Deleting an Azure resource group deletes the resources it contains, so treat the operation as irreversible. Azure cannot recover the resource-group object after deletion, although some individual services may offer separate soft-delete or recovery features.
This guide covers deletion in the Azure portal, Azure PowerShell, and Azure CLI, along with common locks and dependencies that can cause deletion to fail.
Before deleting the resource group
Check these points first:
- Confirm the subscription and resource-group name. A similarly named group in another subscription is easy to remove by mistake.
- Back up anything you need. Export templates, download data, and record configuration before starting.
- Check for locks. A CanNotDelete or ReadOnly lock on the group or one of its resources can block deletion. A related service may have created the lock automatically.
- Check backup data. Some backup configurations or retained data must be removed before the resource can be deleted.
- Check dependencies outside the group. For example, a virtual network may not delete while one of its subnets is still being used by a virtual machine.
You need the Microsoft.Resources/subscriptions/resourceGroups delete action at the applicable scope. You do not need separate delete permission on every resource inside the group, although permissions, locks, backups, and dependencies can still affect the result.
Delete a resource group in the Azure portal
- Sign in to the Azure portal.
- Open Resource groups.
- Select the resource group you want to remove.
- Select Delete resource group.
- In the confirmation prompt, type the resource-group name exactly as shown.
- Confirm the deletion.
The documented portal action is Delete resource group. Do not confuse it with Delete, which is used when deleting an individual resource.
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Azure Resource Manager handles the contents of the group as part of the group-delete operation. It normally removes child or nested resources first, then resources that manage other resources through the managedBy property. You do not normally have to delete every resource individually beforehand.
Delete a resource group with Azure PowerShell
After signing in and selecting the correct subscription, run:
Remove-AzResourceGroup -Name “ExampleResourceGroup”
The cmdlet normally asks for confirmation. To suppress that prompt, use -Force:
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In this cmdlet, -Force only suppresses confirmation. It does not force Azure to remove resources that are blocked by a lock, dependency, or service-specific deletion failure.
Preview the operation before running it
Use -WhatIf to preview the command:
Remove-AzResourceGroup -Name “ExampleResourceGroup” -WhatIf
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The current Az.Resources command also supports -AsJob for running the operation as a PowerShell job and an alternative parameter set using -Id instead of -Name.
Use resource-type force deletion where supported
For some supported resource types, the cmdlet has a separate -ForceDeletionType parameter. For example:
Remove-AzResourceGroup -Name “ContosoRG01” -ForceDeletionType “Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachineScaleSets,Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines,Microsoft.Databricks/workspaces”
The current PowerShell reference describes force deletion for virtual machines and virtual-machine scale sets, while its example also includes Microsoft.Databricks/workspaces. Because the reference text is not fully consistent, verify support for the resource types in your installed Az module and environment before relying on this option.
Inspect and remove a resource-group lock
List locks attached to the group:
Get-AzResourceLock -ResourceGroupName “ExampleResourceGroup”
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$lockId = (Get-AzResourceLock -ResourceGroupName “ExampleResourceGroup”).LockId
Remove-AzResourceLock -LockId $lockId
Be careful when more than one lock is returned: the sample selects the first returned lock ID. Inspect the results and remove only the lock that is safe to remove.
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Delete a resource group with Azure CLI
The basic command is:
az group delete –name ExampleResourceGroup
The short form is:
az group delete -n ExampleResourceGroup
To skip the confirmation prompt, add –yes:
az group delete –name ExampleResourceGroup –yes
To submit the deletion and return without waiting for the operation to finish, use –no-wait:
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az group delete –name ExampleResourceGroup –no-wait
You can combine both options:
az group delete –name ExampleResourceGroup –yes –no-wait
–no-wait does not make deletion faster or guarantee success. It only tells the CLI not to wait for completion, so check the portal or query the resource group afterward.
Force-delete supported resource types with Azure CLI
For supported resource types, use –force-deletion-types:
az group delete –name ExampleResourceGroup –force-deletion-types Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines
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The current CLI reference lists these supported values:
| Resource type | Value |
|---|---|
| Virtual machine scale sets | Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachineScaleSets |
| Virtual machines | Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines |
| Databricks workspaces | Microsoft.Databricks/workspaces |
Find and remove a lock with Azure CLI
List locks on the group in a readable table:
az group lock list –resource-group ExampleResourceGroup –output table
Remove a named lock:
az group lock delete –name lockName –resource-group ExampleResourceGroup
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Azure CLI documents two lock types: CanNotDelete and ReadOnly. Removing a lock changes protection for the resource, so confirm its owner and purpose first.
What happens during deletion?
Resource Manager determines the deletion order internally. It waits for dependencies to finish, removes child resources, and then continues with dependent resources. A group deletion can therefore take longer than deleting an empty group.
Deletion can fail if a resource is connected to something outside the group. A common example is a network dependency: a subnet in the group may still be attached to a virtual machine elsewhere. A lock, backup data, or a service-specific protection setting can produce similar failures.
Azure also checks whether resources disappear after deletion requests. If a post-delete request reports HTTP 200 or 201, Resource Manager treats the resource as recreated. It retries certain transient responses, including status codes below 100, 408, 429, and codes above 500; other errors can cause that resource’s deletion to fail.
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Troubleshoot a failed resource-group deletion
- Read the failed operation details. Identify the specific resource and the error message rather than retrying the whole operation repeatedly.
- Check locks at both levels. Look for locks on the resource group and on the resource named in the error.
- Check external dependencies. Look for network interfaces, subnets, private endpoints, disks, identities, or other resources that are still referenced from another resource group.
- Review backup and retention settings. Remove or detach backup data only after confirming that it is no longer needed.
- Delete the blocking resource separately if necessary. Group deletion normally handles this automatically, but a resource-specific failure may require individual cleanup.
- Retry the group deletion. Use the portal, PowerShell, or CLI after correcting the reported problem.
Having the correct RBAC permission does not override a resource lock or resolve a cross-group dependency. Also, do not assume that -Force in PowerShell will repair a failed deletion: it only removes the confirmation prompt.
Delete every resource group in the current subscription
PowerShell provides a pipeline command that targets every group returned for the current subscription:
Get-AzResourceGroup | Remove-AzResourceGroup
This is a destructive bulk operation. Verify the active subscription and review the list before running it. Do not use it in a production session unless deleting every resource group is genuinely intended.
Portal, PowerShell, or CLI?
| Method | Best for | Important detail |
|---|---|---|
| Azure portal | One-off deletion and visual confirmation | You must type the group name in the confirmation prompt. |
| Azure PowerShell | PowerShell automation and scripting | -Force suppresses confirmation; -ForceDeletionType is separate. |
| Azure CLI | Cross-platform scripts and pipelines | –yes skips confirmation and –no-wait returns before completion. |
Sources
- Microsoft Learn: Delete resource groups
- Microsoft Learn: Remove-AzResourceGroup
- Microsoft Learn: az group
- Microsoft Learn: az group lock
FAQ
Does deleting an Azure resource group delete all resources inside it?
Yes. Azure Resource Manager deletes the resources in the group as part of the group-deletion operation. You normally do not need to delete every resource first, although locks, backups, dependencies, and resource-specific errors can require separate cleanup.
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No. The resource-group object itself cannot be recovered after deletion. Some individual Azure resource types may have separately configured soft-delete or recovery features.
What does PowerShell -Force do when deleting a resource group?
In Remove-AzResourceGroup, -Force suppresses the confirmation prompt. It does not force-delete resources that Azure cannot remove because of locks, dependencies, or other service restrictions.
Why does Azure say I cannot delete the resource group?
Common causes include a CanNotDelete or ReadOnly lock, backup data, a dependency from another resource group, or a resource-specific deletion failure. Review the failed operation details and inspect locks and external references.
Do I need delete permission on every resource in the group?
No. The documented required authorization is the Microsoft.Resources/subscriptions/resourceGroups delete action at the applicable scope. Separate delete permissions on each contained resource are not required for the group-delete operation.
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–yes skips the confirmation prompt. –no-wait submits the deletion and returns without waiting for Azure to report completion. Neither option bypasses locks or guarantees that the operation will succeed.
The Bottom Line
For a single deletion, use Azure portal → Resource groups → your group → Delete resource group, then type the group name to confirm. For automation, use Remove-AzResourceGroup in PowerShell or az group delete with the CLI. Before any method, verify the subscription, protect or export required data, and check locks, backups, and cross-resource-group dependencies.
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