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Support matrix for Azure VM backups

You can use the Azure Backup service to back up on-premises machines and workloads, along with Azure virtual machines (VMs). This article summarizes support settings and limitations when you back up Azure VMs by using Azure Backup.

Other support matrices include:

Supported scenarios

Here's how you can back up and restore Azure VMs by using the Azure Backup service.

Scenario Backup Agent Restore
Direct backup of Azure VMs Back up the entire VM. For application or file-system consistent backups, no additional agent is needed on the Azure VM. Azure Backup installs and uses an extension to the Azure VM agent that's running on the VM.

You can also use agentless crash-consistent backups. Learn more.		 Restore as follows:

- Create a basic VM. This is useful if the VM has no special configuration, such as multiple IP addresses.

- Restore the VM disk. Restore the disk. Then attach it to an existing VM, or create a new VM from the disk by using PowerShell.

- Replace the VM disk. If a VM exists and it uses managed disks (unencrypted), you can restore a disk and use it to replace an existing disk on the VM.

- Restore specific files or folders. You can restore files or folders from a VM instead of restoring the entire VM.
Direct backup of Azure VMs (Windows only) Back up specific files, folders, or volumes. Install the Azure Recovery Services agent.

You can run the MARS agent alongside the backup extension for the Azure VM agent to back up the VM at the file or folder level.		 Restore specific files or folders.
Backup of Azure VMs to the backup server Back up files, folders, or volumes; system state or bare metal files; and app data to System Center DPM or to Microsoft Azure Backup Server (MABS).

DPM or MABS then backs up to the backup vault.		 Install the DPM or MABS protection agent on the VM. The MARS agent is installed on DPM or MABS. Restore files, folders, or volumes; system state or bare metal files; and app data.

Learn more about using a backup server and about support requirements.

Supported backup actions

Action Support
Back up a VM that's shut down or offline Supported.

Snapshot is crash-consistent only, not app consistent.
Back up disks after migrating to managed disks Supported.

Backup will continue to work. No action is required.
Back up managed disks after enabling a resource group lock Not supported.

Azure Backup can't delete the older restore points. Backups will start to fail when the limit of restore points is reached.
Modify backup policy for a VM Supported.

The VM will be backed up according to the schedule and retention settings in the new policy. If retention settings are extended, existing recovery points are marked and kept. If they're reduced, existing recovery points will be pruned in the next cleanup job and eventually deleted.
Cancel a backup job Supported during the snapshot process.

Not supported when the snapshot is being transferred to the vault.
Back up the VM to a different region Not supported.

The VM and Recovery Services vault must be in the same region.
Back up the VM to a different subscription Supported in preview when the VM and Recovery Services vault are in the same tenant and same region. Available in all Azure regions.

- Cross-subscription backup isn't supported for Confidential VMs (CVMs), including ADE encrypted CVMs.
- Movement of backed-up data between vaults isn't supported.
- Movement of a Recovery Services vault across subscriptions or between resource groups also isn't supported when the vault contains cross-subscription protected Azure VM backup items.

Learn how to Back up Azure VMs in a Recovery Services vault for steps involved.
Back up daily via the Azure VM extension Four backups per day: one scheduled backup as defined in the backup policy, and three on-demand backups.

To allow user retries in case of failed attempts, the hard limit for on-demand backups is set to nine attempts in a 24 hour UTC period.
Back up daily via the MARS agent Three scheduled backups per day.
Back up daily via DPM or MABS Two scheduled backups per day.
Back up monthly or yearly Not supported when you're backing up with the Azure VM extension. Only daily and weekly are supported.

You can set up the policy to retain daily or weekly backups for a monthly or yearly retention period.
Automatically adjust the clock Not supported.

Azure Backup doesn't automatically adjust for daylight saving time when you're backing up a VM.

Modify the policy manually as needed.
Disable security features for hybrid backup Not supported.
Back up Azure VMs with Azure Extended zones Supported through Enhanced policy.

Snapshot is crash-consistent only, you can also retain snapshots locally for instant restore.
Back up a VM whose machine time is changed Not supported.

If you change the machine time to a future date/time after enabling backup for that VM, even if the time change is reverted, successful backup isn't guaranteed.
Do multiple backups per day Supported through Enhanced policy.

For hourly backup, the minimum recovery point objective (RPO) is 4 hours and the maximum is 24 hours. You can set the backup schedule to 4, 6, 8, 12, and 24 hours, respectively.

Note that the maximum limit of instant recovery point retention range depends on the number of snapshots you take per day. If the snapshot count is more (for example, every 4 hours frequency in 24 hours duration - 6 scheduled snapshots), then the maximum allowed days for retention reduces. However, if you choose lower RPO of 12 hours, the snapshot retention is increased to 30 days.

Learn about how to back up an Azure VM using Enhanced policy.
Back up a VM with a deprecated plan when the publisher has removed it from Azure Marketplace Not supported.

Backup is supported.

Restore to existing/original VM is supported. Restore by creating a new VM will fail.

If you've already configured backup for a VM with a deprecated virtual machine offer and encounter a restore error, see Troubleshoot backup errors with Azure VMs.
Back up VMs with docker (containers) Not supported
Soft Delete for backups Not Supported with Azure role-based access control (Azure RBAC) permissions at the resource group level. Requires Azure RBAC permissions at the subscription level, including the Microsoft.DataProtection/locations/checkFeatureSupport/action permission.

Operating system support (Windows)