Support policy for operating systems
This page describes the support policies for operating system (OS) images onCompute Engine.
Support options
The following support options are available on Google Cloud.
Basic support
If you havebasic support, you can postquestions related to your OS in theGoogle Cloud Community forums for Compute Engine.
Standard, Extended, or Premium support
If you have apaid support service (Standard, Extended, orPremium support), review the policy for the license type to understandthe support model that applies.
Support policy by license type
On Google Cloud the following license types are available for your OS images:
- Pay-as-you-go (PAYG)/ On-demand: you pay Google Cloud a license fee touse this OS image. For support policy,seeSupport policy for PAYG/On-demand OS images.
- Bring your own license (BYOL)/Bring your own subscription (BYOS): youpay a subscription or other license fee directly to the OS vendor.For support policy, seeSupport policy for BYOS/BYOL OS images.
- Free: you don't pay a license fee to use this OS image. For supportpolicy, seeSupport policy for free OS images.
For some operating systems, multiple license types might be available. Tomanage the licenses that are attached to your operating systems, seeView and append license.
Support policy for PAYG/On-demand licenses
If you have a paid support service with Google Cloud, the followingsupport policies apply to any OS that use a PAYG/On-demand license.
The following support policy applies to alllifecycle stages.
| Operating system | Google Cloud Support policy | Additional resources |
|---|---|---|
| Google Cloud Support troubleshoots theguest environmentand offersguidance on how to resolve any issues identified that arewithin scope. If needed, Google Cloud Support engages directly with theOS vendor to help resolve the issue. During this process, the OS vendor won'tengage with you directly, they will work with Google Cloud to resolve yourissue. | For more information about support for each of these OS, review thefollowing: |
| Google Cloud Support troubleshoots theguest environment and offersguidance on how to resolve any issues identified that arewithin scope. However, if the issue is identified to be associated with the UbuntuPro OS, you will need to contact Canonical. | UbuntuPro FAQ |
Support policy for BYOS/BYOL licenses
If you have a paid support service with Google Cloud, the followingsupport policies apply to any OS that use a BYOS/BYOL license.
The following support policy applies to alllifecycle stages.
| Operating system | Google Cloud Support policy | Additional resources |
|---|---|---|
| Google Cloud Support troubleshoots theguest environment and offersguidance on how to resolve any issues identified that arewithin scope. However, if the issue is identified to be associated with theOS itself, you will need to contact the OS vendor that you purchased the imagelicense from. | For more information about support for each of these OS, review thefollowing: |
Support policy for free licenses
If you have a paid support service with Google Cloud, the followingsupport policies apply to any OS that use a free license.
The following support policy applies to alllifecycle stages.
| Operating system | Google Cloud Support policy | Additional resources |
|---|---|---|
| Google Cloud Support troubleshoots theguest environment and offersguidance on how to resolve any issues identified that arewithin scope. If needed, Google Cloud Support engages directly withCIQ to helpresolve the issue. During this process, CIQ won't engage with you directly, theywill work with Google Cloud to resolve your issue. | N/A |
| Google Cloud Support troubleshoots theguest environment and offersguidance on how to resolve any issues identified. However, if the issue is identified to be associated with theOS itself, you will need to use the community supportoptions that are available for this OS. | For more information about community support for each of these OS, review the following: |
Support scope
Google Cloud Support troubleshoots the guest environment and offers guidance on how to resolve any issues identified. Review the following sections to see whatissues are within scope for support.
Within scope for support
The following issues are within scope for Google Cloud Support:
- Issues with Google Cloud products and services.
Issues with OS image configurations that are in one of the followingcategories:
- Configurations that are part of the default settings from the OS vendor.
- Configurations that are done by Google Cloud. See theImage configuration section on theOperating system details page.
Issues with agents and packages installed by Google Cloud. SeeGuest environment.
Out-of-scope for support
The following issues are not supported by Google Cloud Support:
- Issues with OS images that have substantial modifications oroptimizations. These include but are not limited to:
- Operating systems where the kernel is replaced
- Operating systems where the init system is replaced
- Operating systems with third-party kernel modules
- Issues with user-installed applications
- Issues that can't be replicated or reproduced in a generic environment
What's next
- Learn more aboutOS image lifecycle.
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Last updated 2026-02-19 UTC.