Terminated EC2 instance still visible after more than a year

When an EC2 instance is terminated, it typically disappears from the EC2 console within about an hour. However, there are cases where terminated instances may remain visible for longer periods. This is unusual but doesn't necessarily indicate a problem.

Regarding your unexpected EBS charges, even though the instance shows as terminated, there might be hidden resources still active in your account. Here are some potential causes for your EBS charges:

1. Orphaned EBS volumes: When an instance is terminated, its EBS volumes may not be automatically deleted unless you specifically configured them with the "Delete on Termination" flag. These unattached volumes continue to incur charges.

2. EBS snapshots: Any snapshots of your volumes remain after instance termination and continue to incur storage charges.

3. Regional resources: Make sure you're checking for resources across all AWS regions, not just us-east-2.

To resolve these issues:

1. Check for unattached EBS volumes in the us-east-2 region and any other regions you've used.

2. Look for EBS snapshots that might be stored in your account.

3. Use AWS Cost Explorer to identify the specific services and regions incurring charges by grouping by "Service" dimension.

4. Consider using EC2 Global View to see all your EC2 resources across all regions.

If you still can't locate the source of the charges after checking these areas, I recommend contacting AWS Support for assistance. They can help identify any hidden resources and explain why the terminated instance remains visible in your console.
Sources
Charge for EC2 after i remove all resources | AWS re:Post
EC2 Instance not visible on EC2 Dashboard on my account | AWS re:Post
EC2 Instance has disappeared | AWS re:Post
Why am I getting charged although I deleted my instances and volumes a few weeks ago? | AWS re:Post

Hey,

Hope you're keeping well.

Terminated EC2 instances should only remain visible in the console for about an hour, so if it’s still showing after a year it’s likely a display or metadata issue in the console rather than an active resource. You can confirm by running aws ec2 describe-instances --instance-ids i-0021215b2b0d87e7e to check its state, and also aws ec2 describe-volumes and aws ec2 describe-snapshots to verify there are no orphaned EBS volumes or snapshots incurring charges. In the Billing console, use Cost Explorer with the service filter set to Amazon EBS to pinpoint which resources generated the charges.

Thanks and regards,
Taz