SkuNotAvailable: The requested VM size is not available in the location

SkuNotAvailable: The requested VM size is not available in the location

TL;DR

That VM size simply is not sold in that region (or zone). List what the location actually offers, pick a size that exists there, or move the deployment to a region that has your size.

The error

SkuNotAvailable: The requested VM size 'Standard_D2s_v5' is not available in location 'westus'. Please try another size or deploy to another location.

Fix it

1. List what the location offers: az vm list-skus --location [region] --size [size] -o table. Expected: you see whether the size exists there at all.
2. If the size is missing, pick the closest available size in the same region. Expected: the new size shows up in the SKU list.
3. If you need that exact size, check nearby regions with the same command and move the deployment. Expected: the target region lists your size.
4. Check zone constraints. Some sizes exist in a region but not in every zone. Expected: the SKU list shows which zones carry it.
5. Redeploy with the available size or region. Expected: the VM provisions.

When to use this

• An agent sees SkuNotAvailable during VM creation, scale-out, or image builds.
• A template that worked in one region fails in another.

When NOT to use this

• OverconstrainedAllocationRequest or AllocationFailed. Those mean the size exists but capacity is temporarily gone; waiting or retrying can work.
• Quota errors. Those name the quota, not the SKU.

Compatibility

• Azure Virtual Machines, all regions. SKU availability changes over time, so re-check.

Variant phrasings

• "SkuNotAvailable"
• "The requested VM size is not available in location"
• "Please try another size or deploy to another location"

Root cause

Azure does not sell every VM size in every region or zone. Newer sizes roll out region by region, and some sizes are retired per region. Templates copied between regions hit this the moment they land somewhere the size was never offered.

Edge cases

• Spot and reserved capacity follow different availability. A size can be available on-demand but not for spot.
• The portal's size picker sometimes lags the API. Trust az vm list-skus over the dropdown.

The VM deployment troubleshooting guide at jamesbannan/azure-troubleshooting (troubleshooting-vm-deployment.md) documents the SkuNotAvailable pattern: the requested VM size is not available in the chosen location, with the fix being to list available SKUs for the location and either change the size or change the region. This is a hard availability constraint, not a transient error, so retrying the same request never helps.