VM Scale Set hr-dev-web-vmss is stuck in a marked‑for‑deletion state

Question

VM Scale Set hr-dev-web-vmss is stuck in a marked‑for‑deletion state

Jasmin leroux 20

We are unable to complete deletion of resource group hr-dev-rg-xxejvp due to a Virtual Machine Scale Set (hr-dev-web-vmss) that is marked for deletion. The VMSS returns HTTP 409 – OperationNotAllowed for all update operations, which prevents us from removing dependent resources.

Because the VMSS cannot be updated, we are unable to detach Application Gateway backend pool references, Network Security Group associations, or subnet dependencies. This blocks deletion of the Application Gateway, Public IP address, subnet, and ultimately the resource group.

The VMSS is stuck in a deleting state and cannot be modified or recovered from the customer side. Assistance is required to clear or complete the VMSS deletion so dependent resources can be removed.

Jilakara Hemalatha 11,515 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-03T00:35:16.3266667+00:00

Hello Jasmin,

From the behavior you’ve described, the Virtual Machine Scale Set is currently stuck in a deleting / marked-for-deletion state. In this condition, Azure blocks all further update operations (as seen with the HTTP 409 – OperationNotAllowed error), which also prevents detaching dependencies such as Application Gateway backend pools, Network Security Groups, and subnet associations. This is why the dependent resources and the resource group deletion are also being blocked.

This scenario typically indicates a backend state issue where the deletion process did not complete successfully within the Azure platform. Since the resource is already in a deleting state, it cannot be modified or recovered from the customer side using Portal, CLI, or PowerShell.

At this point, the resolution requires intervention from the Azure platform team to complete or clean up the deletion of the Virtual Machine Scale Set and release the dependent resources.

Could you please check the private message and provide necessary details:
Jilakara Hemalatha 11,515 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-05T13:37:45.3233333+00:00

Hello Jasmin,

Could you please check the private message and provide necessary details:
Jilakara Hemalatha 11,515 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-07T01:11:52.6766667+00:00

Hello Jasmin,

Could you please provide the update on this issue. If issue persists, can you check the private message and provide necessary details:

1 answer

Your answer

Jilakara Hemalatha 11,515 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-03T00:35:16.3266667+00:00

Hello Jasmin,

From the behavior you’ve described, the Virtual Machine Scale Set is currently stuck in a deleting / marked-for-deletion state. In this condition, Azure blocks all further update operations (as seen with the HTTP 409 – OperationNotAllowed error), which also prevents detaching dependencies such as Application Gateway backend pools, Network Security Groups, and subnet associations. This is why the dependent resources and the resource group deletion are also being blocked.

This scenario typically indicates a backend state issue where the deletion process did not complete successfully within the Azure platform. Since the resource is already in a deleting state, it cannot be modified or recovered from the customer side using Portal, CLI, or PowerShell.

At this point, the resolution requires intervention from the Azure platform team to complete or clean up the deletion of the Virtual Machine Scale Set and release the dependent resources.

Could you please check the private message and provide necessary details:
Jilakara Hemalatha 11,515 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-05T13:37:45.3233333+00:00

Hello Jasmin,

Could you please check the private message and provide necessary details:
Jilakara Hemalatha 11,515 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-07T01:11:52.6766667+00:00

Hello Jasmin,

Could you please provide the update on this issue. If issue persists, can you check the private message and provide necessary details:

Answer 1

The VM scale set is in a transient “marked for deletion” / deleting state that blocks any further customer-side updates (HTTP 409 OperationNotAllowed). In this state, dependent resources (Application Gateway backend pool, NSG, subnet, etc.) also cannot be detached because the VMSS cannot be modified.

From the available guidance, there is no supported way to “unblock” or override a VMSS that is already stuck in deletion from the customer side. The only customer-controllable prerequisite is that all VMs belonging to the scale set must be deleted before the scale set itself can be removed:

When a Virtual Machine Scale Set in Flexible orchestration mode still has associated VMs, attempts to delete the scale set fail with:

OperationNotAllowed. Deletion of Virtual Machine Scale Set isn't allowed as it contains one or more VMs. Please delete or detach the VM(s) before deleting the Virtual Machine Scale Set.
The documented resolution is to delete all VMs associated with the scale set, then delete the scale set again.

In this scenario, the VMSS is already in a deleting/marked-for-deletion state and is rejecting all update operations, so the remaining steps must be handled by Azure support on the platform side (forcibly completing or clearing the stuck delete operation and then removing the dependent resources). Opening a support ticket with the full error details and resource IDs is required; there is no additional CLI or portal operation documented that can clear a VMSS once it is stuck in this state.

References:

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VM Scale Set hr-dev-web-vmss is stuck in a marked‑for‑deletion state

1 answer

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