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Object Storage Service:OSS files in a frozen state cannot be accessed

Last Updated:Mar 19, 2026

Objects in OSS become frozen and inaccessible for one of two reasons: they are in an Archive, Cold Archive, or Deep Cold Archive storage class, or they have been flagged for a content violation. Each cause requires a different resolution path.

CauseResolution
Archive, Cold Archive, or Deep Cold Archive storage classRestore the objects
Content violationResolve the content violation

Identify the cause

Storage class: Objects in Archive, Cold Archive, or Deep Cold Archive storage become frozen by design — they are not immediately accessible. This occurs when objects inherit the storage class of the bucket, when the Archive or Cold Archive storage class is specified during upload, or when a lifecycle rule transitions objects to Archive or Cold Archive.

Content violation: Objects reported and confirmed as violating content policies are frozen by the platform.

To determine which cause applies, check your Message Center first.

Resolve a content violation

  1. Log in to the Message Center console. In the left-side navigation pane, choose Internal Messages > All Messages, then click Security to check for compliance violation messages.

  2. If violation messages exist:

    1. Go to Harmful Internet Information to review the URLs flagged for non-compliant content.

    2. Log in to your server remotely and delete all non-compliant content, including everything identified in the violation messages.

    3. After deleting the non-compliant content, apply for unblocking through the platform.

  3. If no violation messages exist, the objects are frozen because of their storage class. Follow the steps in the next section.

Restore Archive or Cold Archive objects

Step 1: Confirm the storage class

Log in to the OSS console. In the left-side navigation pane, click Buckets. Click the name of the bucket that contains the frozen objects, then choose Object Management > Objects. Check the Storage Class column to confirm the objects are in Archive or Cold Archive.

Step 2: Restore the objects

Call the RestoreObject operation to initiate a restore. For instructions, see Restore objects.

Restore times differ by storage class:

Storage classRestore time
ArchiveApproximately 1 minute
Cold ArchiveDepends on object size and restoration priority
Important

Restoring Archive or Cold Archive objects generates data retrieval fees. For details, see Data processing fees.

Step 3: (Optional) Convert to a permanent storage class

To avoid repeating the restore process each time you need access, convert the object's storage class to Standard or Infrequent Access (IA). For instructions, see Convert storage classes.