Azure Database for PostgreSQL Flexible Server Stuck in Dropping State after delete

Question

Azure Database for PostgreSQL Flexible Server Stuck in Dropping State after delete

Petko Stoyanov 0

Hello,

I am experiencing an issue with an Azure Database for PostgreSQL Flexible Servers that are stuck in the "Dropping" state.

The servers have been showing the "Dropping" status for approximately 20** **hours and the operation does not appear to be progressing.

At first, I assumed the process required additional time to complete, but given the amount of time that has passed, I suspect there may be an issue preventing the operation from finishing.

Has anyone encountered a similar problem, or are there any troubleshooting steps I can perform to determine what is blocking the deletion?

Any guidance or help would very be appreciated.

Thank you.

Petko Stoyanov 0 Reputation points

2026-09-03T08:52:27.0866667+00:00

PS: I also deleted the Resource Group that contained the PostgreSQL Flexible Servers. Although I found suggestions in community discussions that this should remove the associated servers, the PostgreSQL servers are still visible and remain stuck in the "Dropping" state.
Himaja Y 375 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-04T13:12:49.1+00:00
Hi @Petko Stoyanov ,

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Q&A forum.

A PostgreSQL Flexible Server remaining in the "Dropping" state for approximately 20 hours is not expected behavior. In most cases, the deletion process completes much sooner, so this may indicate that the backend operation is stuck or waiting on an internal dependency.

You can perform the following checks:

Review Activity Log

Navigate to the Azure Portal.

Open the PostgreSQL Flexible Server resource.

Check Activity Log for any failed delete operations, deployment errors, or platform-generated events related to the deletion.

Check Azure Service Health

Review Azure Service Health and the Azure Status page for any service degradation, regional issues, or maintenance events affecting PostgreSQL Flexible Server in your region.

Verify Resource State

If the server no longer appears operational but remains visible as "Dropping," the deletion workflow may be stuck in the control plane while backend cleanup is still pending.

If the server remains in the Dropping state after these checks, please share requested details in private chat.
Himaja Y 375 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-05T13:03:42.97+00:00

Hi @Petko Stoyanov ,

I hope you had a chance to review the information shared earlier, and I hope this information has been helpful! If you still have questions, please let us know what is needed in the comments so the question can be answered.

1 answer

Your answer

Petko Stoyanov 0 Reputation points

2026-09-03T08:52:27.0866667+00:00

PS: I also deleted the Resource Group that contained the PostgreSQL Flexible Servers. Although I found suggestions in community discussions that this should remove the associated servers, the PostgreSQL servers are still visible and remain stuck in the "Dropping" state.
Himaja Y 375 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-04T13:12:49.1+00:00

Hi @Petko Stoyanov ,

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Q&A forum.

A PostgreSQL Flexible Server remaining in the "Dropping" state for approximately 20 hours is not expected behavior. In most cases, the deletion process completes much sooner, so this may indicate that the backend operation is stuck or waiting on an internal dependency.

You can perform the following checks:

Review Activity Log

Navigate to the Azure Portal.

Open the PostgreSQL Flexible Server resource.

Check Activity Log for any failed delete operations, deployment errors, or platform-generated events related to the deletion.

Check Azure Service Health

Review Azure Service Health and the Azure Status page for any service degradation, regional issues, or maintenance events affecting PostgreSQL Flexible Server in your region.

Verify Resource State

If the server no longer appears operational but remains visible as "Dropping," the deletion workflow may be stuck in the control plane while backend cleanup is still pending.

If the server remains in the Dropping state after these checks, please share requested details in private chat.
Himaja Y 375 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-05T13:03:42.97+00:00

Hi @Petko Stoyanov ,

I hope you had a chance to review the information shared earlier, and I hope this information has been helpful! If you still have questions, please let us know what is needed in the comments so the question can be answered.

Answer 1

Hello , Welcome to MS Q&A

This looks like an Azure “ghost resource” issue where the Azure Resource Manager (ARM) and the PostgreSQL service are not in sync.

ARM thinks the PostgreSQL server has already been deleted or is still being deleted, which is why it returns “resource doesn’t exist” when you try to delete it.

However, the PostgreSQL backend still has the server recorded, so when you try to create a new server with the same name, it says the resource already exists.

Because the resource is stuck in this state, the resource group also cannot be deleted normally.

The first thing to try is a direct ARM deletion using the resource ID:

az resource delete --ids "<FULL-RESOURCE-ID>"

After running this, wait a few minutes and check the Azure portal again.

If that doesn't work, try using Azure Resource Explorer:

https://resources.azure.com/

Go to your subscription → Resource Groups → your resource group → Microsoft.DBforPostgreSQL → flexibleServers.

Find the stuck PostgreSQL server, select it, and use the Delete option to send a direct delete request.

Basically, the issue is that Azure's different services have different states for the same resource. The goal is to force the resource to be deleted and get everything back in sync.

Pls check and let me know if any further ques

Thanks

Deepanshu

Petko Stoyanov 0 Reputation points

2026-09-03T09:38:03.62+00:00

Hi Deepanshu,

Thank you for your response.

I tried deleting the servers using the command you provided, but unfortunately it was not successful.

I also checked Azure Resource Explorer, but I cannot find either the Resource Group or the PostgreSQL Flexible Servers there.

The servers are still visible in the Azure Portal and remain stuck in the "Dropping" state.

Do you have any other suggestions?

Thank you.