Sanu VargheseIT & AI notes
Tutorials › Acronis
BeginnerAcronis · about 15 min · 23 October 2026

Turn on immutable storage in Acronis so deleted backups can be recovered

If someone deletes a backup, by mistake or with stolen admin credentials, immutable storage keeps it recoverable for a set number of days. Nobody can change, move or delete it during that time. This guide shows you how to check it's on, choose the right settings and confirm it's working.

Before you start

  • An administrator account for the Acronis Management Portal.
  • Backups going to cloud storage. Immutable storage doesn't work with local storage.
  • Protection agent version 21.12 (build 15.0.28532) or later.
  • Backups in TIBX (Version 12) format. Older formats aren't supported.
  • If you use partner-hosted storage, it must run Acronis Cyber Infrastructure 4.7.1 or later, and TCP port 40440 must allow incoming connections.
Acronis has renamed Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud to Acronis Cyber Platform, and a new Cyber Console is in early access. These steps follow the Management Portal guide. If your screens look different, check the current Acronis documentation.

Step 1: Understand the two modes

  • Governance mode: deleted backups are kept for the full retention period. You can still change the period, or move up to Compliance mode later. Only Acronis Support can turn it off.
  • Compliance mode: everything in Governance mode, but nobody can change or turn off the retention policy.
Compliance mode can't be undone. Once you choose it, you can't go back to Governance mode, and immutable storage can never be turned off for that tenant. Start with Governance mode unless a contract or regulation needs Compliance.

Step 2: Check and configure immutable storage

  1. Sign in to the Management Portal as an administrator.
  2. Go to Settings > Security.
  3. Check that the Immutable storage switch is on. Acronis says Governance mode with a 14-day period may already have been turned on automatically since September 2024, so it may be on already.
  4. Set the retention period. You can choose from 14 to 3,650 days. The default is 14. A longer period keeps deleted backups for longer, but uses more storage.
  5. Select the mode: Governance or Compliance. If asked, confirm your choice.
  6. Select Save.
Deleted backups held in immutable storage still use space and are billed. Bear that in mind before you set a long retention period.

Step 3: Bring existing backups under protection

An existing backup archive is only added to immutable storage when a new backup is created in it.

  1. Let each protection plan run on its normal schedule, or run it manually once.
  2. Don't delete any old backups from that archive until the new backup has finished.
If you delete a backup before its archive has been added to immutable storage, it is deleted permanently.

Check it worked

In the Cyber Protect console:

  1. Sign in to the Cyber Protect console.
  2. Go to Backup storage > Backups, then select a cloud storage location that supports immutable storage.
  3. Select the gear icon above the table and turn on the Immutable storage and metadata column. It's hidden by default.
  4. Check the column to see how much immutable storage each archive is using.

In the usage report:

  1. In the Management Portal, go to Reports > Usage.
  2. Select Current usage, then Generate and send.
  3. Open the emailed report (CSV, plus HTML inside a ZIP file) and find the Cloud storage - Immutable row in the Metric name column.

The figure includes deleted backups plus archive metadata, which can be up to 10% of the total. It can be up to 24 hours old, and anything under 0.01 GB shows as 0.0 GB.

Don't turn it off

Acronis strongly advises against disabling immutable storage. It can only be disabled in Governance mode, and only by Acronis Support. If it is disabled, everything held in immutable storage is marked for deletion and removed within 24 hours, possibly sooner.

Sources

← All tutorials
Esc