Unable to delete 'Recovery Services vault" ->'SQLVault' resource

Question

Unable to delete 'Recovery Services vault" ->'SQLVault' resource

Aravindhan Satchithanandam 0

I'm unable to delete 'Recovery Services vault" ->'SQLVault' resource. I did create more than 3 weeks ago. Please advise me. Thank you

Aravindhan Satchithanandam 0 Reputation points

2026-03-11T16:06:04.5233333+00:00
When I execute the following steps, it's expecting me to 'Re-subscribe' and when I tried to do so it's complaining, it cannot be 'Re-subscribe'

By the the way, it's free subscription account.

Thank you,

Aravindhan

Disable soft delete and security features

In the vault, go to Properties → Security Settings.

Disable Soft Delete (if enabled).

Disable Security Features (if enabled).

If any items are already in soft-deleted state, restore them, then delete them again so they are permanently removed. Follow the steps under “delete soft-deleted backup items permanently” in the referenced article.

Disable soft delete and security features

In the vault, go to Properties → Security Settings.

Disable Soft Delete (if enabled).

Disable Security Features (if enabled).

If any items are already in soft-deleted state, restore them, then delete them again so they are permanently removed. Follow the steps under “delete soft-deleted backup items permanently” in the referenced article.
Suchitra Suregaunkar 9,270 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-12T02:15:02.2266667+00:00

Hello Aravindhan Satchithanandam

The subscription is currently disabled/expired (free subscription), so Azure requires re‑subscription to modify Recovery Services vault security settings or delete soft‑deleted backup items. Since re‑subscription is not supported for this free subscription, the vault cannot be deleted from the portal. The only supported options are to reactivate the subscription (e.g., convert to Pay‑As‑You‑Go) and then try to delete the vault.

Thanks,
Suchitra.
Suchitra Suregaunkar 9,270 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-12T19:29:57.0466667+00:00

Hello Aravindhan Satchithanandam

Could you please let us know if the provided information is helpful?

Thanks,

Suchitra.

1 answer

Your answer

Aravindhan Satchithanandam 0 Reputation points

2026-03-11T16:06:04.5233333+00:00

When I execute the following steps, it's expecting me to 'Re-subscribe' and when I tried to do so it's complaining, it cannot be 'Re-subscribe'

By the the way, it's free subscription account.

Thank you,

Aravindhan

Disable soft delete and security features

In the vault, go to Properties → Security Settings.

Disable Soft Delete (if enabled).

Disable Security Features (if enabled).

If any items are already in soft-deleted state, restore them, then delete them again so they are permanently removed. Follow the steps under “delete soft-deleted backup items permanently” in the referenced article.

Disable soft delete and security features

In the vault, go to Properties → Security Settings.

Disable Soft Delete (if enabled).

Disable Security Features (if enabled).

If any items are already in soft-deleted state, restore them, then delete them again so they are permanently removed. Follow the steps under “delete soft-deleted backup items permanently” in the referenced article.
Suchitra Suregaunkar 9,270 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-12T02:15:02.2266667+00:00

Hello Aravindhan Satchithanandam

The subscription is currently disabled/expired (free subscription), so Azure requires re‑subscription to modify Recovery Services vault security settings or delete soft‑deleted backup items. Since re‑subscription is not supported for this free subscription, the vault cannot be deleted from the portal. The only supported options are to reactivate the subscription (e.g., convert to Pay‑As‑You‑Go) and then try to delete the vault.

Thanks,
Suchitra.
Suchitra Suregaunkar 9,270 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-12T19:29:57.0466667+00:00

Hello Aravindhan Satchithanandam

Could you please let us know if the provided information is helpful?

Thanks,

Suchitra.

Answer 1

A Recovery Services vault such as SQLVault cannot be deleted until all dependencies are removed, including any backup items and any items in soft-deleted state, plus registered servers/storage and private endpoints.

Use the following checks and cleanup steps, then delete the vault.

Verify why deletion is blocked

In Azure portal, open the SQLVault Recovery Services vault.
Go to Overview and select Delete.
The guided flow lists all remaining dependencies (backup items, protected servers, storage accounts, Site Recovery objects, etc.). Each link opens the blade where the dependency must be removed.
If you see an error mentioning soft-deleted items or existing resources, it means something is still present in the vault.

Disable soft delete and security features

In the vault, go to Properties → Security Settings.
Disable Soft Delete (if enabled).
Disable Security Features (if enabled).
If any items are already in soft-deleted state, restore them, then delete them again so they are permanently removed. Follow the steps under “delete soft-deleted backup items permanently” in the referenced article.

Delete all backup items in the cloud

In the vault, go to Backup items.
For each backup management type (for example Azure Virtual Machines, Azure Files, SQL Server in Azure VMs, Azure Storage, etc.):
- Select the item.
- If the Stop Backup pane appears, choose Delete Backup Data, confirm with the item name, and complete the operation.
- If the Delete Backup Data pane appears directly, confirm the item name and delete.
Refresh Backup items and ensure the lists are empty.

Delete on-premises/MARS/MABS/DPM items (if any)

In the vault, go to Backup infrastructure.
Under Protected Servers and Backup Management Servers, delete/unregister all listed servers after their backup data has been removed:
- For MARS (Azure Backup Agent) servers: delete backup items from the MARS console, then unregister the server from Protected Servers.
- For MABS/DPM: delete backup items from the MABS/DPM console, then unregister the management server from Backup Management Servers.

Unregister storage accounts

In the vault, go to Backup infrastructure → Storage Accounts.
Unregister all storage accounts associated with the vault.

Remove private endpoints

In the vault, go to Settings → Networking → Private access.
Remove any private endpoint connections.

Confirm no soft-deleted items remain

After disabling soft delete and cleaning up, ensure there are no items in soft-deleted state.
If any remain, either:
- Wait until the soft-delete retention period (typically 14 days) passes so they are permanently deleted, or
- Restore and then delete them properly as described above.

Delete the vault

In the vault, check the Essentials pane:
- There must be no backup items, backup management servers, protected servers, replicated items, storage accounts, or private endpoints.
Once the vault is empty, select Delete on the vault dashboard and confirm. The SQLVault vault should now delete successfully.

If the vault is still not deleting

If all dependencies are removed and the portal still shows a vault deletion error, use one of the scripted/ARM options:
- PowerShell script: From the vault Overview → Delete → Delete using PowerShell Script, generate and run the provided script. It will disable soft delete/security, delete backup items, unregister servers/storage, remove private endpoints, and then delete the vault.
- ARMClient: As a last resort, use ARMClient.exe delete /subscriptions/<subscriptionID>/resourceGroups/<resourcegroupname>/providers/Microsoft.RecoveryServices/vaults/SQLVault?api-version=2015-03-15 after confirming there are no dependencies.

Following these steps ensures all hidden dependencies (including soft-deleted data older than 3 weeks) are removed so the SQLVault Recovery Services vault can be deleted.

References:

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Unable to delete 'Recovery Services vault" ->'SQLVault' resource

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