Stopped Virtual Machines

Virtual machines can be in three different power states; Running, Stopped, and Stopped (Deallocated).

Virtual machines stop incurring costs in the Stopped (Deallocated) state only. 

When shutting down a virtual machine from the Azure portal, they are automatically deallocated. When shutting them down from a Remote Desktop session or by using PowerShell, they simply transition to the Stopped state and still incur cost.

To trigger this recommendation, a virtual machine must fill the following criteria:

• Power State must be Stopped
• Resource is not on a Free tier

How to apply the recommendation

1. Click View in Portal to open the Azure Portal on the correct resource.
2. Select Overview in the menu.
3. Click on Stop in the top header.