VolumeInUse
Amazon EC2 returns `VolumeInUse` when the specified EBS volume is attached to an instance and not in an `available` state for the requested operation.
Last reviewed: February 1, 2026|Editorial standard: source-backed technical guidance
What Does Volume In Use Mean?
EC2 refused the operation because the volume is still attached or in a non-available transition state, so mutating steps must wait for correct EBS lifecycle state.
Common Causes
- -The operation requires the volume to be
available, but it is still attached to an instance. - -A detach transition is still in progress when another volume mutation starts.
- -Parallel workflows issue delete/attach/detach calls against the same volume concurrently.
- -Runbook does not wait for volume-state transitions before the next API step.
How to Fix Volume In Use
- 1Use
DescribeVolumesto confirm current attachments and lifecycle state. - 2Detach the volume (or stop conflicting operation) and wait until state is
available. - 3Wait for detach completion before issuing delete/modify operations on the same volume.
- 4Serialize volume-mutating workflows so only one state-changing action runs at a time.
Step-by-Step Diagnosis for Volume In Use
- 1Capture volume ID, action, instance attachment info, and request ID from EC2 response.
- 2Trace
AttachVolume/DetachVolume/DeleteVolumeordering in CloudTrail. - 3Check for concurrent workflow runs targeting the same volume ID.
- 4Verify waiters/state checks are enforced between each EBS lifecycle step.
Volume Attachment State and Operation Ordering
- -Inspect current attachment and state via DescribeVolumes (example: delete requested while volume still
in-useon i-abc123). - -Trace operation order for attach/detach/delete (example: delete call is sent before detach reaches
available).
Concurrency Locking and Waiter Controls
- -Apply per-volume orchestration locks (example: backup and cleanup jobs target same volume simultaneously).
- -Use explicit state waiters between dependent calls (example: enforce wait-for-available before DeleteVolume).
How to Verify the Fix
- -Re-run operation and confirm VolumeInUse no longer occurs.
- -Validate volume reaches expected attach/detach state transitions in sequence.
- -Ensure downstream backup/delete/modify workflows complete successfully.
How to Prevent Recurrence
- -Enforce state-machine checks before any EBS mutating operation.
- -Add orchestration locks for workflows acting on the same volume ID.
- -Continuously monitor attach/detach lag and operation race indicators.
Pro Tip
- -model EBS lifecycle as a finite-state workflow with guarded transitions so invalid next-step calls are rejected before hitting EC2 APIs.
Decision Support
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Playbook
Resource State Playbook (404 / 410 / ResourceNotFound)
Use this playbook to separate temporary missing-resource lookups from permanent removals, then fix scope, lifecycle, and identifier drift safely.
Official References
Provider Context
This guidance is specific to AWS services. Always validate implementation details against official provider documentation before deploying to production.