Copy snapshot of a managed disk to same or different subscription with CLI

This article contains two scripts. The first script copies a snapshot of a managed disk that was using platform-managed keys to the same or a different subscription. The second script copies a snapshot of a managed disk that was using customer-managed keys to the same or a different subscription. These scripts can be used for the following scenarios:

• Migrate a snapshot in Premium storage (Premium_LRS) to Standard storage (Standard_LRS or Standard_ZRS) to reduce your cost.
• Migrate a snapshot from locally redundant storage (Premium_LRS, Standard_LRS) to zone redundant storage (Standard_ZRS) to benefit from the higher reliability of ZRS storage.
• Move a snapshot to different subscription in the same region for longer retention.

If you don't have an Azure subscription, create a trial account before you begin.

• If you prefer to run CLI reference commands locally, install the Azure CLI. If you're running on Windows or macOS, consider running Azure CLI in a Docker container. For more information, see How to run the Azure CLI in a Docker container.

  • If you're using a local installation, sign in to the Azure CLI by using the az login command. To finish the authentication process, follow the steps displayed in your terminal. For other sign-in options, see Sign in with the Azure CLI.

  • When you're prompted, install the Azure CLI extension on first use. For more information about extensions, see Use extensions with the Azure CLI.

  • Run az version to find the version and dependent libraries that are installed. To upgrade to the latest version, run az upgrade.

Use the following script to sign in using a different subscription, replacing <Subscription ID> with your Azure Subscription ID. If you don't have an Azure trial subscription, create an Azure trial subscription before you begin.

az cloud set -n AzureChinaCloud
az login

subscription="<subscriptionId>" # add subscription here

az account set -s $subscription # ...or use 'az login'

For more information, see set active subscription or log in.

# Verified per Raman Kumar as of 2/23/2022

# <FullScript>
#Provide the subscription Id of the subscription where snapshot exists
sourceSubscriptionId="<subscriptionId>"

#Provide the name of your resource group where snapshot exists
sourceResourceGroupName=mySourceResourceGroupName

#Provide the name of the snapshot
snapshotName=mySnapshotName

#Set the context to the subscription Id where snapshot exists
az account set --subscription $sourceSubscriptionId

#Get the snapshot Id 
snapshotId=$(az snapshot show --name $snapshotName --resource-group $sourceResourceGroupName --query [id] -o tsv)

#If snapshotId is blank then it means that snapshot does not exist.
echo 'source snapshot Id is: ' $snapshotId

#Provide the subscription Id of the subscription where snapshot will be copied to
#If snapshot is copied to the same subscription then you can skip this step
targetSubscriptionId=6492b1f7-f219-446b-b509-314e17e1efb0

#Name of the resource group where snapshot will be copied to
targetResourceGroupName=mytargetResourceGroupName

#Set the context to the subscription Id where snapshot will be copied to
#If snapshot is copied to the same subscription then you can skip this step
az account set --subscription $targetSubscriptionId

#Copy snapshot to different subscription using the snapshot Id
#We recommend you to store your snapshots in Standard storage to reduce cost. Please use Standard_ZRS in regions where zone redundant storage (ZRS) is available, otherwise use Standard_LRS
#Please check out the availability of ZRS here: /storage/common/storage-redundancy-zrs#support-coverage-and-regional-availability
az snapshot create --resource-group $targetResourceGroupName --name $snapshotName --source $snapshotId --sku Standard_LRS
# </FullScript>

#Provide the subscription Id of the subscription where snapshot exists
sourceSubscriptionId="<subscriptionId>"

#Provide the name of your resource group where snapshot exists
sourceResourceGroupName=mySourceResourceGroupName

#Provide the name of the target disk encryption set
diskEncryptionSetName=myName

#Provide the target disk encryption set resource group
diskEncryptionResourceGroup=myGroup

#Provide the name of the snapshot
snapshotName=mySnapshotName

#Set the context to the subscription Id where snapshot exists
az account set --subscription $sourceSubscriptionId

#Get the snapshot Id 
snapshotId=$(az snapshot show --name $snapshotName --resource-group $sourceResourceGroupName --query [id] -o tsv)

#If snapshotId is blank then it means that snapshot does not exist.
echo 'source snapshot Id is: ' $snapshotId

#Get the disk encryption set ID
diskEncryptionSetId=$(az disk-encryption-set show --name $diskEncryptionSetName --resource-group $diskEncryptionResourceGroup)

#Provide the subscription Id of the subscription where snapshot will be copied to
#If snapshot is copied to the same subscription then you can skip this step
targetSubscriptionId=6492b1f7-f219-446b-b509-314e17e1efb0

#Name of the resource group where snapshot will be copied to
targetResourceGroupName=mytargetResourceGroupName

#Set the context to the subscription Id where snapshot will be copied to
#If snapshot is copied to the same subscription then you can skip this step
az account set --subscription $targetSubscriptionId

#Copy snapshot to different subscription using the snapshot Id
#We recommend you to store your snapshots in Standard storage to reduce cost. Please use Standard_ZRS in regions where zone redundant storage (ZRS) is available, otherwise use Standard_LRS
#Please check out the availability of ZRS here: /storage/common/storage-redundancy-zrs#support-coverage-and-regional-availability
#To change the region, use the --location parameter
az snapshot create -g $targetResourceGroupName -n $snapshotName --source $snapshotId --disk-encryption-set $diskEncryptionSetID --sku Standard_LRS --encryption-type EncryptionAtRestWithCustomerKey

Run the following command to remove the resource group, VM, and all related resources.

az group delete --name mySourceResourceGroupName

This script uses following commands to create a snapshot in the target subscription using the Id of the source snapshot. Each command in the table links to command specific documentation.

Create a virtual machine from a snapshot

For more information on the Azure CLI, see Azure CLI documentation.

More virtual machine and managed disks CLI script samples can be found in the Azure Linux VM documentation.