StorageAccountNotFound
ARM returns `StorageAccountNotFound` when the referenced storage account name, resource group, or subscription context does not resolve.
Last reviewed: February 10, 2026|Editorial standard: source-backed technical guidance
What Does Storage Account Not Found Mean?
Deployments or dependent operations stop at reference resolution because the target storage account cannot be found in the active scope.
Common Causes
- -Deployment runs under the wrong subscription context for the intended storage account.
- -Storage account name or resource group is misspelled in template parameters.
- -Referenced account was deleted, moved, or replaced, but references were not updated.
- -Cross-scope deployment omits the full resource ID for an account outside local scope.
How to Fix Storage Account Not Found
- 1Set and verify the correct subscription context before running the deployment.
- 2Confirm storage account and resource-group names directly from Azure inventory.
- 3Update references to use the correct account resource ID when crossing scopes.
- 4Retry after resolving stale references and confirming account presence.
Step-by-Step Diagnosis for Storage Account Not Found
- 1Capture the failing reference path and resolved subscription/resource-group values from deployment logs.
- 2Run targeted account lookup in the same context used by the deployment runtime.
- 3Inspect recent resource move/delete operations that may have invalidated references.
- 4Retest with explicit resource ID to eliminate implicit-scope resolution ambiguity.
Account Name and Scope Resolution
- -Validate account location tuple (subscription, resource group, account name) before template execution (example: correct account name exists under another subscription).
- -Confirm referenced name follows storage naming constraints and exact value used at creation (example: expected
stgprod001but pipeline passesstg-prod-001).
Reference Hygiene in Multi-Scope Deployments
- -Inspect nested templates for hardcoded or legacy storage IDs (example: linked template still targets pre-migration resource group).
- -Audit generated parameter files for environment drift (example: production template consumes staging storage account variable).
How to Verify the Fix
- -Re-run the same deployment step and confirm
StorageAccountNotFoundno longer appears. - -Validate dependent resources can read/write using the resolved storage account reference.
- -Check deployment operation history for clean reference resolution across all stages.
How to Prevent Recurrence
- -Manage storage account identifiers through one environment manifest source of truth.
- -Add preflight account-existence checks for all external resource references.
- -Require full resource IDs for cross-subscription or cross-resource-group dependencies.
Pro Tip
- -enforce a deployment guard that resolves every
resourceId()output before apply and fails fast if any ID cannot be resolved.
Decision Support
Compare Guide
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404 Not Found vs 410 Gone: Missing vs Permanent Removal
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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 Azure services. Always validate implementation details against official provider documentation before deploying to production.