What does Windows error code 4350 (ERROR_FILE_OFFLINE) mean?

ERROR_FILE_OFFLINE

This file is currently not available for use on this computer.

ERROR_FILE_OFFLINE is Win32 error 4350 (0x10FE) and belongs to offline or tiered file recall.

Where the result appears

• Opening a file marked offline by hierarchical storage.
• Cloud or remote-tier placeholder recall.
• Backup software enumerating files whose data is not local.
• An application requesting content while the recall provider is unavailable.

Likely causes

• the file data resides on remote or removable storage and has not been recalled.
• the tiering provider cannot currently retrieve the content.
• policy permits metadata access but not immediate data hydration.
• the caller disabled recall or used an API mode that avoids bringing data online.

Troubleshooting steps

• Record path, file ID, attributes, reparse tag, and provider.
• Record whether metadata access succeeds while data access fails.
• Record recall or hydration events and network state.
• Record provider service health and user authentication.
• Record requested access mode and timeout.

What to verify

Verify whether the file data resides on remote or removable storage and has not been recalled. Check path, file ID, attributes, reparse tag, and provider together with whether metadata access succeeds while data access fails.

Handling, retry, and recovery

Initiate recall through the owning storage provider, wait for the file to become online, and retry with bounded timeouts. Applications should expose recall progress instead of interpreting the file as deleted.

Difference from nearby codes

It means the namespace entry exists; ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND means the path itself was not found.

Practical example

An archive stub is visible in Explorer but its tape or cloud tier is unavailable.

References

• Microsoft: System Error Codes (4000–5999) — reference for error 4350.
• Microsoft: Offline Files — reference for error 4350.
• Microsoft: File attributes — reference for error 4350.