Cannot delete a vault

Question

Cannot delete a vault in storage account. Tried doing a soft delete. That dd not work.

Answer 1

A vault cannot be deleted while it still has dependencies. For Azure Backup vaults, the most common blockers are:

1. Protected data sources still exist in the vault.
2. Backup data still exists.
3. For Recovery Services vaults, items may still be in soft-deleted state for 14 days after deletion.
4. Registered storage accounts, protected servers, backup management servers, or private endpoints may still be attached.

If this is a Recovery Services vault, use this order:

1. In the Azure portal, open the vault and select Overview > Delete.
2. In Properties > Security Settings, disable Soft Delete and Security Features if the portal allows it.
3. Check for soft-deleted backup items. If any exist, either wait until they are permanently deleted after 14 days, or undelete them and delete them again so they are permanently removed.
4. Go to Backup Items and for every item, select Stop Backup and then Delete Backup Data.
5. Go to Backup Infrastructure and unregister:
   • Protected Servers
   • Backup Management Servers
   • Storage Accounts
6. Go to Settings > Networking > Private access and remove any private endpoints.
7. Return to the vault and delete it.

If this is a Backup vault, use this order:

1. Open the vault.
2. Go to Backup Instances and delete all listed items.
3. Check all Datasource type filter options so no hidden backup instance or policy is missed.
4. After no items remain, select Delete on the vault dashboard.

Important: deleting a vault is destructive and cannot be undone. All backup data and backup items associated with the protected resources are permanently deleted.

If all dependencies are already removed and a Recovery Services vault still fails to delete, retry from the portal, then use the Azure Resource Manager client method described in the documentation.

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References:

• Delete an Azure Backup Recovery Services vault
• Frequently asked questions - Soft delete
• Create and delete Backup vaults
• Backup Vault Deletion Issue - Microsoft Q&A