Pinecone Starter Index Paused, Archived or Deleted for Inactivity

How to fix it

Try these in order — the most common fix is first.

1. 1. Recover

   Copy steps
   1. Check the console for an archived index or a collection of it
   2. Recreate the index from the collection if one exists
   3. Open a ticket with Pinecone Support if data is missing
   Did this fix it? Yes No

2. 2. Prevent it

   Copy steps
   1. Keep source data and embeddings outside Pinecone
   2. Send a periodic query to keep the index active
   3. Move important data to a paid plan
   Did this fix it? Yes No

Symptoms

An index you did not touch for a while is missing, archived or will not respond.

Why it happens

• Inactivity policy on free-plan indexes (7 days was reported in older community threads)
• A March 2023 incident wrongly deleted 515 active free indexes
• Exceeding Starter object limits

This guide also covers

• pinecone index deleted inactivity
• pinecone starter index archived
• pinecone free tier index paused

The same problem in other apps

All missing or lost data guides →

• Qdrant Free Cluster Suspended or Deleted After Inactivity (Qdrant)
• Chroma Data Disappears After Restart (Persistence Fix) (Chroma)

Other Pinecone errors

• Pinecone Vector Dimension Does Not Match the Dimension of the Index
• Pinecone 429 Too Many Requests Error
• Pinecone Upsert Failing: Batch and Size Limits
• Pinecone Query Returns No Results or Empty Matches
• Pinecone Upsert Not Showing Up After Writing
• Pinecone Starter Plan Limits Reached
• Why Is My Pinecone Bill So High
• How to Cancel Pinecone or Downgrade to Starter