deleting backup policies

Question

deleting backup policies

Vorwald, Matt 0

in azure i have a backup policy that has immutability and is "enhanced". I have a VM that was incorrectly assigned to that backup policy. How do i remove that VM from that backup policy and assign it to the correct policy that is standard and not enhanced?

I'm OK w/ losing the backups that were created. I'm even OK w/ deleting that entire backup policy. However, the fact that the policy is enhanced and has immutability the UI is blocking me

Naveena Patlolla 6,400 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-10-24T16:31:27.4766667+00:00

Hi Vorwald, Matt

The VM in your case is currently protected by an enhanced backup policy that has immutability enabled in Azure. This means:

1)Immutability locks the recovery points: You can't delete or modify them until the retention period expires.

2)Enhanced policies restrict changes: You can't reassign the VM to another policy or delete the policy while it's still protecting data.

Even if you're okay with losing the backups, Azure won't let you remove the VM or delete the policy until the retention period ends.

https://free.blessedness.top/en-us/azure/backup/backup-azure-immutable-vault-concept?tabs=recovery-services-vault#restricted-operations

Steps to resolve:

Since the current policy is locked, here's the recommended workaround:

1)Create a new Recovery Services vault.

2)Assign the VM to a standard (non-enhanced) backup policy in the new vault.

3)Let the old backups expire naturally — they’ll be retained until the immutability period ends.

This avoids the lock and gets your VM onto the correct policy immediately.

Please let me know if you face any challenge here, I can help you to resolve this issue further

If the comment was helpful, please click "Upvote"

Your answer

Naveena Patlolla 6,400 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-10-24T16:31:27.4766667+00:00

Hi Vorwald, Matt

The VM in your case is currently protected by an enhanced backup policy that has immutability enabled in Azure. This means:

1)Immutability locks the recovery points: You can't delete or modify them until the retention period expires.

2)Enhanced policies restrict changes: You can't reassign the VM to another policy or delete the policy while it's still protecting data.

Even if you're okay with losing the backups, Azure won't let you remove the VM or delete the policy until the retention period ends.

https://free.blessedness.top/en-us/azure/backup/backup-azure-immutable-vault-concept?tabs=recovery-services-vault#restricted-operations

Steps to resolve:

Since the current policy is locked, here's the recommended workaround:

1)Create a new Recovery Services vault.

2)Assign the VM to a standard (non-enhanced) backup policy in the new vault.

3)Let the old backups expire naturally — they’ll be retained until the immutability period ends.

This avoids the lock and gets your VM onto the correct policy immediately.

Please let me know if you face any challenge here, I can help you to resolve this issue further

If the comment was helpful, please click "Upvote"

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deleting backup policies

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