Managed Disk Attached to a Stopped VM

Service Category

Storage

Cloud Provider

Azure

Service Name

Azure Managed Disks

Inefficiency Type

Unused Resource

Explanation

Disks attached to VMs that have been stopped for an extended period, particularly when showing no read or write activity, may indicate abandoned infrastructure or obsolete resources. Retaining these disks without validation leads to unnecessary monthly storage costs. Reviewing and cleaning up inactive disks helps optimize spend and maintain storage hygiene.

Relevant Billing Model

Managed Disks are billed per provisioned GB per month, regardless of whether the associated virtual machine is running. Stopped VMs do not release or deallocate attached disks, resulting in ongoing storage charges for unused capacity.

Detection

Identify Managed Disks attached to virtual machines that have remained in a stopped state over a representative time window
Analyze disk activity metrics to detect absence of read/write operations during the lookback period
Review VM metadata, ownership tags, and decommissioning records to assess whether the disk is still required
Check compliance and backup retention requirements before initiating deletion activities
Validate findings with infrastructure owners or application teams to avoid accidental loss of necessary data

Remediation

Delete Managed Disks confirmed to be redundant or obsolete to eliminate unnecessary storage charges. Where long-term retention is required, create a snapshot of the disk or export its contents to a lower-cost storage option before deletion. Incorporate disk ownership tracking and regular audits into operational practices to minimize future accumulation of unused resources.

Relevant Documentation