You can manually release disks that are longer needed. When a disk is released, all data stored on the disk is also released and billing for the disk is stopped. By default, disks attached to Elastic Compute Service (ECS) instances are released along with the instances. You can disable the Release Disk with Instance feature for disks to retain them. This topic describes how to release a disk in the ECS console and how to enable or disable the Release Disk with Instance feature.

Prerequisites

  • A snapshot is created for the disk for which you want to manage data backup. For more information, see Create a snapshot of a disk.
  • The disk that you want to manually release or the pay-as-you-go data disk for which you want to enable or disable the Release Disk with Instance feature is in the Unattached state. For more information, see Detach a data disk.

Background information

  • Release methods

    You can manually release a disk or enable the Release Disk with Instance feature for the disk. The following table describes how to release different types of disks.

    Disk type Subscription Pay-as-you-go
    System disk By default, the Release Disk with Instance feature is enabled for subscription system disks. The feature can be disabled for the disks. By default, the Release Disk with Instance feature is enabled for pay-as-you-go system disks. The feature can be disabled for the disks.
    Data disk
    • By default, the Release Disk with Instance feature is enabled for subscription data disks. The feature can be disabled for the disks.
    • Subscription data disks can be released only after you convert them into pay-as-you-go disks.
    • Pay-as-you-go data disks can be released along with their associated instances. By default, the Release Disk with Instance feature is enabled for pay-as-you-go data disks that are created together with instances. For independently created pay-as-you-go data disks, you must manually enable the feature.
    • Pay-as-you-go data disks can be manually released.
    Note The Release Disk with Instance feature cannot be set for disks that support the multi-attach feature. For more information, see Enable multi-attach.
  • Release impacts
    When you enable or disable the Release Disk with Instance feature for a system disk or a data disk, take note of the following items:
    • If the Release Disk with Instance feature is enabled for a disk, the disk is automatically released when its associated instance is released.
    • If the Release Disk with Instance feature is disabled for a disk, the disk is retained as a pay-as-you-go data disk three days after its associated instance expires, three days after a payment becomes overdue for the instance, or when the instance is released upon expiration. If the disk is a system disk, it is retained as a data disk when the instance is released.
      Note
      • If you create a disk in the Chinese mainland, you must complete real-name verification for your account to ensure that the disk can be retained.
      • The retained disks are billed on a pay-as-you-go basis. You can log on to the Billing Management console and view consumption details by disk ID.
    • Snapshots
      • If the Delete Automatic Snapshots While Releasing Disk feature is enabled for a disk, the automatic snapshots of the disk are deleted when the disk is released. You can disable the Delete Automatic Snapshots While Releasing Disk feature for a disk when you attach the disk to an instance. For more information, see Delete automatic snapshots while releasing a disk.
      • Manual snapshots are not released when their associated disks are released.

Manually release a disk

Perform the following operations to manually release a pay-as-you-go data disk on the Disks page in the ECS console.

  1. Log on to the ECS console.
  2. In the left-side navigation pane, choose Storage & Snapshots > Disks.
  3. In the top navigation bar, select a region.
  4. Find the disk that you want to release. In the Actions column, choose More > Release.
  5. In the Release Disk dialog box, confirm the information of associated snapshots and select I am aware of the disks and associated resources to be released and understand the related data risks. Then, click OK.
    Release disks

Enable or disable the Release Disk with Instance feature for disks when you create an instance

Perform the following operations to enable or disable the Release Disk with Instance feature for the system disk or data disks when you create an instance on the instance buy page in the ECS console.

  1. Log on to the ECS console.
  2. In the left-side navigation pane, choose Instances & Images > Instances.
  3. In the top navigation bar, select a region.
  4. Click Create Instance.
  5. In the Basic Configurations step, scroll down to the Storage section and optionally clear Release with Instance for the system disk or data disks.
    For more information, see Create an instance by using the wizard. Release with Instance

Enable or disable the Release Disk with Instance feature for a disk on the Disks page

Perform the following operations to enable or disable the Release Disk with Instance feature for system disks or data disks on the Disks page in the ECS console.

  1. Log on to the ECS console.
  2. In the left-side navigation pane, choose Instances & Images > Instances.
  3. In the top navigation bar, select a region.
  4. Find the instance for whose disk you want to enable or disable the feature and click the instance ID to go to the Instance Details page.
  5. On the Instance Details page, click the Cloud Disk tab.
  6. Find the disk for which you want to enable or disable the feature. In the Actions column, choose More > Modify Disk Property.
  7. In the Modify Disk Property dialog box, select or clear Release Disk with Instance and click Confirm.
    Note After you clear Release Disk with Instance for a disk, the disk is retained as a pay-as-you-go disk three days after the associated instance expires, three days after a payment becomes overdue for the instance, or when the instance is released upon expiration. If the disk is a system disk, it is retained as a data disk when the instance is released.
    Release with Instance