# Why should I lock an instance, and how can I do it?

You cannot execute administrative actions such as deleting, resizing, shutting down, or pausing an instance while it is locked. It is always advisable to lock an instance while you are not working on it so that unintentional actions like deleting and resizing cannot be performed. 

### a. How to lock an instance?

Follow the steps below to learn how you can lock an instance:

**Step 1:** [Login](https://customer.acecloudhosting.com/index.php?m=ace_product_register_addon\&action=login) to your account.

<figure><img src="/files/aUpL37pgxU1AYUB3Mqf9" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

**Step 2:** Navigate to **Compute** and then click on **Instances**.

<figure><img src="/files/1TnFFGAv1WTJ8AcvDDDV" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

**Step 3:** Select the instance you want to lock, click the **drop-down** menu, and select **Lock Instance.**

<figure><img src="/files/EIhVgY3M4yvKfwrrRz13" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

### b. How to unlock an instance?

You can unlock an instance by clicking the **drop-down** and selecting **Unlock Instance.**

<figure><img src="/files/BvdO33QUVkpmtwDQbluG" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>


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