What does AirLock do?

It exempts a file from TorBox's standard 30-day inactivity deletion. The file behaves like any cached file otherwise.

How much AirLock space do I get?

Pro 1TB, Standard 500GB, Essential 300GB, Free 0GB, according to TorBox's support article.

Does AirLock cost extra?

TorBox lists it as free for paid users, with the quota set by your plan.

What if I downgrade or my payment lapses?

You are asked to purge files until you are under the new limit and you have 7 days. After that, all your AirLocked files leave AirLock and expire after 30 days of inactivity.

No. TorBox recommends keeping your own copy. Files can still be removed for takedowns, server loss or mandatory purges.

Can I AirLock a file bigger than my remaining space?

No. You have to free space first.

TorBox AirLock: Permanent Storage Explained (2026)

By default TorBox keeps a file for at least 30 days, and longer if it keeps being downloaded. That is fine for a transfer you grab once. It is a problem for things you want to come back to: a Linux ISO you keep re-using, your own project archive, public domain media. AirLock exists for those.

Pro: 1TB AirLock quota
Standard: 500GB
Essential: 300GB
Free: 0GB
Normal retention: At least 30 days, may change

How it works

Open your dashboard and find the file.
Press the AirLock button. TorBox says the change takes effect within seconds.
The file gets a distinct animated badge. You can filter the dashboard to show or hide AirLocked files.

Normal files do not count against AirLock usage. Your usage is shown in the avatar panel at the top right of the dashboard. AirLocked files work like any other cached file, so they also show up over WebDAV and in the web player.

One detail from TorBox: AirLocked files stay cached for the whole user base. If anyone AirLocks a shared file, it will not expire from inactivity for anyone. That is a side effect of the shared cache, not something to plan around.

Get the 7 bonus days per month

AirLock is only available on paid plans, so your bonus days are the cheapest way to try it: open the link while logged in and confirm the popup before paying (first paid purchase only, extra time not a discount). Related: Usenet on TorBox.

Quotas by plan

AirLock quota by plan (TorBox support, November 2026)
Plan	AirLock quota	Storage in plan table
Free	0GB	-
Essential ($3/mo)	300GB	300GB
Standard ($5/mo)	500GB	500GB
Pro ($10/mo)	1TB	1TB

You cannot AirLock a file larger than your remaining space. Purge something you no longer need first. Compare plans on the pricing page.

The traps

Downgrades. If your plan drops or a payment lapses, you will be asked to purge down to the new quota. You have 7 days and get reminders. After that, every AirLocked file is removed from AirLock. They stay in your account as normal files that expire after 30 days of inactivity.
Not a guarantee. TorBox says AirLocked files can still be removed through takedowns, server loss, mandatory purges or other means. Its own advice is to keep a backup of everything you AirLock.
Lawful material only. TorBox’s terms apply to AirLocked files too.

What it is good for

Linux ISOs and installers you want at hand on any machine.
Large archives you keep re-downloading to new devices.
Public domain and independent media that you stream through WebDAV and a player.
Reference datasets that would take hours to fetch again.

It is not a place for the only copy of anything irreplaceable. Use proper backup storage for that.

A worked example

Say you keep three Linux ISOs at 6 GB each, a 40 GB archive of your own project backups and a 100 GB set of public domain scans. That is about 158 GB, so Essential’s 300GB AirLock quota covers it with room to spare. Add a 250 GB collection and you are at roughly 408 GB, which needs Standard (500GB). These sizes are made up to show the arithmetic; use your dashboard’s usage panel for real numbers.

If you later drop from Standard to Essential with 408 GB locked, you must purge about 108 GB within the 7 days or every AirLocked file leaves AirLock. Check the number before you downgrade. Paid plans can be compared on the Essential, Standard and Pro pages.

Which plan do you need?

If you AirLock a handful of ISOs, Essential’s 300GB is plenty. A bigger library or several large archives fits Standard’s 500GB, and only the Pro quota of 1TB makes sense for large collections. Remember that your plan also sets the file size limit per download (200GB on Essential and Standard, 1TB on Pro). The Pro plan page has the full breakdown.

Our take

AirLock is a useful, honest feature as long as you treat it as longer retention rather than a vault. Keep the backup TorBox itself recommends, and do not rely on it through a downgrade without checking the 7-day rule.