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First confirm which Azure resource you are deleting
This procedure applies to a read-only point-in-time version of a blob in Azure Blob Storage. It does not apply to an Azure Compute managed disk snapshot, which is a separate resource managed through the Compute API.
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Identify the storage account, container, base blob name and, when deleting one snapshot, its snapshot identifier. A snapshot-specific REST URI includes the snapshot timestamp as a query parameter:
https://<account>.blob.core.windows.net/<container>/<blob>?snapshot=<DateTime>
Choose the deletion scope
| Operation | Target | What remains | Required choice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delete one snapshot | The snapshot URI, including snapshot=<DateTime> |
The base blob and other snapshots | No base-blob snapshot option; address the specific snapshot |
| Delete all snapshots but keep the blob | The base blob URI | The base blob; all snapshots are removed | x-ms-delete-snapshots: only |
| Delete the blob and all snapshots | The base blob URI | Nothing from that blob hierarchy | x-ms-delete-snapshots: include |
If a base blob has snapshots, omitting the required snapshot option can produce a conflict. Treat include as destructive: it removes the current blob as well as every snapshot.
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Delete a single blob snapshot with REST
- Construct the blob URL with the exact
snapshottimestamp returned when the snapshot was created. - Send an authenticated
DELETErequest to that snapshot URL. Microsoft describes this operation as deleting the specified blob or snapshot. - Check for a successful response, then verify that the base blob still exists and that only the addressed snapshot is gone.
Do not substitute the base blob URL when you mean to remove only one snapshot; that changes the operation’s scope.
Remove snapshots with Azure CLI
The Azure CLI exposes the same two bulk choices through az storage blob delete. Supply your account, container and blob identifiers together with the option that matches the intended result:
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az storage blob delete
--account-name <storage-account>
--container-name <container>
--name <blob-name>
--delete-snapshots only--delete-snapshots only deletes the blob’s snapshots and preserves the base blob. To delete the base blob and all snapshots instead, change the final option:
az storage blob delete
--account-name <storage-account>
--container-name <container>
--name <blob-name>
--delete-snapshots includeAuthenticate the command using your approved Azure CLI method and verify the account, container and blob values before execution. The CLI’s only and include meanings match the REST header choices.
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Permissions, authorization and leases
Required data action
The delete operation requires the Microsoft.Storage/storageAccounts/blobServices/containers/blobs/delete authorization action. Microsoft lists Storage Blob Data Contributor as the least-privileged built-in role that includes it. Microsoft recommends Microsoft Entra ID authorization where it fits your access model.
Active lease
If the blob has an active lease, the request must include its valid lease ID. A missing or incorrect lease ID causes the delete to fail even when the caller otherwise has delete permission. Check lease state and obtain the current lease ID before retrying.
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Understand soft delete before expecting permanent removal
When blob soft delete is enabled, deleting a blob or snapshot makes it inaccessible but retains it for the account’s configured retention period. During that window, the data can be restored with Undelete Blob; a successful delete response therefore does not necessarily mean immediate physical erasure.
Permanent deletion of a soft-deleted snapshot or version is a separate capability. It must be enabled on the storage account and is supported from REST API version 2020-02-10. This permanent-delete action applies to data that is already soft-deleted; it is not the same as choosing only or include for the initial delete.
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Safe deletion checklist
- Confirm the resource is a Blob Storage snapshot, not a managed disk snapshot.
- Verify the storage account, container, blob name and (for a single deletion) exact snapshot timestamp.
- Decide whether the base blob must remain.
- Use a snapshot URI for one snapshot,
onlyfor all snapshots while retaining the blob, orincludefor the blob plus all snapshots. - Confirm the caller has the documented delete action and account access.
- Check for an active lease and provide its valid lease ID.
- Check soft-delete retention and recovery expectations before treating the operation as irreversible.
If the delete fails
Conflict on the base blob
A base-blob delete can conflict when snapshots exist and no snapshot directive was supplied. Retry with the explicitly intended only or include setting.
Authorization failure
Review the caller’s data-plane role and scope. The management-plane role used to administer the storage account is not automatically proof that the caller has the blob data delete action.
Lease-related failure
Retrieve the current lease information and retry with the valid lease ID, or release the lease through your normal change process if that is allowed.
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Check whether soft delete is enabled and note its retention period. A soft-deleted snapshot remains recoverable until that policy expires unless an enabled permanent-delete operation is used.
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