Cannot delete final resource group due to stuck restore point collections

Hi,

Sorry for the delay in getting back on this. Thank you for your help. I checked it a couple of days ago and everything is deleted I think I just had to wait from them to automatically deleted.

Hello Richard

Thank you for posting your query on Microsoft Q&A platform.

The resource group AzureBackupRG_northeurope_1 is system‑created and managed by Azure Backup. Azure Backup automatically creates this resource group to store VM Restore Point Collections (Microsoft.Compute/restorePointCollections) used for Instant Restore.

Azure blocks deletion of a resource group when:

• Any restore point collections still exist, even if
  • the VM is deleted
    • the Recovery Services Vault is deleted
    • The restore point collections are in a stale / orphaned backend state

This behavior is by design and is enforced by the Azure Resource Manager control plane. It is not a permissions issue and not a portal bug.

Restore point collections must be deleted before deleting the AzureBackupRG resource group. If they are orphaned, backend cleanup is required.

Please have a look into below provided resolution:

Step 1 – Attempt supported manual deletion

Restore point collections are hidden resources and must be deleted explicitly.

Azure PowerShell (supported method):

Remove-AzResource `
  -ResourceGroupName AzureBackupRG_northeurope_1 `
  -ResourceType Microsoft.Compute/restorePointCollections `
  -Name AzureBackup_AZ-DC01_299068976700980 `
  -Force

  Repeat for each restore point collection listed in the error message.

If all restore point collections are deleted successfully, the resource group deletion will succeed.

Restore point collections are separate resources and must be removed explicitly.

Step 2 – When deletion fails (common in this scenario)

If the restore point collection cannot be deleted even with PowerShell, it means:

• The restore point references non‑existent disks
• The Recovery Services Vault has already been deleted
• The restore point collection exists only as orphaned backend metadata

In this case Azure Portal cannot delete it, PowerShell / CLI cannot delete it and Role changes also does not help

Microsoft Support must perform backend cleanup

Open an Azure Support ticket:

Category: Azure Backup → Restore / Cleanup issue

State clearly:

• Resource Group: AzureBackupRG_northeurope_1
• Resource type: Microsoft.Compute/restorePointCollections
• Error: ResourceGroupDeletionBlocked
• Condition: Orphaned restore point collections after VM and Recovery Services Vault deletion

Microsoft Support will remove the orphaned restore point metadata from the backend, after which the resource group can be deleted.

References:

Azure Backup creates AzureBackupRG resource groups for restore points https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/backup/backup-azure-delete-vault

Restore point collections are independent resources and must be deleted explicitly https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/virtual-machines/manage-restore-points

If the suggested resolution resolved the issue, kindly consider marking the answer as "Upvote" it. This helps other community members who may encounter a similar issue in the future.

Thanks,
Suchitra.

The resource group delete is blocked because the Azure Backup restore point collections inside it cannot be deleted. Remove those restore point collections first, then delete the resource group.

Use this sequence:

1. Verify permissions and locks
   • Ensure the account has permission to delete resource groups and resources (delete action on Microsoft.Resources/subscriptions/resourceGroups).
   • In the Azure portal, open resource group AzureBackupRG_northeurope_1 → Settings → Locks and remove any locks on the resource group or on each Microsoft.Compute/restorePointCollections/... resource.
   • If a managed service or application created the locks, remove those as well as described under managed applications and locks.
2. Delete the restore point collections directly
   • In the portal, go to All resources and filter by Type = Restore Point Collection or by name starting with AzureBackup_.
   • For each of the listed resources in the error:
     • Microsoft.Compute/restorePointCollections/AzureBackup_AZ-DC01_299068976700980
     • Microsoft.Compute/restorePointCollections/AzureBackup_rfavd-0_299068365404793
     • Microsoft.Compute/restorePointCollections/AzureBackup_AZ-APP01_299067608986603 open it and choose Delete.
   • If deletion still fails, check Activity log on each restore point collection for a more specific error (for example, dependency or lock).
3. If the restore point collections are related to Azure Backup for VMs
   • These AzureBackup_<VM name>_########### restore point collections are instant recovery points created by Azure Backup.
   • Follow the documented sequence for VMs with Azure Backup:
     1. Temporarily stop backup for the corresponding VMs and keep backup data.
     2. In the backup resource group (here AzureBackupRG_northeurope_1), delete the Restore Point Collection resources with names AzureBackup_<VM name>_###########. This deletes only instant recovery points, not data in the vault.
     3. After the delete operation completes successfully for all restore point collections, proceed to delete the resource group.
4. Delete the resource group
   • Once all restore point collections are removed and no locks remain, delete AzureBackupRG_northeurope_1 again from the portal or via ARM/CLI. With no child resources blocking deletion, the resource group deletion should succeed.

If deletion of a restore point collection repeatedly fails even after removing locks and stopping backup, use the Activity Log details (operation IDs from the error) to open a support case so the backend can force-remove the stuck resources.

References:

• Azure Resource Manager resource group and resource deletion
• Handling special cases when moving virtual machines to resource group or subscription
• Troubleshoot restore point failures: Issues with the agent or extension
• RestorePointGroupResource.DeleteAsync(WaitUntil, CancellationToken) Method
• Microsoft.Compute restorePointCollections/restorePoints 2022-11-01 (deployment-language-arm-template)
• Microsoft.Compute restorePointCollections/restorePoints 2022-11-01 (deployment-language-bicep)
• Microsoft.Compute restorePointCollections/restorePoints 2022-08-01 (deployment-language-bicep)
• Microsoft.Compute restorePointCollections/restorePoints 2022-03-01 (deployment-language-bicep)