Azure Free Trial - No permissions to create resources or upgrade to pay-as-you-go

Question

Azure Free Trial - No permissions to create resources or upgrade to pay-as-you-go

B Boddie 0

I'm currently using my personal Microsoft account with an active Azure Free Trial subscription. However, I've been unable to create new resources such as virtual networks or virtual machines.

Each time I try, I receive a permissions error stating: "The client has permission to perform action 'Microsoft.Resources/subscriptions/resourceGroups/write' on scope... but the current tenant is not authorized"

I've also attempted to upgrade my subscription to Pay-As-You-Go, but the portal displays an error that says I don't have permission ot make this change - even though my account is listed as the Subscription Owner in the Azure portal.

I also opened a support request via the Azure Portal but haven't received a response yet. I'd greatly appreciate any guidance or escalation to help resolve this - I'm using Azure for learning and lab purposes (Active Directory, Entra ID, and network configuration) and can't move forward until this is fixed.

Thank you for your time and assistance

Anonymous

2025-10-21T05:38:30.69+00:00
Hi B B,

Thanks for posting your question in Microsoft Q&A portal

Is Free Trial subscription currently active and eligible for creating new resources, or are there any restrictions, spending limits, or expiration-related blocks preventing resource creation (VMs, VNETs, etc.)?

usually, 1st error happens due to a tenant/directory mismatch or subscription restrictions. Here’s you can see what it means and how to resolve it

Even though your account is listed as Subscription Owner

Tenant/Directory Mismatch

Every Azure subscription is linked to a specific Azure AD tenant. If you’re signed into a different directory than the one your subscription belongs to, you’ll see this error.

Essentially, your credentials are valid, but Azure thinks you’re in the wrong tenant, so it blocks resource creation.

Free Trial or Subscription Restrictions

Free Trial subscriptions have limitations. If your Free Trial has expired, or the spending limit hasn’t been removed, Azure may prevent creating new resources.

Certain actions (like creating virtual networks or VMs) may be blocked until you upgrade to Pay-As-You-Go.

Refer document: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/subscription-disabled

you can check Tenant / Directory here,

In the Azure Portal, click your profile icon → Switch Directory.

Make sure you are in the same directory as your subscription.

Go to Subscriptions → select your Free Trial → check Directory / Tenant details.

Switch to the correct directory in the portal if needed & Verify subscription status check if your Free Trial is still active. If expired or disabled, you may need to upgrade to Pay-As-You-Go or create a new subscription.

For 2nd error, although account is listed as Subscription Owner, does it have the required billing permissions (billing account owner) to upgrade the Free Trial to Pay-As-You-Go?

Even if your account is Subscription Owner in the portal (RBAC), that does not automatically grant billing permissions. Only the billing account owner can upgrade a Free Trial to Pay-As-You-Go.- Refer: Upgrade your Azure account - Microsoft Cost Management | Microsoft Learn

Could you please share the support ticket so that we can track your request closely

I hope this helps do let me know if you any questions
Clint Weldon 5 Reputation points

2025-10-21T06:06:16.3666667+00:00

Had the same issue. Found an article that explains the Location your trying might not have Vm's for free trial accounts. It's hit or miss. You have to choose something like Soun Africa North. That worked for me. I was able to create Vm's, storage accounts, and Appservice and App service plans with my trial.
B Boddie 0 Reputation points

2025-10-21T16:19:26.9733333+00:00

Hi Sandhya KommineniThank you for the guidance. I confirmed that my Azure Free Trial subscription is still active and correctly linked to my directory. My current directory and the subscription directory both show my tenant, so there doesn’t appear to be a tenant mismatch. I’m still unable to create new resources or upgrade to Pay-As-You-Go. When I try, I receive the message “You don’t have permission to perform this action”, even though my account is listed as the Subscription Owner.

I’ve opened a support request with Microsoft Billing a week ago but haven’t received an update yet.

My Support Request ID is 2510150040013133.

I’d really appreciate if a Microsoft representative could review the billing permissions or ownership issue for this account so I can continue my Azure lab setup.

Thank you again for your time and help!

Your answer

Clint Weldon 5 Reputation points

2025-10-21T06:06:16.3666667+00:00

Had the same issue. Found an article that explains the Location your trying might not have Vm's for free trial accounts. It's hit or miss. You have to choose something like Soun Africa North. That worked for me. I was able to create Vm's, storage accounts, and Appservice and App service plans with my trial.
B Boddie 0 Reputation points

2025-10-21T16:19:26.9733333+00:00

Hi Sandhya KommineniThank you for the guidance. I confirmed that my Azure Free Trial subscription is still active and correctly linked to my directory. My current directory and the subscription directory both show my tenant, so there doesn’t appear to be a tenant mismatch. I’m still unable to create new resources or upgrade to Pay-As-You-Go. When I try, I receive the message “You don’t have permission to perform this action”, even though my account is listed as the Subscription Owner.

I’ve opened a support request with Microsoft Billing a week ago but haven’t received an update yet.

My Support Request ID is 2510150040013133.

I’d really appreciate if a Microsoft representative could review the billing permissions or ownership issue for this account so I can continue my Azure lab setup.

Thank you again for your time and help!