diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/snapshots/SnapshotsService.java b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/snapshots/SnapshotsService.java
index c38462e240747..a48f893dfd408 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/snapshots/SnapshotsService.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/snapshots/SnapshotsService.java
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@
 import org.elasticsearch.cluster.ClusterState;
 import org.elasticsearch.cluster.ClusterStateApplier;
 import org.elasticsearch.cluster.ClusterStateUpdateTask;
+import org.elasticsearch.cluster.NotMasterException;
 import org.elasticsearch.cluster.RepositoryCleanupInProgress;
 import org.elasticsearch.cluster.RestoreInProgress;
 import org.elasticsearch.cluster.SnapshotDeletionsInProgress;
@@ -42,6 +43,7 @@
 import org.elasticsearch.cluster.SnapshotsInProgress.ShardSnapshotStatus;
 import org.elasticsearch.cluster.SnapshotsInProgress.ShardState;
 import org.elasticsearch.cluster.SnapshotsInProgress.State;
+import org.elasticsearch.cluster.coordination.FailedToCommitClusterStateException;
 import org.elasticsearch.cluster.metadata.IndexMetaData;
 import org.elasticsearch.cluster.metadata.IndexNameExpressionResolver;
 import org.elasticsearch.cluster.metadata.MetaData;
@@ -1051,8 +1053,16 @@ protected void doRun() {
             @Override
             public void onFailure(final Exception e) {
                 Snapshot snapshot = entry.snapshot();
-                logger.warn(() -> new ParameterizedMessage("[{}] failed to finalize snapshot", snapshot), e);
-                removeSnapshotFromClusterState(snapshot, null, e);
+                if (ExceptionsHelper.unwrap(e, NotMasterException.class, FailedToCommitClusterStateException.class) != null) {
+                    // Failure due to not being master any more, don't try to remove snapshot from cluster state the next master
+                    // will try ending this snapshot again
+                    logger.debug(() -> new ParameterizedMessage(
+                        "[{}] failed to update cluster state during snapshot finalization", snapshot), e);
+                    endingSnapshots.remove(snapshot);
+                } else {
+                    logger.warn(() -> new ParameterizedMessage("[{}] failed to finalize snapshot", snapshot), e);
+                    removeSnapshotFromClusterState(snapshot, null, e);
+                }
             }
         });
     }