Status Update: Accessing the Wayback Machine

Internet Archive Blogs $\rightarrow$ Updates from the Internet Archive

Posted on: September 15, 2026
Author: Mark Graham

"Fix the Wayback Machine!"

We have heard your frustrations loud and clear. Here is a detailed breakdown of the current situation.

The Current Challenge

The Wayback Machine has recently been targeted by massive surges of automated, high-volume traffic. To ensure the service remains available for everyone, we have deployed several defensive measures.

Technical Implementation

One specific update involves the error message displayed when a request is denied. You may encounter the 429 HTTP status code.

$\text{HTTP 429} = \text{Too Many Requests}$

While these safeguards are necessary, they are not perfect. Occasionally, legitimate human users are ~~incorrectly~~ flagged as bots.

Our Commitment: We sincerely apologize to anyone caught in these filters. We appreciate your continued patience as we refine our systems to better distinguish between malicious bots and the dedicated community that relies on the Wayback Machine daily.

How to Report a Block

If you believe you have been blocked in error, please contact us at info@archive.org. To help us troubleshoot, please include the following:

Your current Operating System
The Browser you are using
Your IP Address

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