{"id":73534,"date":"2026-05-13T11:14:29","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T09:14:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.schneider.im\/?p=73534"},"modified":"2026-05-13T11:24:20","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T09:24:20","slug":"microsoft-azure-some-reserved-vm-instances-no-longer-available-for-purchase-or-renewal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.schneider.im\/lu\/microsoft-azure-some-reserved-vm-instances-no-longer-available-for-purchase-or-renewal\/","title":{"rendered":"Microsoft Azure: Some Reserved VM Instances no longer available for purchase or renewal"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Protect your Azure compute savings<\/strong>: effective\u00a0<strong>July 1, 2026<\/strong>, Microsoft Azure will\u00a0<strong>discontinue\u00a0new purchases and renewals<\/strong>\u00a0of\u00a0<strong>Reserved Virtual Machine (VM) Instances<\/strong>\u00a0for\u00a0<strong>select VM series<\/strong>. Existing reservations are\u00a0<strong>not affected<\/strong>\u00a0and continue to deliver their discount until the end of their term.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-73546 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.schneider.im\/media\/2026\/05\/SCHNEIDER-IT-MANAGEMENT-2026-05-12-Update-LinkedIn-Microsoft-Azure-Reserved-VMs-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1080\" height=\"710\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.schneider.im\/media\/2026\/05\/SCHNEIDER-IT-MANAGEMENT-2026-05-12-Update-LinkedIn-Microsoft-Azure-Reserved-VMs-1.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/www.schneider.im\/media\/2026\/05\/SCHNEIDER-IT-MANAGEMENT-2026-05-12-Update-LinkedIn-Microsoft-Azure-Reserved-VMs-1-500x329.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.schneider.im\/media\/2026\/05\/SCHNEIDER-IT-MANAGEMENT-2026-05-12-Update-LinkedIn-Microsoft-Azure-Reserved-VMs-1-800x526.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.schneider.im\/media\/2026\/05\/SCHNEIDER-IT-MANAGEMENT-2026-05-12-Update-LinkedIn-Microsoft-Azure-Reserved-VMs-1-150x99.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.schneider.im\/media\/2026\/05\/SCHNEIDER-IT-MANAGEMENT-2026-05-12-Update-LinkedIn-Microsoft-Azure-Reserved-VMs-1-768x505.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Summary<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Starting\u00a0<strong>July 1, 2026<\/strong>, new purchases and renewals of\u00a0<strong>Reserved VM Instances (RIs)<\/strong>\u00a0for\u00a0<strong>select VM series<\/strong>\u00a0will no longer be available<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Existing RIs<\/strong>\u00a0already\u00a0purchased\u00a0<strong>continue to receive their reservation discounts<\/strong>\u00a0for the\u00a0remainder\u00a0of their term<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Without action before\u00a0<strong>July 1, 2026<\/strong>, impacted workloads will revert to\u00a0<strong>pay-as-you-go pricing<\/strong>\u00a0once their current reservations expire<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Alternatives include\u00a0<strong>Azure savings plan for compute<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<strong>migration to newer-generation VM series<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>What is changing?<\/h2>\n<p>On\u00a0<strong>May 4, 2026<\/strong>, Microsoft announced that\u00a0<strong>Azure Reserved VM Instances for several older VM families<\/strong>\u00a0will\u00a0<strong>no longer be available for new purchase or renewal<\/strong>\u00a0from\u00a0<strong>July 1,\u00a02026<\/strong>\u00a0onward.<\/p>\n<p>Reserved VM Instances let customers\u00a0<strong>pre-commit to a specific VM size for one or three years<\/strong>\u00a0in exchange for a\u00a0<strong>significant discount<\/strong>\u00a0compared to pay-as-you-go pricing. With this change, that commitment\u00a0option\u00a0is being\u00a0<strong>retired for older VM generations<\/strong>\u00a0that are progressively being superseded by newer, more efficient hardware.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-73539\" src=\"https:\/\/www.schneider.im\/media\/2026\/05\/SCHNEIDER-IT-MANAGEMENT-2026-05-12-Update-Microsoft-azure-reservations-800x334.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"334\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.schneider.im\/media\/2026\/05\/SCHNEIDER-IT-MANAGEMENT-2026-05-12-Update-Microsoft-azure-reservations-800x334.png 800w, https:\/\/www.schneider.im\/media\/2026\/05\/SCHNEIDER-IT-MANAGEMENT-2026-05-12-Update-Microsoft-azure-reservations-500x209.png 500w, https:\/\/www.schneider.im\/media\/2026\/05\/SCHNEIDER-IT-MANAGEMENT-2026-05-12-Update-Microsoft-azure-reservations-150x63.png 150w, https:\/\/www.schneider.im\/media\/2026\/05\/SCHNEIDER-IT-MANAGEMENT-2026-05-12-Update-Microsoft-azure-reservations-768x321.png 768w, https:\/\/www.schneider.im\/media\/2026\/05\/SCHNEIDER-IT-MANAGEMENT-2026-05-12-Update-Microsoft-azure-reservations-1536x642.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.schneider.im\/media\/2026\/05\/SCHNEIDER-IT-MANAGEMENT-2026-05-12-Update-Microsoft-azure-reservations.png 1755w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Which Reserved VM Instances are affected?<\/h2>\n<p>The change affects\u00a0<strong>two groups of VM series<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p><strong>One-year Reserved VM Instances ending<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Av2, Amv2, Bv1<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>D, Ds, Dv2, Dsv2<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>F, Fs, Fsv2<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>G,\u00a0Gs<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Ls, Lsv2<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>One-year and three-year Reserved VM Instances ending<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Dv3, Dsv3<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Ev3, Esv3<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>For all of the series listed above,\u00a0<strong>no new reservations and no renewals<\/strong>\u00a0can be processed after\u00a0<strong>July 1, 2026<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>What stays protected<\/h2>\n<p>There is\u00a0<strong>no change to existing reservations<\/strong>. Any Reserved VM Instance\u00a0<strong>already\u00a0purchased<\/strong>\u00a0will:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Continue to deliver its\u00a0<strong>reservation discount<\/strong>\u00a0for the\u00a0<strong>full\u00a0remainder\u00a0of its one- or three-year term<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Continue to provide\u00a0<strong>cost predictability<\/strong>\u00a0for the workloads it covers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Remain\u00a0<strong>fully manageable<\/strong>\u00a0in the Azure portal for the rest of its term<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-71848\" src=\"https:\/\/www.schneider.im\/media\/2026\/03\/Office-People-DSCF8419-800x533.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.schneider.im\/media\/2026\/03\/Office-People-DSCF8419-800x533.webp 800w, https:\/\/www.schneider.im\/media\/2026\/03\/Office-People-DSCF8419-500x333.webp 500w, https:\/\/www.schneider.im\/media\/2026\/03\/Office-People-DSCF8419-150x100.webp 150w, https:\/\/www.schneider.im\/media\/2026\/03\/Office-People-DSCF8419-768x512.webp 768w, https:\/\/www.schneider.im\/media\/2026\/03\/Office-People-DSCF8419-1536x1024.webp 1536w, https:\/\/www.schneider.im\/media\/2026\/03\/Office-People-DSCF8419-2048x1365.webp 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Billing impact if no action is taken<\/h2>\n<p>If a Reserved VM Instance for one of the affected VM series\u00a0<strong>expires after July 1,\u00a02026<\/strong>\u00a0and no alternative is put in place, the underlying workload will:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Automatically revert to\u00a0<strong>pay-as-you-go pricing<\/strong>, which is\u00a0<strong>materially higher<\/strong>\u00a0(36-72% based on VM and region) than the reservation rate<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Lose the\u00a0<strong>cost predictability<\/strong>\u00a0previously provided by the reservation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Continue running\u00a0<strong>without interruption<\/strong>; only the rates change, while the availability\u00a0remains unaffected<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Once a series is removed from the reservation catalog, an auto-renewal request for that series\u00a0<strong>cannot be fulfilled<\/strong>, and the workload will fall back to pay-as-you-go.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Your options going forward<\/h2>\n<p>Customers running on affected VM series have\u00a0<strong>three main alternatives<\/strong>, which can be combined depending on the workload:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Azure savings plan for\u00a0compute<\/strong>: commit to a\u00a0<strong>fixed hourly compute spend<\/strong>\u00a0for one or three years and receive\u00a0<strong>discounted rates<\/strong>\u00a0across a broad range of VM families, regions, and operating systems. It is more flexible than a per-SKU reservation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Migrate to newer-generation VM series<\/strong> (recommended): move workloads from older families (such as\u00a0<strong>Dv2 \/ Dsv2 \/ Dv3 \/ Dsv3<\/strong>) to\u00a0<strong>current generations (Dv5\/Dsv5, Ev5\/Esv5, and beyond)<\/strong>\u00a0to access\u00a0<strong>better price-performance<\/strong>\u00a0and continue using Reserved VM Instances where applicable.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Right-size or\u00a0consolidate<\/strong>:\u00a0use the change as a trigger to\u00a0<strong>review actual\u00a0utilization<\/strong>\u00a0of impacted VMs and either\u00a0<strong>consolidate, resize, or decommission<\/strong>\u00a0workloads before re-committing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The right mix depends on\u00a0<strong>workload predictability, lifecycle stage, and\u00a0overall\u00a0Azure consumption profile<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>What you can do now<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Identify<\/strong>\u00a0all existing Reserved VM Instances and check whether they cover\u00a0<strong>any of the affected VM series<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Review<\/strong>\u00a0the\u00a0<strong>expiration\u00a0dates<\/strong>\u00a0of those reservations and\u00a0identify\u00a0which ones expire\u00a0<strong>after July 1, 2026<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Decide<\/strong>\u00a0on the right next step for each workload:\u00a0<strong>Azure savings plan, newer VM generation, or right-sizing<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Act before July 1,\u00a02026<\/strong>\u00a0to\u00a0<strong>avoid a lapse in savings<\/strong>\u00a0and a sudden shift to pay-as-you-go billing<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Ready to accelerate your business with Azure?<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-56304\" src=\"https:\/\/www.schneider.im\/media\/2025\/03\/SCHNEIDER-IT-MANAGEMENT-2025-03-11-Graphics-Office-People-8529-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.schneider.im\/media\/2025\/03\/SCHNEIDER-IT-MANAGEMENT-2025-03-11-Graphics-Office-People-8529-800x533.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.schneider.im\/media\/2025\/03\/SCHNEIDER-IT-MANAGEMENT-2025-03-11-Graphics-Office-People-8529-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.schneider.im\/media\/2025\/03\/SCHNEIDER-IT-MANAGEMENT-2025-03-11-Graphics-Office-People-8529-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.schneider.im\/media\/2025\/03\/SCHNEIDER-IT-MANAGEMENT-2025-03-11-Graphics-Office-People-8529-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.schneider.im\/media\/2025\/03\/SCHNEIDER-IT-MANAGEMENT-2025-03-11-Graphics-Office-People-8529-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.schneider.im\/media\/2025\/03\/SCHNEIDER-IT-MANAGEMENT-2025-03-11-Graphics-Office-People-8529-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Optimize your Azure licensing and pricing<\/strong> with the help of our <strong>experts<\/strong>. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.schneider.im\/contact\/\"><strong>Contact us today to get started<\/strong><\/a><strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><em>Sources\u00a0<\/em><\/h2>\n<p><em>Overview of Azure Reservations:\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/learn.microsoft.com\/en-us\/azure\/cost-management-billing\/reservations\/save-compute-costs-reservations\"><em>https:\/\/learn.microsoft.com\/en-us\/azure\/cost-management-billing\/reservations\/save-compute-costs-reservations<\/em><\/a><em>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Microsoft migration guide for D, Ds, Dv2, Dsv2, and Ls series:\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/learn.microsoft.com\/en-us\/azure\/virtual-machines\/migration\/sizes\/d-ds-dv2-dsv2-ls-series-migration-guide\"><em>https:\/\/learn.microsoft.com\/en-us\/azure\/virtual-machines\/migration\/sizes\/d-ds-dv2-dsv2-ls-series-migration-guide<\/em><\/a><em>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Microsoft licensing information:\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.schneider.im\/software\/microsoft\/\"><em>https:\/\/www.schneider.im\/software\/microsoft\/<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Protect your Azure compute savings: effective\u00a0July 1, 2026, Microsoft Azure will\u00a0discontinue\u00a0new purchases and renewals\u00a0of\u00a0Reserved Virtual Machine (VM) Instances\u00a0for\u00a0select VM series. Existing reservations are\u00a0not affected\u00a0and continue to deliver their discount until the end of their term. &nbsp; Summary Starting\u00a0July 1, 2026, new purchases and renewals of\u00a0Reserved VM Instances (RIs)\u00a0for\u00a0select VM series\u00a0will no longer be available Existing [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":33016,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[248],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-73534","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-microsoft-azure"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.schneider.im\/lu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73534","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.schneider.im\/lu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.schneider.im\/lu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.schneider.im\/lu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.schneider.im\/lu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73534"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.schneider.im\/lu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73534\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":73551,"href":"https:\/\/www.schneider.im\/lu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73534\/revisions\/73551"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.schneider.im\/lu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33016"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.schneider.im\/lu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73534"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.schneider.im\/lu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73534"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.schneider.im\/lu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73534"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}