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Deleted storage account

AJ Thomas 20 Reputation points
2025-08-06T10:35:09.92+00:00

Hi,

I created a storage account in my test account and later deleted it. However, when I try to create the storage account with the same name in a different tenant it is not letting me do so and says that the storage account is already taken. I need the exact storage account name to use in production. Is there a way to permanently delete/purge the account that was created in test so that I can use the account name in production?

Thank you

Best regards

Ajay Thomas

Azure Storage
Azure Storage
Globally unique resources that provide access to data management services and serve as the parent namespace for the services.
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  1. Nandamuri Pranay Teja 4,445 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2025-08-06T12:22:10.3566667+00:00

    Hello AJ Thomas

    I have reached you via private messaging i request you to kindly provide the details so that we can get on a call via remote session to discuss to proceed with the next action.

    However, in the meantime you can refer the below steps.

    Please be informd that The output from the az storage account check-name command showing "nameAvailable": true in your test tenant confirms that the storage account name is no longer reserved in that tenant and is not listed in the recovery options, indicating it is likely past the 14-day soft-delete retention period.

    However, the fact that you’re still getting a “name already taken” error when trying to create a storage account with the same name in a different (production) tenant suggests that the name is still reserved globally in Azure’s infrastructure or there’s a propagation delay, or possibly another tenant has claimed the name.

    Unfortunately, Azure does not provide a direct user-accessible method to immediately purge a soft-deleted storage account to release the name globally across all tenants.

    Since the name appears available in your test tenant ("nameAvailable": true), the issue is likely related to global propagation or a lingering reservation.

    • Double-check the exact date you deleted the storage account in the test tenant. If it’s been less than 14 days (or longer if a custom retention policy was set), the name is still reserved for recovery. Wait until at least 14 days have passed since deletion. Some users have reported needing to wait 7–14 days or slightly longer for cross-tenant availability

    Although the name shows as available in your test tenant, attempt to reclaim space to ensure no residual data is holding the name:

    • navigate to Storage Accounts in the test tenant. Click Reclaim space at the top of the pane, confirm the action, and wait for a success notification (check the bell icon). Refresh the Storage Accounts page to confirm the account is not listed

    Run the same command in the production tenant to confirm the name’s status:

    az storage account check-name --name <storageaccountname>

    If it returns "nameAvailable": false with a message like “The storage account named is already taken,” the name is still reserved globally or taken by another tenant.

    Let me know if you have any questions I'm here to help.

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  1. Manu Philip 20,456 Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2025-08-06T11:29:56.4166667+00:00

    Hi AJ Thomas

    The account deletion is still in progress at the Azure backend

    You can check the name availability through the following PowerShell command

    az storage account check-name --name $storageaccountname

    I suggest you raise a support ticket through the following link

    https://ms.portal.azure.com/#create/Microsoft.Support

    If you have any other storage account exists, you can navigate there also to raise the support ticket and mention the difficulty you are facing

    Hope this helps.

    --please don't forget to upvote and Accept as answer if the reply is helpful--

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