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If your EC2 instance has been stuck in the “shutting-down” state for a long time, and you’ve already tried forcefully terminating it but it still won’t go away, don’t worry. The next step is to get help from AWS Support.
Since normal troubleshooting didn’t work and your instance has been stuck for over 18 hours, it’s likely there’s an issue with the physical host server. In this case, AWS Support needs to get involved to fix the problem.
The good news is that you won’t be charged for the instance while it’s not running, so there’s no immediate cost concern.
To get help from AWS Support, gather some important details beforehand. Be ready to share your instance ID, which is something like i-0de88c9d5d4445e73, and the approximate time when the instance got stuck, such as March 23, 2026, at 11:56 PM GMT. Also, list the troubleshooting steps you’ve already tried to give them a clear picture of the issue.
When you contact AWS Support through the Support Center, they will have the tools needed to investigate why your instance can’t be terminated and to resolve the issue.
For further guidance, you can refer to the official troubleshooting articles:
Getting professional support from AWS is the best way to get your stuck instance resolved quickly.
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