---
title: "Lock a recovery point"
description: "Lock a CDP Backup recovery point so the plan's retention does not merge it away, and remove the lock when you no longer need it."
content_type: "how-to"
product: "cdp-backup"
platform: "MyAccount"
url: "/myaccount/cdp-backup/how-to/lock-a-recovery-point/"
topic: ["restore"]
relationships: {"requires":["/myaccount/cdp-backup/how-to/turn-on-cdp-backup/"]}
---

# Lock a recovery point

Lock a recovery point to keep it longer than the plan's retention allows, for example the last one
before a big release or a migration. A backup plan keeps a set number of recovery points and merges
older ones away automatically. Turning backup off still deletes a locked recovery point, along with
every other one.

## Before you begin

The node must be running: **Lock** and **Unlock** are available only while it runs.

## Lock a recovery point

1. In **Manage CDP Backups**, click the node and open its **Backup Recovery Points** tab.
2. Open the recovery point's **Actions** and click **Lock**.
3. In the confirmation, click **Lock**.

Its **Status** now reads **Locked**. You can still browse and restore it as usual.

## Remove the lock from a recovery point

When you no longer need to keep a locked recovery point:

1. In **Manage CDP Backups**, click the node and open its **Backup Recovery Points** tab.
2. Open the recovery point's **Actions** and click **Unlock**.
3. In the confirmation, click **Unlock**.

Its **Status** reads **Available**, and the plan's retention can merge it away again.

To bring back files from a locked recovery point, see
[Restore files from a recovery point](/myaccount/cdp-backup/how-to/restore-files-from-a-recovery-point/).
For how retention decides which recovery points stay, see
[Recovery points and retention](/myaccount/cdp-backup/concepts/recovery-points-and-retention/).