Troubleshoot stopping your
instance
If you have stopped your Amazon EBS-backed instance and it appears stuck in the
stopping
state, there may be an issue with the underlying host
computer.
There is no cost for instance usage while an instance is in the stopping
state or in any other state except running
. You are only charged for instance
usage when an instance is in the running
state.
Force stop the instance
Force the instance to stop using either the console or the AWS CLI.
You can force an instance to stop using the console only while the instance is in
the stopping
state. You can force an instance to stop using the AWS CLI
while the instance is in any state, except shutting-down
and
terminated
.
- New console
-
To force stop the instance using the console
Open the Amazon EC2 console at
https://console.aws.amazon.com/ec2/.
-
In the navigation pane, choose Instances and
select the stuck instance.
-
Choose Instance state, Force stop
instance, Stop.
Note that Force stop instance is only
available in the console if your instance is in the
stopping
state. If your instance is in another
state (except shutting-down
and
terminated
) you can use the AWS CLI to force stop your
instance.
- Old console
-
To force stop the instance using the console
Open the Amazon EC2 console at
https://console.aws.amazon.com/ec2/.
-
In the navigation pane, choose Instances and
select the stuck instance.
-
Choose Instance State,
Stop, Yes, Forcefully
Stop.
- AWS CLI
-
To force stop the instance using the AWS CLI
Use the stop-instances command and the --force
option
as follows:
aws ec2 stop-instances --instance-ids i-0123ab456c789d01e
--force
If, after 10 minutes, the instance has not stopped, post a request for help on AWS re:Post. To help expedite a resolution, include the
instance ID, and describe the steps that you've already taken. Alternatively, if you
have a support plan, create a technical support case in the Support Center.
Create a replacement instance
To attempt to resolve the problem while you are waiting for assistance from AWS re:Post or the Support Center, create a replacement instance. Create an AMI of the stuck
instance, and launch a new instance using the new AMI.
Creating a replacement instance is recommended if it's registering system status checks only, as
instance status checks will result in the AMI copying over an exact replica of the
broken OS. Once you've confirmed the status message, create the AMI and launch a new
instance using the new AMI.
- New console
-
To create a replacement instance using the console
Open the Amazon EC2 console at
https://console.aws.amazon.com/ec2/.
-
In the navigation pane, choose Instances and
select the stuck instance.
-
Choose Actions, Image and
templates, Create image.
-
On the Create image page, do the
following:
-
Enter a name and description for the AMI.
-
Choose No reboot.
-
Choose Create image.
For more information, see Create a Linux AMI from an instance.
-
Launch a new instance from the AMI and verify that the new
instance is working.
-
Select the stuck instance, and choose
Actions, Instance state,
Terminate instance. If the instance also
gets stuck terminating, Amazon EC2 automatically forces it to terminate
within a few hours.
- Old console
-
To create a replacement instance using the console
Open the Amazon EC2 console at
https://console.aws.amazon.com/ec2/.
-
In the navigation pane, choose Instances and
select the stuck instance.
-
Choose Actions, Image,
Create Image.
-
In the Create Image dialog box, fill in the
following fields, and then choose Create
Image:
-
Specify a name and description for the AMI.
-
Choose No reboot.
For more information, see Create a Linux AMI from an instance.
-
Launch a new instance from the AMI and verify that the new
instance is working.
-
Select the stuck instance, and choose
Actions, Instance State,
Terminate. If the instance also gets stuck
terminating, Amazon EC2 automatically forces it to terminate within a few
hours.
- AWS CLI
-
To create a replacement instance using the CLI
-
Create an AMI from the stuck instance using the create-image
(AWS CLI) command and the --no-reboot
option as
follows:.
aws ec2 create-image --instance-id i-0123ab456c789d01e
--name "AMI"
--description "AMI for replacement instance"
--no-reboot
-
Launch a new instance from the AMI using the run-instances
(AWS CLI) command as follows:
aws ec2 run-instances --image-id ami-1a2b3c4d
--count 1 --instance-type c3.large
--key-name MyKeyPair
--security-groups MySecurityGroup
-
Verify that the new instance is working.
-
Terminate the stuck instance using the terminate-instances (AWS CLI) command as follows:
aws ec2 terminate-instances --instance-ids i-1234567890abcdef0
If you are unable to create an AMI from the instance as described in the previous
procedure, you can set up a replacement instance as follows:
(Alternate) To create a replacement instance using the console
-
Select the instance and choose Description,
Block devices. Select each volume and make note of its
volume ID. Be sure to note which volume is the root volume.
-
In the navigation pane, choose Volumes. Select each
volume for the instance, and choose Actions,
Create Snapshot.
-
In the navigation pane, choose Snapshots. Select the
snapshot that you just created, and choose Actions,
Create Volume.
-
Launch an instance with the same operating system as the stuck instance. Note
the volume ID and device name of its root volume.
-
In the navigation pane, choose Instances, select the
instance that you just launched, and choose Instance state,
Stop instance.
-
In the navigation pane, choose Volumes, select the root
volume of the stopped instance, and choose Actions,
Detach Volume.
-
Select the root volume that you created from the stuck instance, choose
Actions, Attach Volume, and attach
it to the new instance as its root volume (using the device name that you made
note of). Attach any additional non-root volumes to the instance.
-
In the navigation pane, choose Instances and select the
replacement instance. Choose Instance state,
Start instance. Verify that the instance is
working.
-
Select the stuck instance, choose Instance state,
Terminate instance. If the instance also gets stuck
terminating, Amazon EC2 automatically forces it to terminate within a few
hours.