Stuck in Vertex AI Studio Express — Cannot Access ...

sim_work · 06-11-2025 07:09 AM

Hi everyone,

I’m facing a critical issue with my Google Cloud account, and I’ve already seen a few other users report similar problems. I hope someone from the community or support team can help.

The Problem:

I signed up for the $300 Free Trial (no invitation link).
I created a project and was immediately redirected to Vertex AI Studio (Express Mode).
Since then, I’m permanently stuck in Vertex AI Studio, even when I visit:

https://console.cloud.google.com/home/dashboard
https://console.cloud.google.com/cloud-resource-manager
or any other service URL.

I’m always redirected to Vertex AI Studio with changing URL parameters like inv=1&invt=Aby..., even after:

Deleting the project via Cloud Shell
Clearing all cookies and cache
Using incognito mode and different browsers
Disabling extensions and trying from another device

What’s strange:

I created a second Google account, and from there I can access the full Google Cloud Console with no issues, even using the same network and browser.
This proves the issue is linked to my main Google account profile, not my browser, IP, or device.

Impact:

I cannot access any core GCP services (IAM, Billing, API, Cloud Console).
I cannot create or select other projects.
I cannot opt-out of Vertex AI Express Mode, there is no “Exit”, “Continue”, or “Finish” button in the UI.
My account is basically locked out of the platform.

What I need:

I believe my account is stuck in a broken onboarding state related to Vertex AI Express.
I kindly ask the Google Cloud team or community to advise how to:

Reset my onboarding state
Disable Vertex AI Express Mode for my account
Or at least manually break the redirect loop

Thank you in advance for any help or guidance.
Let me know if logs, screenshots, or more technical details are useful, I’ll be happy to provide them.

nikacalupas

Hi sim_work,

Welcome to the Google Cloud Community!

The redirect loop is a known issue affecting some users who sign up for the free trial and end up in Vertex AI Studio Express mode. To resolve this issue, here are a few suggestions you can try:

One option is to "graduate" from Express Mode by enabling billing. If you’re currently stuck, there may be a chance to access the billing page within Express Mode, if that’s possible, it’s worth trying. You can refer to this documentation for guidance.

If that doesn’t work, you can reach out to Google Cloud Support. Since you can't access core services or support directly from your affected account, you'll need to use a secondary Google account. Log in to this second account, which should have full access to the console, and explain the situation in detail. Provide all the information you've shared here, including the problem, any troubleshooting steps you've taken, and the fact that your second account works fine. Be sure to emphasize that your primary account is completely locked out of the console.

Was this helpful? If so, please accept this answer as “Solution”. If you need additional assistance, reply here within 2 business days and I’ll be happy to help.

sim_work

Hi, thanks a lot for the quick reply and the detailed suggestions!

I tried your first recommendation - enabling billing from within Express Mode - but unfortunately that doesn't work either.

As you can see in the attached screenshot, the Billing page fails to load with the following error:

There was an error while loading /api-sandbox/billing/details. Try refreshing the page.

I’ve tried this across multiple browsers (Chrome, Firefox), incognito mode, cleared all cookies, disabled all extensions - nothing changes. The error persists and the billing UI never loads.

So unfortunately, I can’t graduate out of Express Mode via billing because I have no access to the billing system in the first place.

At this point, it seems the only possible workaround is contacting Google Cloud Support from my second account (which has normal access). I’ll proceed with that step, but if you or anyone from the Google Cloud team has a more direct way to reset the onboarding state or force billing activation, I’d really appreciate the help.

Thanks again for the support - I’ll keep this thread updated.

Ian_Consortech

Hi, I got the same issue. Any update on this?

Thank you

leoy

Hello all,

It is possible that the discussed problem is similar to one discussed in Getting redirected to VertexAI site. I copy below the instructions of graduating from Express Mode that I shared in that other thread. I hope it will be helpful.

====================================

Most likely your experience is related to the fact that the account you logged in with has been signed up for Express Mode. Once a user is in express mode they do not have access to the full console. You can tell if you are in express mode because there is an "express mode" chip in the platform bar at the top of the screen next to the Google Cloud logo.

The way to upgrade the account to the full access is by following the steps below that are necessary to graduated out of express mode. To do this, follow the instructions below:

1) Open https://console.cloud.google.com/vertex-ai/studio/overview and then click the "Upgrade account" button:

2) In the opened screen enable billing by attaching a payment profile then clicking "Enable billing".

As long as you do not use any services you will not be charged and once you have graduated you can go into billing and remove the billing account from the project.

3) You will see the following screen for about two minutes and then your account will be converted to an upgraded express mode account. Click "Close" once the screen changes.

4) Do the following to graduate. Open https://console.cloud.google.com/api-sandbox/billing/details and Click the "Learn more and get started" button under the "Access all Google Cloud" heading on the right hand side of the screen.

5) Click "Continue" after you see the dialog (see below).

6) After the process of graduating is complete you will see the following dialog. Click "Continue" so the page is refreshed and you get access to the full functionality of the console. Note that you are supposed to get a trial billing account with credits that you can use to pay for services.

sim_work

Thank you for the detailed instructions,

I really appreciate your support.

Unfortunately, I’m completely stuck at Step 4, where the billing screen should allow me to graduate from Express Mode. As shown in the attached screenshot, I get the following error every time I try to open the page:

There was an error while loading /api-sandbox/billing/details. Try refreshing the page.

I've tried refreshing, using incognito mode, clearing cookies, switching browsers, and even trying from a different device — the error still occurs consistently.

Because of this, I cannot proceed with enabling billing or clicking “Upgrade account”, the interface does not allow me to continue the graduation process in any way.

So unfortunately, the proposed solution doesn’t work in my case, as I have no way to activate billing or exit Express Mode. My account remains locked in its current state.

Please let me know if there's an alternative method or if this issue can be escalated to the support team.

Thanks again for your help,
Federico

leoy

Hi @sim_work ,

I have forwarded the screenshot and explanation to the team. Can I ask you to send me the account's email via direct message (click on my profile and find "Direct Message" button)? It will be helpful in order to track the problem.

Also, can you provide a little more insight about the action that end up with the error screen that you attached? Does it happen after you type URL in the browser after successfully performed all actions described in the step 3 (setting of the billing account completed without errors and you pressed "close" button)?

Thank you

hk75

Hello !
I have the same problem and haven't been able to get out of it.

I'm only in express mode and have deposited a payment.

Greetings
Harald