403 Forbidden Error When Downloading Packages
If a deployment fails with a 403 Forbidden error during package download, the download link for that package has likely expired. This happens when a device has been offline for more than 7 days and comes back online to process a queued deployment.
Why this happens
PDQ Connect uses time-limited download links to deliver packages to devices. For security and cloud storage functionality reasons, these links expire after 7 days. Since deployments can stay queued for up to 90 days, a device that was offline for more than a week may try to download a package using a link that is no longer valid — resulting in a 403 Forbidden error.
You can confirm this is the cause by checking the Output Log for the failed deployment. A 403 error on a package download step points to an expired download link.
Fix the error
- In PDQ Connect, open the package that failed to download.
- Save the package without making any changes. This generates a fresh download link.
- Redeploy the package to the affected devices.
Prevent it from happening again
Download links expire after 7 days, but deployments can stay queued for up to 90 days. To avoid this issue:
- If a device has been offline for more than 7 days, re-save any packages before redeploying.
- For devices that are frequently offline for a week or more, try to schedule deployments close to when those devices are expected to be back online.
