# Troubleshooting: Expired session

An expired session occurs when the link between the Cerby cloud and your active app session becomes invalid, preventing automation tasks from performing successfully on your behalf.

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## Why do sessions expire

Sessions might expire for different reasons, such as the following:

* **Security retention policy:** For your protection, Cerby's secure storage is configured to delete all browser state objects. If the session is not used or refreshed within this window, it expires automatically.
* **App-side invalidation:** Service providers such as Google or Instagram may terminate sessions if they detect a password change, security settings update, or if you manually log out from all devices.
* **New transfer performed:** Whenever you initiate a new session transfer for an account, all previously stored sessions are permanently deleted to ensure data integrity.

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## How to identify an expired session

The following are some hints to identify when a session has expired:

* **Automation failures:** You may notice a decrease in the success rate of background automation tasks like password rotations or MFA checks.
* **Status indicators:** In the Cerby web app or browser extension, the session status might change from **Transferred** to **Invalid** or **Expired**.
* **Automation detection:** If the session has expired, you might see a CAPTCHA challenge or a non-secure browser alert from the provider.

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## How to fix an expired session

If your session has expired, you must manually re-authorize the connection:

1. [Delete the old session](https://help.cerby.com/cerby-web-app/accounts/managing-your-accounts/delete-an-active-session).
2. Verify your browser by performing the following:
   1. Ensure you are logged into the target app in your current browser.
   2. Log out of any secondary accounts.
3. Follow the [Transfer active session](https://help.cerby.com/cerby-web-app/accounts/managing-your-accounts/transfer-your-active-session) steps to capture a fresh, valid session.

Now you are done.


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