# Inactive and detached EBS volume | Cloud Efficiency Hub Canonical: https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/inactive-and-detached-ebs-volume EBS volumes frequently remain detached after EC2 instances are terminated, replaced, or reconfigured. By: Taylor Houck [Cloud Efficiency Hub](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub) # Inactive and Detached EBS Volume The short version EBS volumes frequently remain detached after EC2 instances are terminated, replaced, or reconfigured. [Taylor Houck](https://www.linkedin.com/in/twhouck/) Cloud FinOps Specialist @ PointFive AWS service [AWS EBS](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/cloud-services/aws-ebs) Category [Storage](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/service-category/storage) Reference CER-0066 Type Idle or Unused Resource ## Explanation Why the waste happens and who it affects. Some may be intentionally retained for reattachment or backup purposes, but many persist unintentionally due to the lack of automated cleanup. When these detached volumes are also inactive-showing no read or write activity-they represent unnecessary ongoing costs. Identifying and removing these orphaned volumes can produce meaningful savings without affecting running workloads. ## Billing model The pricing dimensions that drive this cost. EBS volumes are billed based on the provisioned volume type, size, and performance configuration, regardless of usage or attachment ## How to detect 6 checks to find it in your estate. - Identify EBS volumes that are not attached to any EC2 instance ("available") - Review usage data to confirm that no read or write activity has occurred over a defined lookback period - Check whether the volume is intentionally retained for manual recovery, reattachment, or snapshot purposes, especially if it's part of a known backup or disaster recovery process managed outside of AWS - Evaluate the cost contribution of the volume based on size, type, and provisioned IOPS - Determine whether a recent snapshot exists or is needed before deletion - Confirm with application or infrastructure owners whether the volume still serves a purpose ## How to fix How to remove the waste. Delete detached and inactive EBS volumes that are no longer required. Before deletion, take a snapshot if the data must be retained for backup or compliance purposes. Consider setting up scheduled audits or automated cleanup routines to regularly identify and remove unused volumes. ## Documentation Vendor references for pricing and configuration. - [EBS Pricing aws.amazon.com](https://aws.amazon.com/ebs/pricing/) - [Controlling EBS Costs aws.amazon.com](https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/mt/controlling-your-aws-costs-by-deleting-unused-amazon-ebs-volumes/) ## Related inefficiencies [Browse the library](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub) - AWS EBS CER-0013 ### [Unaccessed EBS Snapshot](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/unaccessed-ebs-snapshot) Snapshots are retained long after they've served their purpose. Snapshots may have been created for backups, migrations, or disaster recovery plans but were never deleted - even after the related workload or volume was decommissioned. Over... Storage - AWS EBS CER-0051 ### [Unused EBS Volume Attached to a Stopped EC2 Instance](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/unused-ebs-volume-attached-to-a-stopped-ec2-instance) An EC2 instance is stopped but still has one or more attached EBS volumes. Although the compute resource is not generating charges while stopped, the attached volumes continue to incur full storage and performance-related costs. These... Storage - AWS EBS CER-0398 ### [Unused EBS Fast Snapshot Restore](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/unused-ebs-fast-snapshot-restore) EBS fast snapshot restore (FSR) lets volumes created from a snapshot deliver their full provisioned performance immediately, without first-read initialization latency. It is enabled per snapshot and per Availability Zone, and each snapshot... Storage --- Source: the public page above. Product screenshots and illustrative interfaces are examples, not live customer data.