Prepare for Azure VM series retirements

Richard Archer 0 Reputation points
2026-09-29T18:51:22.52+00:00

I keep getting these emails but I don't know how to determine if we still have an active Azure account that meets the conditions. I believe tis refers to an empty account we used to hold cloud backups several years ago, but I can't be sure. How can I confirm?

Azure Virtual Machines
Azure Virtual Machines

An Azure service that is used to provision Windows and Linux virtual machines.

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  1. AI answer

    2026-09-29T18:51:38.83+00:00

    To confirm whether anything active still needs action, check across all subscriptions and directories, not just the one currently open in the portal.

    1. Verify the correct directory and subscription
      • In Azure portal, open Directories + subscriptions.
      • Confirm whether the email might refer to a different tenant or subscription than the one currently selected.
      • Retirement notifications are generated at the subscription level and might not match the subscription currently being viewed.
    2. Check for active retirement recommendations
      • In Azure portal, go to Advisor → Recommendations.
      • Look for VM retirement-related recommendations.
      • If nothing appears, that is a strong sign there are no currently impacted active VMs in the selected scope.
    3. Check health advisories
      • In Azure portal, go to Service Health → Health advisories.
      • Review whether the notice is tied to any specific impacted resources.
    4. Search all subscriptions for VMs
      • Use Resource Graph Explorer in Azure portal to search across all subscriptions available to the signed-in account.
      • This is the recommended way to confirm whether any VMs still exist, including stopped or deallocated ones.
      • If no VMs are returned, there are no virtual machines across the subscriptions accessible to that account.
    5. Review past VM activity if needed
      • In Activity Log, filter for Delete Virtual Machine.
      • This helps confirm whether VMs existed previously and were already removed.
    6. If the email refers to an old or unfamiliar tenant
      • In Azure portal, sign in and review the list of directories associated with the account.
      • Match the tenant mentioned in the email against the directories shown.
      • If it was an old trial, test, or backup-related tenant that is no longer needed, it may simply be an inactive tenant.
    7. If no active resources are found
      • If Advisor, Service Health, Resource Graph Explorer, and Activity Log do not show impacted resources, the notification can be treated as informational and no VM migration action is required.

    If support is needed for a VM that is still present and affected by retirement, create a support request in Azure portal with:

    • Issue type: Technical
    • Service: My services
    • Service type: Virtual Machine running Windows/Linux
    • Resource: the affected VM
    • Problem type: Assistance with resizing my VM
    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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  2. TP 164K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2026-09-29T23:32:18.3466667+00:00

    Hi Richard,

    In the official emails you received, please scroll down to the bottom and look for Account Information. Below that it should have Subscription ID and Subscription name, similar to below screenshot:

    User's image

    Having Subscription ID lets you know which subscription the message is referring to. Keep in mind you might have multiple subscriptions and are receiving the same message more than once as a result.

    Please sign in to Azure portal and navigate to Subscriptions using link below:

    https://portal.azure.com/#view/Microsoft_Azure_Billing/SubscriptionsBladeV2

    Verify the Subscription ID matches, and then display list of VMs using below link:

    https://portal.azure.com/#view/Microsoft_Azure_ComputeHub/ComputeHubMenuBlade/~/virtualMachinesBrowse

    The above should at least get you started investigating. Please reply back with your findings as well as any questions you have. It may be that you already deleted any applicable VMs and can safely disregard the emails, but it is important to check first.

    The other thing I would recommend is to check your invoices to see if you are being billed for any Compute and/or managed disks and/or Public IPs, etc., that would typically be associated with a VM.

    Thanks.

    -TP

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