Archive objects are offline by design — they cannot be read directly until restored to an accessible state. If the Download button is grayed out for an object, the object is in the Archive storage class.
An object ends up in the Archive storage class for one of two reasons:
The Archive storage class was specified explicitly when uploading the object, even though the bucket uses the Standard storage class.
The bucket itself uses the Archive storage class, and the uploaded object inherited it.
Solution
Choose one of the following approaches based on your access needs:
| Approach | How it works | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Restore the object | Initiate a restore operation. After the restore completes, download the object within the active window. | One-time or infrequent access to a specific object |
| Enable real-time access for the bucket | Configure the bucket to allow direct downloads of Archive objects without a restore step. Applies to all Archive objects in the bucket. | Frequent or on-demand access across the bucket |
Restore the object
Call the RestoreObject API operation to initiate a restore. After the restore completes, the object becomes downloadable. For restore steps and duration details, see Restore objects.
Enable real-time access for the bucket
Enable the real-time access feature on the bucket that contains the Archive object. Once enabled, all Archive objects in that bucket are directly downloadable without a prior restore step. For configuration steps, see Real-time access of Archive objects.