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Cloud Archive lets you upload the contents of an entire source to long-term cloud storage. Once archived, the files are stored in Backblaze B2 using the S3 Glacier Deep Archive storage tier, a low-cost, high-durability option designed for data you need to preserve but access rarely. The source remains in your 1Archive catalog with its metadata and previews intact, and its status updates to Archived so your team knows the originals are in the cloud.

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When to use cloud archiving

Cloud archiving is well-suited for:
  • Completed projects: footage from a finished production that you want to retain but no longer need on a local drive.
  • Offline backup copies: drives that are going into physical long-term storage and won’t be reconnected regularly.
  • Storage cost reduction: moving large sources off expensive local or NAS storage to cloud object storage.
Glacier Deep Archive is a cold storage tier. Retrieval from Glacier can take hours and may incur additional costs depending on your Backblaze account configuration. Only archive sources you do not need immediate, frequent access to.

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How to archive a source

1

Connect the drive

The source must be connected, the physical drive must be plugged in and mounted, to initiate an archive. 1Archive reads each file directly off the drive during the upload.
2

Open the source options

In the Sources tab, right-click the source you want to archive and choose Archive to Cloud.
3

Confirm the archive

A confirmation dialog summarizes what will be uploaded. Review the details and click Archive to begin.
Archiving uploads the original files from the drive, not the preview cache. Ensure the drive remains connected for the duration of the upload. If the drive is disconnected mid-archive, the upload pauses and resumes when the drive is reconnected.

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Monitor archive progress

Upload progress appears in the Transfers page, accessible from the sidebar. Each file is listed with its upload status:
  • Queued: waiting to start.
  • Uploading: currently being transferred to cloud storage.
  • Complete: successfully uploaded.
  • Error: the upload failed for this file. Hover over the status to see the error message.
The Transfers page groups files by source, so you can see the overall progress of an archive at a glance. To clear completed transfers from the list, click Clear Completed at the top of the Transfers page.

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Archived source status

Once all files in a source have been uploaded successfully, 1Archive marks the source as Archived in the source list. The archived status is visible to every member of your organization. An archived source behaves like a disconnected source in most respects:
  • Metadata, thumbnails, and previews remain in the catalog and are searchable.
  • The source appears in Search results.
  • File ratings, flags, and color labels are preserved.
  • Original files cannot be opened or exported directly from 1Archive, they must be retrieved from cloud storage first.
The archived badge appears on the source card in the sidebar and on the dashboard Sources overview. Team members can see at a glance which drives have been archived to the cloud.

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After archiving

After a source is archived, you can safely take the physical drive offline or repurpose it. The catalog entry and all associated metadata remain in 1Archive indefinitely. If you ever need to restore files from a Glacier archive, you will need to initiate a retrieval request through your Backblaze or cloud storage provider’s console. Standard Glacier Deep Archive retrieval times are 12 hours or more.