How to List Resource Groups in Azure CLI (az group list)

The command is az group list. Add --output table and you get a clean, readable list instead of a wall of JSON. Everything else on this page is a variation on that one command.

The Short Answer

Terminal

az group list --output table

That is it. If you just wanted the command, you can stop reading. The rest of this page covers filtering, counting, and the flags that save you time.

Before You Start

• Azure CLI installed. Check with az version.
• Logged in. Run az login if you are not. It opens a browser window.

If you have more than one subscription, the CLI uses your default. Check which one you are on:

Terminal

az account show --output table

List All Resource Groups

This is the command you will use most:

Terminal

az group list --output table

You get three columns — name, location, and status:

Output

Name                        Location      Status
--------------------------  ------------  ---------
rg-web-prod                 centralindia  Succeeded
rg-web-dev                  centralindia  Succeeded
rg-data-prod                eastus        Succeeded
rg-analytics-dev            eastus        Succeeded
DefaultResourceGroup-CID    centralindia  Succeeded
NetworkWatcherRG            centralindia  Succeeded

note

The resource group names above are examples. You will see your own. Groups like NetworkWatcherRG and DefaultResourceGroup-CID are created by Azure automatically — you did not make them, and you should leave them alone.

Just the Names

When you want to pipe the output into another command, drop everything except the names:

Terminal

az group list --query "[].name" --output tsv

tsv means tab-separated values. No headers, no quotes, no brackets — just one name per line, ready for a loop or a grep.

Pick Your Output Format

--output (short form -o) accepts four formats:

Format	Command	Use it when
table	az group list -o table	You are reading it yourself
tsv	az group list -o tsv	You are piping into another command or a script
json	az group list -o json	You need the full detail, including tags and IDs
yaml	az group list -o yaml	You prefer YAML to JSON

json is the default if you do not pass --output at all.

Filter by Location

Only want the groups in one region?

Terminal

az group list --query "[?location=='eastus'].name" --output tsv

Note the quotes: double quotes around the whole query, single quotes around eastus inside it. Get that backwards and your shell will eat the query.

Filter by Name

To find every group whose name starts with rg-:

Terminal

az group list --query "[?starts_with(name,'rg-')].name" --output tsv

Swap starts_with for contains to search anywhere in the name:

Terminal

az group list --query "[?contains(name,'prod')].name" --output tsv

Filter by Tag

If you tag your resource groups, the CLI has a dedicated flag — no query needed:

Terminal

az group list --tag Environment=Production --output table

You can also match on the tag key alone, ignoring its value:

Terminal

az group list --tag Environment --output table

warning

--tag accepts one tag only. There is no way to pass two tags to this flag. If you need to match on two tags at once, use --query on the tags object instead.

Count Them

Terminal

az group list --query "length(@)"

@ means "everything you just got back", so length(@) is simply "how many". It prints a bare number.

Sort the List

Azure returns groups in no particular order. Sort them by name:

Terminal

az group list --query "sort_by([].{Name:name,Location:location}, &Name)" --output table

The {Name:name,Location:location} part picks which columns you want. The &Name says sort on that column. Change it to &Location to group by region instead.

Check If a Resource Group Exists

Useful in scripts, before you try to create or deploy something:

Terminal

az group exists --name rg-web-prod

It prints true or false and nothing else.

Look Inside a Resource Group

Listing the groups is one thing; seeing what is in one is another command:

Terminal

az resource list --resource-group rg-web-prod --query "[].{Name:name,Type:type}" --output table

For the group's own details rather than its contents:

Terminal

az group show --name rg-web-prod --output table

List Groups in a Different Subscription

Add --subscription to any of the commands above:

Terminal

az group list --subscription "My Subscription" --output table

Or switch your default first, so you do not have to repeat the flag:

Terminal

az account set --subscription "My Subscription"
az group list --output table

Cheat Sheet

What you want	Command
Readable list	az group list -o table
Names only	az group list --query "[].name" -o tsv
One region	az group list --query "[?location=='eastus'].name" -o tsv
Name search	az group list --query "[?contains(name,'prod')].name" -o tsv
By tag	az group list --tag Environment=Production -o table
How many	az group list --query "length(@)"
Sorted	az group list --query "sort_by([].{Name:name,Location:location}, &Name)" -o table
Does it exist	az group exists --name rg-web-prod
What is inside	az resource list -g rg-web-prod -o table

Common Mistakes

Mistake	What happens	Fix
az list resource groups	ERROR: 'list' is misspelled or not recognized by the system.	The command is az group list — noun first, then verb
Single quotes around the whole --query	Your shell strips the inner quotes and the query fails	Double quotes outside, single quotes inside
Passing two tags to --tag	Only one is used	Use --query on the tags object instead
Expecting alphabetical order	Azure returns them unordered	Add sort_by(...)
Forgetting --output table	A long wall of JSON	Add -o table, or set a default with az configure
Wrong subscription	You see the wrong groups, or none	Run az account show first

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Cause	Fix
Please run 'az login' to setup account	Not signed in, or the token expired	Run az login again
Empty list, no error	You are on a subscription with no resource groups	az account show, then az account set --subscription "..."
The subscription is not registered	The subscription is disabled or expired	Check it in the Azure portal
--query returns []	The filter matched nothing, often a case mismatch	Location values are lowercase with no spaces: eastus, not East US
Quoting errors in PowerShell	PowerShell parses quotes differently from Bash	Use the same command in Bash, or see Microsoft's PowerShell quoting notes linked below
az not found	The CLI is not installed or not on your PATH	Install it, then re-open your terminal

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the command to list resource groups in Azure CLI?

az group list. Add --output table for a readable list.

Why does az list resource groups not work?

Azure CLI commands are noun-then-verb. The group is az group and the action is list, so it is az group list. The same pattern applies everywhere: az vm list, az storage account list, az webapp list.

How do I list resource groups in a specific region?

Terminal

az group list --query "[?location=='eastus'].name" --output tsv

Location values are lowercase and unspaced. Run az account list-locations --query "[].name" -o tsv to see the valid values.

How do I count my resource groups?

az group list --query "length(@)" prints the number on its own.

Can I list resource groups across all my subscriptions at once?

Not with az group list — it works on one subscription at a time. Loop over your subscriptions:

Terminal

for sub in $(az account list --query "[].id" -o tsv); do
  echo "== $sub"
  az group list --subscription "$sub" --output table
done

Does listing resource groups cost anything?

No. Read operations against Azure Resource Manager are free.

Conclusion

az group list --output table covers the everyday case. When you need more, --query does the filtering, --output picks the shape, and --tag handles tags without any query syntax at all.

If you do not have a resource group yet, start with How to Create a Resource Group in Microsoft Azure using Azure CLI — then come back here to list what you made.

Additional Resources

• az group list — Azure CLI reference — the official command reference, including the --tag parameter.
• How to manage Azure resource groups with the Azure CLI — Microsoft's guide to the whole az group command set.
• How to query Azure CLI command output using a JMESPath query — the full --query syntax, with Bash, PowerShell, and Cmd examples.
• Apply tags with Azure CLI — tagging resource groups so --tag becomes useful.
• How to Create a Resource Group in Microsoft Azure using Azure CLI — creating the groups you are listing here.