> For clean Markdown of any page, append .md to the page URL.
> For a complete documentation index, see https://docs.ibee.co.in/docs/infrastructure/cloud-vms/power-actions/llms.txt.
> For AI client integration (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.), connect to the MCP server at https://docs.ibee.co.in/_mcp/server.

# Power actions

> Start, stop, reboot, and delete IBEE Solutions VMs safely, and what to use while browser console access is unavailable.

Power actions live behind the **Actions** menu on the VM detail page, and as inline icons on the **Cloud Virtual Machines** list. Each action creates an entry in the [Activity feed](/docs/infrastructure/cloud-vms/monitoring#activity-feed).

## Where to find them

| Surface                                     | Available actions                                                                     |
| ------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| VM detail page → **Actions** menu           | Start · Stop · Reboot · Delete                                                        |
| **Cloud Virtual Machines** list → row icons | Restart · Delete (the **Console** icon is shown but disabled — "Console coming soon") |

Actions that don't apply to the VM's current state are disabled — for example, **Start** on a running VM. Members with read-only access don't see the write actions.

## Actions

### Start

Powers on a stopped VM. Boot completes when the VM appears as **Running** in the list and the IP responds to traffic.

### Stop

Gracefully shuts down a running VM by signalling ACPI poweroff to the guest. The VM transitions through **Stopping** to **Stopped**. Stopped VMs retain their disks, IP, and configuration. On **Hourly** billing, stopped VMs stop incurring compute charges (storage continues to be billed); **Monthly** and **Yearly** commitments are fixed for the commitment term.

> **Warning**
>
> If the guest does not honor the ACPI signal, the platform will force power-off after a timeout. Long-running workloads should drain or quiesce before you stop the VM.

### Reboot

Restarts the VM in place. This is equivalent to a `reboot` issued inside the guest — the kernel boots fresh, but disks, IP, and plan stay the same. Use **Reboot** after kernel upgrades or to clear a stuck process when SSH is unresponsive but the host is healthy. The list's **Restart** icon does the same.

### Console

Browser console access isn't available in the portal yet — the **Console** control is shown as **Coming soon**. Until it ships, use these instead:

* **Sign-in details** — **Overview → Connection Details** shows the SSH command, or the username and password for password-based Linux VMs and Windows (RDP).
* **Lost SSH access (Linux)** — on **Settings → Access**, add another saved SSH key, or reset the OS password and turn on password login. The VM must be running.
* **Locked out by a firewall** — fix the firewall group's rules on the [Firewalls](/docs/network-security/firewalls) page.
* **Guest won't boot** — reboot the VM, or create a new VM from a [snapshot](/docs/tools/snapshots/restore-a-snapshot) or [backup](/docs/tools/backups/restore-from-backup).

### Delete

Permanently removes the VM and its root disk. Open **Delete** from the **Actions** menu or the list's row icon. In the **Delete Virtual Machine** dialog:

1. **Type the VM name** exactly to confirm (use the copy button next to the name).
2. **Attached data volumes** — if any are attached, the dialog warns that they will be **detached automatically**. The volumes and their data are kept in [Block Storage](/docs/infrastructure/block-storage). Unmount them inside the VM first to avoid filesystem corruption.
3. **Public IP** — if the VM has a public IP that isn't already a Reserved IP, choose whether to keep it:

   * Check **Reserve public IP \<address>** to keep the address as a [Reserved IP](/docs/network-security/vpc-ip-management/reserved-ips) named after the VM. Reserved IP billing continues.
   * Leave it unchecked to release the address.

   If the address is already a Reserved IP, the dialog confirms it will be kept — it's detached from the VM and stays in **Reserved IPs**.

> **Warning**
>
> **Delete is irreversible.** Snapshots and backups taken before deletion are retained according to their own retention policy and can be used to recover into a new VM, but the original VM cannot be restored in place once deleted.

Before deleting, consider:

* Take a final [snapshot](/docs/tools/snapshots/create-a-snapshot) if you might need the data.
* Unmount attached block storage volumes inside the guest.
* Note the IP if a third-party DNS provider points to it, or reserve it in the delete dialog.

## Status reference

| Status                      | Meaning                                                        |
| --------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Provisioning**            | Initial deployment in progress.                                |
| **Running**                 | VM is booted and reachable.                                    |
| **Stopping** / **Starting** | Transient state during a power action.                         |
| **Stopped**                 | Powered off; disks retained.                                   |
| **Rebooting**               | Restart in progress.                                           |
| **Error**                   | The last operation failed. Open the activity feed for details. |

## CLI and API

Start, stop, reboot, and delete are exposed through the public API and the
`ibee` CLI. Replace `VM_ID` with the ID from `ibee vms list`:

```bash
# Start
ibee vms start VM_ID --wait

# Stop
ibee vms stop VM_ID --wait

# Reboot
ibee vms reboot VM_ID --wait

# Delete without an interactive confirmation
ibee vms delete VM_ID --yes --wait
```

Browser console access isn't available in the portal, the CLI, or the public API yet.

## Troubleshooting

**VM stuck in `Stopping`**
The guest may be ignoring the shutdown request. Wait a few minutes, then check the [Activity feed](/docs/infrastructure/cloud-vms/monitoring#activity-feed). If it doesn't recover, contact [IBEE support](/docs/support/contact-support).

**Delete or Reboot is disabled**
Another operation (for example a backup, snapshot, or resize) is in progress — the row icons show **Operation in progress...**. Wait for it to finish, then try again.

**Can't connect after a change**
Browser console access isn't available yet. Check **Overview → Connection Details**, the VM's firewall group, and **Settings → Access**, as described under [Console](#console).

## Related pages

* [Create a VM](/docs/infrastructure/cloud-vms/create-a-vm)
* [Monitoring](/docs/infrastructure/cloud-vms/monitoring)
* [Snapshots](/docs/tools/snapshots)
* [Backups](/docs/tools/backups)

> Start, stop, reboot, and delete IBEE Solutions VMs safely, and what to use while browser console access is unavailable.