Automated backup storage is billed separately from the VM. This page explains how backup size is measured, what you’ll see on your bill, and how to keep cost predictable.
What’s billed
How backup size is measured
Each recovery point shows a Recovery Storage number on the Backup Recovery Points list and the Details drawer (for example 60 GB for a Root + 1 data disk capture). This is the storage footprint of that recovery point.
Sizing notes:
- The footprint includes the root disk plus every captured data volume.
- Subsequent recovery points capture the full set again — they do not deduplicate against earlier points unless your retention policy explicitly enables it.
- Empty filesystem space inside disks may be excluded depending on disk format; expect the recovery storage to be roughly the size of used data.
Retention
The default retention policy keeps a rolling window of recovery points per VM. Older recovery points roll off automatically as new ones are written.
Until cross-region snapshots are enabled (see Cross-region snapshots), backups live in the same region as the VM.
Cost levers you control
You can change the storage you’re billed for by adjusting:
A rough monthly storage estimate:
Verifying current spend
Recovery storage rolls up to your account-level usage view. To see per-VM detail:
- Go to Cloud VMs → <VM> → Backups tab.
- The Backup Recovery Points list shows each point’s individual size.
- Sum the active recovery points to estimate the VM’s current backup footprint.
Reducing backup spend
- Move from Daily to Weekly if your RPO tolerates it.
- Detach data volumes you don’t need to protect — they stop being captured starting from the next run.
- Delete old recovery points you’ve replaced with verified snapshots or off-site copies.
- Use Object Storage for large, append-only data — backing up TB-scale media inside a VM is rarely the right choice.
Related pages
