How do I create a VM in Azure?

Select a VM size that has no subscription restriction in East US, or deploy the required size in another region or availability zone; NotAvailableForSubscription means the selected size cannot be deployed for this subscription in that location or zone.^1^

1. Find a deployable VM size

In Azure Cloud Shell or a local Azure CLI session, list VM sizes and their restrictions:

az login
az account set --subscription "<subscription-name-or-id>"

az vm list-skus \
  --location eastus \
  --resource-type virtualMachines \
  --all \
  --output table

Check the Restrictions column:

• None: the size is available to your subscription.
• NotAvailableForSubscription: do not select that size in East US.
• A zone-specific restriction: choose an unrestricted zone, or deploy without a zonal constraint if your availability requirements permit it.

The --all option is important because it includes restricted sizes rather than hiding them. To check a particular family, add a partial size filter—for example:

az vm list-skus \
  --location eastus \
  --size Standard_D \
  --all \
  --output table

Repeat the command with another acceptable region if no suitable East US size is available.^1^

You can also check through the portal:

1. Go to Virtual machines.
2. Select Create > Virtual machine.
3. Choose the subscription and Region: East US.
4. Under Size, select See all sizes.
5. Filter the list and select an available size. You do not have to submit the deployment merely to inspect the list.^1^

2. Create the VM with the available combination

For a Linux VM in the portal:

1. Open Virtual machines > Create > Virtual machine.
2. On Basics, select the correct subscription and create or select a resource group.
3. Enter a VM name.
4. Select the region and unrestricted size identified above.
5. If zone restrictions appeared in the SKU results, select an allowed zone or No infrastructure redundancy required, as appropriate.
6. Choose an image, such as Ubuntu Server.
7. Under Administrator account, select SSH public key, enter a username, and generate or provide a key.
8. Under Inbound port rules, allow only the ports you require, such as SSH (22).
9. Select Review + create and then Create.
10. If generating a new SSH key, download the private key and store it securely.^2^

3. If East US or that exact size is mandatory

Submit a SKU request to Azure Support when the required size is unavailable for your subscription in every acceptable zone. Microsoft documents this as the escalation path when changing the SKU, location, or zone does not meet the workload requirements.^1^

In the Azure portal, create a support request for Service and subscription limits (quotas) or the applicable regional/SKU-access category. Include:

• Subscription
• Region: eastus
• Exact VM size or family
• Required availability zone, if any
• The NotAvailableForSubscription error
• Required vCPU quantity

Approval is not guaranteed where regional capacity is constrained. If the workload can move, selecting another unrestricted size, zone, or region is normally the quickest resolution.

References

1. Resolve errors for SKU not available
2. Quickstart: Create a Linux virtual machine in the Azure portal