Azure Cosmos DB: Can point-in-time restore target a different existing Cosmos DB account?

Hi Dushyant Priyadarshee,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A.

No, point-in-time restore can’t target a different existing account. Restoring live data always goes into a new account. The only existing-account option is restoring a deleted database or container into the same account. It doesn’t restore live resources (in-account restore).

Your current approach (restore to a temporary account, then copy to DestinationAccount) is the supported pattern. You can make it cheaper and less manual:

1. Restore only what you need. You can restore any combination of containers, shared-throughput databases, or the whole account (what is restored). Restore is billed per GB restored ($0.15/GB in the docs’ West US example, see pricing), so a smaller scope costs less.
2. Use container copy jobs instead of a custom copy. Copy jobs can copy a container across accounts, and the temp account can be the source and DestinationAccount the target. Create the target container first, then run az cosmosdb copy create with --src-account and --dest-account (copy jobs, how-to). For cross-account copies, grant the source account’s managed identity read-write access on the destination, as the how-to shows.
3. Delete the temp account once the copy completes so you only pay for it briefly.
4. Watch the limits. Container copy is in preview. Container-level TTL isn’t copied, so set it on the target yourself (limitations).

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