Virtual Network vnet-test can not be updated when deletion was attempted earlier.

Question

Virtual Network vnet-test can not be updated when deletion was attempted earlier.

Snorre Arstad 0

I have a vnet that is stuck in a failed state so i can't change it or delete it:

Set-AzVirtualNetwork: Virtual Network vnet-test-lab can not be updated when deletion was attempted earlier.
StatusCode: 400
ReasonPhrase:
ErrorCode: VnetCannotGetUpdatedWhenDeletionWasAttemptedEarlier
ErrorMessage: Virtual Network vnet-test can not be updated when deletion was attempted earlier.

And

¨Remove-AzVirtualNetwork: Long running operation failed with status 'Failed'. Additional Info:'An error occurred.'
StatusCode: 200
ReasonPhrase:
Status: Failed
ErrorCode: InternalServerError
ErrorMessage: An error occurred.

0 comments

1 answer

Your answer

Answer 1

Salamat Shah 830 MVP

The error VnetCannotGetUpdatedWhenDeletionWasAttemptedEarlier indicates the VNet is stuck in an incomplete or failed deletion state.

Check Activity Log for failed delete/update operations on the VNet.
Verify whether dependent resources still exist (peering, gateways, private endpoints, delegated subnets, NICs, etc.).
Retry the delete operation via Portal, Azure CLI, or PowerShell after confirming dependencies are removed.
If the VNet remains stuck and both update and delete operations fail with internal server errors, this is typically a backend resource state issue.

Snorre Arstad 0 Reputation points

2026-10-07T09:11:17.6866667+00:00

Hi! I have check all dependent resources and they are gone. In the activity log i found the first delete attempt that failed (there was a nic from a private endpoint still connected, but that nic is now gone). I have tried deleting with portal, cli and powershell but still the same error. I also waited a day but still the same error. This is an visual studio subscription so i cant submit a ticket in the portal. As fare as i can see this is a backend resource state issue that microsoft needs to fix.
Salamat Shah 830 Reputation points MVP

2026-10-07T09:35:56.86+00:00

Since you have already removed all dependencies and repeated the deletion through both Portal and PowerShell, there are no additional customer-side remediation steps available. The remaining checks would be to verify that no resource locks exist and retry after some time. If the issue persists, the VNet is likely stuck in a backend deletion state and will require intervention from the Azure networking engineering team.
Snorre Arstad 0 Reputation points

2026-10-07T12:15:19.9166667+00:00

There is no resource locks. Is it possible to reach out to the networking team from here? Since this is a visual studio subscription there is no option to create a support ticket in the portal.