource can help restore operations.
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/azure/virtual-network/troubleshoot-vm-connectivity

Review Activity Logs

To understand the exact cause:

Go to VM → Activity Log

Filter on**“Failed”** operations around the time of the issue

This often provides more detailed backend error information that isn’t visible in the initial message.

Thanks,
Manish.
Manish Deshpande 6,835 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-05-22T05:35:09.64+00:00

Hello @Rick Fedor

I wanted to check if my last response made sense. I’d be glad to assist further or explain anything in more detail and please accept as Yes and upvote if the answer is helpful so that it can help others in the community.

1 answer

Your answer

Manish Deshpande 6,835 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-05-22T05:35:09.64+00:00

Hello @Rick Fedor

I wanted to check if my last response made sense. I’d be glad to assist further or explain anything in more detail and please accept as Yes and upvote if the answer is helpful so that it can help others in the community.

Answer 1

Hello @Rick Fedor,

To resolve this issue, you can try the following steps:

Reapply the VM: Use the Azure portal or CLI to reapply the VM configuration. This can help refresh the VM’s state and resolve any transient issues.
Check Resource Availability: Ensure that the VM size you are trying to start is available in the region you are using. You may need to select a different size or region if there are capacity issues.
Review Networking Settings: Verify the networking settings associated with the VM to ensure they are correctly configured and not causing any conflicts.

If the issue persists after trying these steps, consider checking the Azure activity logs for more detailed error messages that can provide additional insights into the failure.

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VM won't start ends in failed state

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