Managing Amazon Machine Images (AMIs) and their underlying EBS snapshots just got a whole lot easier — and cheaper.

As of June 5, 2025, Amazon EC2 now allows you to automatically delete associated EBS snapshots when you deregister an AMI. This means less manual cleanup and fewer forgotten resources quietly racking up costs.

🧠 What’s the Problem?

When you create an AMI from an EC2 instance, AWS creates EBS snapshots of the attached volumes.

But when you deregister that AMI:

• The AMI is deleted
• But the EBS snapshots remain — manually deleting them was up to you
• Over time, these “orphaned” snapshots become costly clutter

📦 Unused snapshots = hidden storage bills

✅ What’s New?

Now, AWS gives you the option to delete the EBS snapshots automatically when you deregister the AMI.

🖱️ It’s just a checkbox:

When deregistering an AMI via the Console or CLI:

• ✅ Check the box: “Also delete associated EBS snapshots”
• 💥 Both AMI and snapshots are cleaned up together

✂️ Less cleanup. Less cost. No surprises.

🔧 How to Use It (Console & CLI)

1. In the EC2 Console:
2. Go to AMIs
3. Select the AMI you want to remove
4. Click Deregister
5. Check ✅ “Delete associated snapshots”
6. Confirm

Using the AWS CLI:

aws ec2 deregister-image \
  --image-id ami-0abc123def456 \
  --delete-snapshots

💰 Why This Matters

• 🧼 Simplifies AMI lifecycle management
• 💸 Reduces EBS snapshot storage costs
• 🧠 Prevents orphaned resources
• 📊 Helps you stay clean, lean, and audit-ready

🔍 Bonus Tip:

Use Resource Explorer, Cost Explorer, or AWS Config to find existing orphaned snapshots you may want to clean up retroactively.

🧾 TL;DR

Are you still cleaning up snapshots manually?

This update is a small change with big savings — especially in dev/test environments or AMI automation pipelines.