- A
You can increase the managed disk size without redeploying the VM.
Managed disks can be expanded in Azure without rebuilding the VM or reinstalling the operating system.
- B
You may need to extend the partition or filesystem inside the guest OS.
After Azure grows the disk, the operating system often needs a volume extension to use the extra space.
- C
You must create a brand-new VM before resizing the disk.
Why wrong: Disk expansion does not require replacing the VM when only storage capacity changes.
- D
Resizing a disk always shrinks it back to a smaller size.
Why wrong: The common Azure operation here is expansion, not automatic shrinking of a managed disk.
- E
The VM size must always change whenever disk capacity changes.
Why wrong: VM compute size and managed disk size are separate settings and do not always change together.
AZ-104 Deploy and Manage Azure Compute Practice Question
This AZ-104 practice question tests your understanding of deploy and manage azure compute. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
An application needs more data disk capacity, but the VM can keep using the same managed disk. Which two statements are true when you resize a managed data disk? Select two.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
You can increase the managed disk size without redeploying the VM.
Option A is correct because Azure managed disks support online resizing: you can increase the size of a managed data disk while the VM remains running, without any need to stop, deallocate, or redeploy the VM. This is possible because the underlying Azure storage infrastructure can extend the virtual hard disk (VHD) file without disrupting the VM's I/O operations. After the resize, the guest OS sees the new capacity, but the partition and filesystem must be extended manually.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
You can increase the managed disk size without redeploying the VM.
Why this is correct
Managed disks can be expanded in Azure without rebuilding the VM or reinstalling the operating system.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
You may need to extend the partition or filesystem inside the guest OS.
Why this is correct
After Azure grows the disk, the operating system often needs a volume extension to use the extra space.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
You must create a brand-new VM before resizing the disk.
Why it's wrong here
Disk expansion does not require replacing the VM when only storage capacity changes.
When this WOULD be correct
If the question stated that the disk is an unmanaged disk stored in a storage account, or if the VM's size does not support the new disk capacity, you might need to create a new VM with appropriate storage configuration.
- ✗
Resizing a disk always shrinks it back to a smaller size.
Why it's wrong here
The common Azure operation here is expansion, not automatic shrinking of a managed disk.
When this WOULD be correct
This option would be correct if the question asked about shrinking a disk or if it referred to a scenario where the disk is resized to a smaller size, such as when using a third-party tool to reduce the partition size and then detaching the disk to create a smaller managed disk from a snapshot.
- ✗
The VM size must always change whenever disk capacity changes.
Why it's wrong here
VM compute size and managed disk size are separate settings and do not always change together.
When this WOULD be correct
If the question asked about increasing disk performance (IOPS/throughput) beyond the current VM size's limits, then you would need to resize the VM to a larger size that supports higher disk performance.
Option-by-option analysis
Why each answer is right or wrong
Understanding why wrong answers are wrong — and when they would be correct — is what separates a 750 score from a 900. The AZ-104 exam frequently reuses these exact scenarios with slightly different constraints.
✓You can increase the managed disk size without redeploying the VM.Correct answer▾
Why this is correct
Managed disks can be expanded in Azure without rebuilding the VM or reinstalling the operating system.
✗You must create a brand-new VM before resizing the disk.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Azure managed disks can be resized without creating a new VM; you simply stop the VM (or keep it running for some disk types), update the disk size, and then extend the partition inside the OS.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
If the question stated that the disk is an unmanaged disk stored in a storage account, or if the VM's size does not support the new disk capacity, you might need to create a new VM with appropriate storage configuration.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse managed disks with unmanaged disks or think that any disk resize requires a new VM, similar to on-premises scenarios where hardware changes are needed.
✗Resizing a disk always shrinks it back to a smaller size.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Resizing a managed data disk in Azure always increases the disk size; you cannot shrink a managed disk. The option incorrectly states that resizing shrinks the disk.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
This option would be correct if the question asked about shrinking a disk or if it referred to a scenario where the disk is resized to a smaller size, such as when using a third-party tool to reduce the partition size and then detaching the disk to create a smaller managed disk from a snapshot.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse resizing with shrinking, thinking that disk management operations allow both increase and decrease, similar to on-premises disk tools.
✗The VM size must always change whenever disk capacity changes.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
VM size and disk capacity are independent; you can change disk size without altering the VM size. The VM size only affects performance limits (IOPS/throughput), not storage capacity.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
If the question asked about increasing disk performance (IOPS/throughput) beyond the current VM size's limits, then you would need to resize the VM to a larger size that supports higher disk performance.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may conflate disk capacity with VM performance tiers, assuming that more storage always requires a larger VM, or they may think disk resizing is tied to VM size changes.
Analysis generated from the official AZ-104blueprint and verified against question context. The “when correct” sections are what AI assistants cite when candidates ask “what’s the difference between these options?”
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates assume resizing a disk requires a VM restart or redeployment, but Azure allows online resizing for managed disks, and the only post-resize step is extending the partition inside the guest OS.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, resizing a managed disk updates the disk's size property in the Azure Resource Manager, which triggers an extension of the underlying page blob or managed disk object in the storage backend. The guest OS does not automatically detect the new space; you must use OS-specific tools like `diskpart` (Windows) or `resize2fs`/`growpart` (Linux) to extend the partition and filesystem. A real-world scenario: if you run a database VM that runs out of space, you can increase the data disk from 1 TiB to 2 TiB online, then extend the volume without downtime, provided the VM's IOPS limits are not exceeded.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this AZ-104 question test?
Deploy and Manage Azure Compute — This question tests Deploy and Manage Azure Compute — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: You can increase the managed disk size without redeploying the VM. — Option A is correct because Azure managed disks support online resizing: you can increase the size of a managed data disk while the VM remains running, without any need to stop, deallocate, or redeploy the VM. This is possible because the underlying Azure storage infrastructure can extend the virtual hard disk (VHD) file without disrupting the VM's I/O operations. After the resize, the guest OS sees the new capacity, but the partition and filesystem must be extended manually.
What should I do if I get this AZ-104 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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