# Content Freeze

Pause content creating, editing, and publishing while you promote schema changes, so editors' work is never caught mid-change.

If you change a field or model while an editor is mid-save, their entry can conflict with the new schema, or publish in a state you didn't intend. Editors can also lose work if you promote schema changes between environments while they're still working. Content Freeze pauses content and asset creation, editing, and publishing so you can promote schema safely.

## Availability

- **Permission**: Only users with the **Allows starting, scheduling, and lifting content freezes** permission can trigger, manage, or lift a freeze. The Admin role includes this permission by default.
- **Plan**: Available on every plan.

**Warning:**
Content Freeze only blocks Save and Publish actions in Studio. It does not enforce anything at the Content API level. Scripts, integrations, or direct API calls can still read and write content while a freeze is active.

## Configure a freeze

1. Navigate to **Project Settings > Governance > Content Freeze**.
2. Under **Start or schedule a freeze**, choose a **Scope**: **Specific environments** or **Entire project (includes future environments)**.
3. If you chose **Specific environments**, select one or more from the **Environments** dropdown.
4. Set **Start**: **Now** or **At a scheduled time**.
5. Set **End**: **Until I lift it** or **At a scheduled time**.
6. (Optional) Add a **Message**. This message is shown to all users while the freeze is active.
7. Click **Apply freeze**.

![Content Freeze configuration form](https://hygraph.com/images/docs/developer-guides/project-guides/content-freeze.png)

Freezes you create appear under **Active & scheduled**, listing the scope, the time window, and who set it.

![Content Freeze active & scheduled list](https://hygraph.com/images/docs/developer-guides/project-guides/content-freeze-active-scheduled.png)

While a freeze is active or scheduled in their environment, all users see a banner on every page in Studio. Once the freeze is **active**, users can't add new entries or assets, or click **Save** or **Publish** on content entries or assets. A scheduled freeze shows the banner before it starts, but editing remains available until the start time. Reading and browsing content still works through a freeze.

## Lift a freeze early

1. Go to **Project Settings > Governance > Content Freeze**, or click **Manage freeze** in the Studio banner.
2. Find the freeze under **Active & scheduled**.
3. Click the unlock icon in that row to lift it.

![Content Freeze lift form](https://hygraph.com/images/docs/developer-guides/project-guides/content-freeze-lift.png)

Users regain the ability to save and publish as soon as you lift the freeze.

## Review past freezes

Completed freezes, whether lifted early or ended on schedule, appear under **Recent freezes** on the same page. Each row shows the scope, the time window, who set the freeze, and who lifted it.

![Content Freeze recent freezes list](https://hygraph.com/images/docs/developer-guides/project-guides/content-freeze-recent-logs.png)

## Related docs

- [Content Freeze API reference](https://hygraph.com/docs/api-reference/basics/content-freeze): `setContentFreeze` and `liftContentFreeze` mutations, and the `contentFreezes` query.
- [Promote environments](https://hygraph.com/docs/api-reference/basics/environments#promoting-environments): Move schema changes between environments.