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Sandbox Expiration and Deletion Grace Periods: License Expiry, Locked Production Org, and Inactivity Scenarios

Publish Date: Apr 2, 2026
Description

Sandbox availability and retention depend on factors such as license status, production org status, and inactivity.

If a Production org is locked (for example, due to subscription expiration), all associated sandboxes are also locked. However, sandbox grace periods differ from production orgs and vary depending on the situation.

There are three common scenarios that determine when a sandbox is locked or deleted.

 

Resolution

Sandbox behavior varies based on the scenario below:

Scenario 1: Sandbox Licenses Expired or Unavailable

  • Production org is still active
  • Sandbox licenses are expired or insufficient

Behavior:

  • Sandbox enters locked (non-compliant) status
  • Follows a 90-day grace period:
    • Day 1–30: Stage 1
    • Day 31–90: Stage 2
    • Day 91+: Stage 3 (subject to deletion)

Scenario 2: Production Org is Locked

  • Occurs when the production subscription expires or is terminated

Behavior:

  • All sandboxes are locked
  • Sandboxes are treated as non-compliant
  • 60-day grace period from the production lock date
  • After 60 days, sandboxes are permanently deleted and cannot be recovered

Example:

  • Production locked on 08/31/2025
  • Sandbox deletion occurs after 60 days
  • Production data may be retained longer (e.g., up to 120 days), but sandbox data is not

Scenario 3: Sandbox Inactivity

  • Sandbox not accessed for 180 days

Behavior:

  • Marked as inactive
  • Automatically deleted
  • No prior lock stage required

Prevention:

  • Log in at least once every 179 days to keep the sandbox active

Additional Notes

  • In some cases, expired or deleted sandboxes may still appear in the sandbox list
  • These entries must be manually removed
  • If removal fails, Salesforce Support can assist
Knowledge Article Number

005232620

 
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