Storage and expiry
Full-resolution photos stay on our servers for 180 days after delivery. What the expired-file page means and what to do when a download no longer works.
Finished photos do not stay on our servers forever. This page explains how long you have, what the expired-file page is telling you, and how to get a very old file back.
How long files stay available
In the words of the portal itself: “Full-resolution photos stay on our servers for 180 days after delivery. After that they are removed to make room for new work, so this download link has nothing left to point at.”
The clock starts when the photos are delivered, not when you approve the order.
When a download no longer works
An expired download does not fail silently. It opens a page titled This file is no longer available, which explains the 180 days and adds: “We may still be able to retrieve your photos from cold storage. Email us the reference below and we will check.”
Under File reference the page shows a code for the file, followed by two ways out:
- Contact support opens an email to
support@tucia.comwith that reference already in the subject line, so nobody has to ask you which file it was. - Back to orders takes you to your order list.
Retrieval from cold storage is not a guarantee, but it is worth asking — send the email rather than assuming the photos are gone.
Archives expire before single photos
The Download All in Full-Res button is the first thing to go. On older orders the button is greyed out and reads Batch download link expired, while the individual photos on the same page often still download one by one with the icon in their corner.
The reason is practical: once files have been moved to slower long-term storage, fetching one photo is reasonable, and fetching a whole delivery at once is not. So on an old order, work through the photos you need one at a time.
Download while it is easy
- Save the set when you get the delivery email. That is the moment everything is fastest and nothing has expired.
- Keep your own backup. The portal is where your photos are delivered, not where they should live long-term.
- Grab every version you want to keep. Each revision is delivered as its own version, with its own files; Show the earlier version on the Edited tab brings back the ones before it.
- If you find an expired download and you still need those photos, use Contact support on the expired page rather than placing the order again.