SaaS
Microsoft
Microsoft is retiring the Azure Dv3, Dsv3, Ev3, and Esv3 virtual machine series across public-cloud Azure regions; these VMs enter the End-of-Life stage and retire on 15 November 2029, after which they are unsupported and un-migrated VMs may be deallocated and deleted. Recommended target is the Dsv5 / Esv5 generation.
departs 15 Nov 2029
Quick answers
- Is it true that Azure is retiring the Dv3, Dsv3, Ev3, and Esv3 VM series on 15 November 2029 — migrate to Dsv5 / Esv5 before then?
- Yes. Microsoft has officially announced it, effective 15 Nov 2029. The Dv3/Dsv3 (general-purpose) and Ev3/Esv3 (memory-optimized) families are among the most widely deployed Azure VM series, so this retirement reaches a very large install base.
- When does it take effect?
- 15 Nov 2029. Verified against the vendor's own announcement.
- What should I use instead?
- Microsoft recommends moving to a newer generation — specifically the **Dsv5** (general-purpose) and **Esv5** (memory-optimized) series — to maintain uninterrupted service and gain better performance, security, and reliability.
What this means for you
The Dv3/Dsv3 (general-purpose) and Ev3/Esv3 (memory-optimized) families are among the most widely deployed Azure VM series, so this retirement reaches a very large install base. Microsoft is moving all four series into the End-of-Life lifecycle stage, with final retirement on **15 November 2029**. Until then the VMs keep running normally; after the date they enter the Retired stage, are **no longer supported on Azure**, and any VM not transitioned "may be deallocated and ultimately deleted as the underlying hardware and platform infrastructure are retired." This is not a version bump — it is the v3 compute generation being wound down under Azure's VM lifecycle policy. A related commercial change has already taken effect: **since 1 July 2026, one- and three-year Reserved Instances for these series can no longer be purchased or renewed**, so anyone relying on RI discounts for v3 capacity is already affected and should look at an Azure savings plan trade-in. The runway is long (three-plus years), but for large fleets the migration is capacity planning, re-testing, and re-platforming work, not a one-click resize.
Where to go
Microsoft recommends moving to a newer generation — specifically the **Dsv5** (general-purpose) and **Esv5** (memory-optimized) series — to maintain uninterrupted service and gain better performance, security, and reliability. Inventory every Dv3, Dsv3, Ev3, and Esv3 VM (check `Standard_D*_v3`, `Standard_D*s_v3`, `Standard_E*_v3`, and `Standard_E*s_v3` sizes in your ARM/Bicep/Terraform templates and running deployments), pick the equivalent v5 SKU for each, and validate workloads on the new size before cutting over — v5 uses newer host hardware and (for the `s` variants) premium-SSD-only storage, so test disk and network behavior, not just CPU/RAM counts. Resizing an existing VM to a v5 SKU is supported where the target size is available in your region and availability set; otherwise redeploy. On the commercial side, review existing Reserved Instance orders and consider trading active reservations in for an Azure savings plan for compute, since RIs for these series can no longer be renewed. Because the date is far out, the real risk is under-scoping a large migration — start the assessment early rather than near November 2029.
- Azure Dsv5-series — Microsoft's recommended general-purpose successor to Dv3/Dsv3
- Azure Esv5-series — Microsoft's recommended memory-optimized successor to Ev3/Esv3
- Azure savings plan for compute — the commitment-discount path now that Reserved Instances for v3 can no longer be renewed
Microsoft is retiring the Azure Dv3, Dsv3, Ev3, and Esv3 virtual machine series across public-cloud Azure regions, with final retirement on 15 November 2029. The official Azure retirement notice (published 30 September 2026) frames it as part of Azure’s VM lifecycle policy: the four series enter the End-of-Life stage now and reach the Retired stage on the date.
What is going away
These are four of the workhorse v3 VM families:
- Dv3 / Dsv3 — general-purpose compute (the
svariant adds premium SSD support) - Ev3 / Esv3 — memory-optimized compute for databases and in-memory workloads
Because the D- and E-series are among the most commonly chosen Azure sizes, this retirement touches a broad set of production workloads. Until 15 November 2029 the VMs keep running exactly as today. After it, they are no longer supported, and Microsoft warns that VMs not transitioned “may be deallocated and ultimately deleted as the underlying hardware and platform infrastructure are retired.”
Already in effect: no more v3 Reserved Instances
One piece of this has already landed. Since 1 July 2026, one-year and three-year Reserved Instances for the Dv3, Dsv3, Ev3, and Esv3 series can no longer be purchased or renewed. If you were using RIs to discount v3 capacity, that lever is gone now — Microsoft points existing-reservation holders to trading active reservations in for an Azure savings plan for compute.
Where Microsoft points you
The recommended path is the current v5 generation:
- Dsv5-series for the general-purpose Dv3/Dsv3 workloads
- Esv5-series for the memory-optimized Ev3/Esv3 workloads
What to do
Inventory every Dv3/Dsv3/Ev3/Esv3 VM in your estate — grep your ARM, Bicep, and Terraform for Standard_D*_v3 and Standard_E*_v3 sizes, and cross-check running deployments. Map each to the equivalent v5 SKU, then validate before cutover: v5 runs on newer host hardware and the s variants are premium-SSD-only, so test storage and network behavior, not just vCPU and memory. Where the target size is available in your region and availability set you can resize in place; otherwise redeploy. The date is three years out, so the risk here isn’t the deadline — it’s under-scoping a fleet-wide migration. Scope it now while there’s slack.
Entry changelog
- — last reviewed.
- — Entry created from Microsoft's official Azure Updates retirement notice (id 572346, published 30 September 2026). The Azure Updates page is JavaScript-rendered and does not fetch server-side, so the retirement date (15 November 2029), the four affected series (Dv3, Dsv3, Ev3, Esv3), the Dsv5/Esv5 migration target, and the 1 July 2026 Reserved-Instance purchase/renewal cutoff were verified against Microsoft's server-rendered release-communications API (id 572346). Date recorded exactly as stated; no inference. No detect: fingerprint — the notice names the four VM size families, not the concrete "Standard_*_v3" identifiers an IaC template contains, and matching on a family substring would both miss real usage and risk false positives, so no fingerprint was added rather than guess one.
Put this countdown in your README
Building on Microsoft? Drop this badge into a project’s README or docs — it shows the days left and
refreshes on its own every night from this page. 
[](https://lastcall.dev/entries/azure-dv3-dsv3-ev3-esv3-vm-series-retirement)Spot an error or a changed date? Tell us and it’s corrected the same night.