---
title: Update or switch an Elasticsearch index lifecycle policy
description: index lifecycle management (ILM) enables automated handling of index phases and data retention. You can update a policy to modify how indices progress...
url: https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3028/manage-data/lifecycle/index-lifecycle-management/policy-updates
products:
- Elasticsearch
applies_to:
- Elastic Stack: Generally available
---
# Update or switch an Elasticsearch index lifecycle policy
index lifecycle management (ILM) enables automated handling of index phases and data retention. You can update a policy to modify how indices progress through phases or switch an index to a different policy to change its lifecycle management. This page explains how to safely apply updates using Kibana or the Elasticsearch API.
To ensure that policy updates don’t put an index into a state where it can’t exit the current phase, the phase definition is cached in the index metadata when it enters the phase. If changes can be safely applied, ILM updates the cached phase definition. If they cannot, phase execution continues using the cached definition.
When the index advances to the next phase, it uses the phase definition from the updated policy.
To configure an index not currently managed by ILM to be governed by an lifecycle policy, refer to [Apply an index lifecycle policy to an existing Elasticsearch index](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3028/manage-data/lifecycle/index-lifecycle-management/policy-apply).
## How changes are applied
When a policy is initially applied to an index, the index gets the latest version of the policy. If you update the policy, the policy version is bumped and ILM can detect that the index is using an earlier version that needs to be updated.
Changes to `min_age` are not propagated to the cached definition. Changing a phase’s `min_age` does not affect indices that are currently executing that phase.
For example, if you create a policy that has a hot phase that does not specify a `min_age`, indices immediately enter the hot phase when the policy is applied. If you then update the policy to specify a `min_age` of 1 day for the hot phase, that has no effect on indices that are already in the hot phase. Indices created *after* the policy update won’t enter the hot phase until they are a day old.
## How new policies are applied
When you apply a different policy to a managed index, the index completes the current phase using the cached definition from the previous policy. The index starts using the new policy when it moves to the next phase.
## Update an existing lifecycle policy
You can update a lifecycle policy that is currently associated with one or more indices.
Avoid changing any managed policies that are shipped with Elasticsearch, such as `logs@lifecycle` or `metrics@lifecycle`. Instead, create a new, [custom ILM policy](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3028/manage-data/lifecycle/index-lifecycle-management/tutorial-customize-built-in-policies) and associate it with the intended index template or indices.
To update a lifecycle policy:
1. Go to the **Index Lifecycle Policies** management page using the navigation menu or the [global search field](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3028/explore-analyze/find-and-organize/find-apps-and-objects).
2. Use the search tool to find the lifecycle policy that you want to update.
You can deselect the **Include managed system policies** option to filter out managed policies from the list, since it's strongly recommended not to update these.
3. Check the links in the **Linked index templates** and **Linked indices** columns to confirm that your updates will apply only to templates or indices that you want to affect with a new policy.
4. For the policy that you want to update, select the `edit` icon in the **Actions** menu.
From the **Actions** menu you can also choose to add the ILM policy to any existing index templates.
5. On the **Edit policy** page, enable any ILM phases as needed, and expand **Advanced settings** to adjust the [index lifecycle actions](https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3028/reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions) configured for that phase.
Use the [Create or update policy](https://www.elastic.co/docs/api/doc/elasticsearch/operation/operation-ilm-put-lifecycle) API to update an existing ILM policy:
```json
{
"policy": {
"phases": {
"hot": {
"actions": {
"rollover": {
"max_primary_shard_size": "25GB" <1>
}
}
},
"delete": {
"min_age": "30d",
"actions": {
"delete": {} <2>
}
}
}
}
}
```
The specified policy will be replaced and the policy version is incremented.
## Switch to a different lifecycle policy
You can change an index to be managed by a different ILM policy.
When you remove an ILM policy, all ILM metadata is removed from the managed index without consideration of the index’s lifecycle status. This can leave indices in an undesired state.For example, in certain cases the [`forcemerge`](https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3028/reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-forcemerge) action temporarily closes an index before reopening it. Removing an index’s ILM policy during a `forcemerge` can leave the index closed until it is manually reopened.
To switch an index’s lifecycle policy:
1. Go to the **Index Management** page using the navigation menu or the [global search field](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3028/explore-analyze/find-and-organize/find-apps-and-objects).
2. In the **Indices** tab, search for and select the index that you that you want to switch to a new policy. You can use the **Lifecycle status** filter to narrow the list.
3. From the **Manage index** dropdown menu, select **Remove lifecycle policy**. Confirm your choice before the ILM policy is removed.
4. From the **Manage index** dropdown menu, select **Add lifecycle policy**, and then select a new policy to apply.
Use the Elasticsearch [remove policy](https://www.elastic.co/docs/api/doc/elasticsearch/operation/operation-ilm-remove-policy) and [update settings](https://www.elastic.co/docs/api/doc/elasticsearch/operation/operation-indices-put-settings) APIs to switch an index’s lifecycle policy:
1. Remove the existing policy using the [remove policy API](https://www.elastic.co/docs/api/doc/elasticsearch/operation/operation-ilm-remove-policy). Target a data stream or alias to remove the policies of all its indices.
```json
```
2. Use the [get index API](https://www.elastic.co/docs/api/doc/elasticsearch/operation/operation-indices-get) to check an index’s state. Target a data stream or alias to get the state of all its indices.
```json
```
You can then change the index as needed. For example, you can re-open any closed indices using the [open index API](https://www.elastic.co/docs/api/doc/elasticsearch/operation/operation-indices-open).
```json
```
3. Assign a new policy using the [update settings API](https://www.elastic.co/docs/api/doc/elasticsearch/operation/operation-indices-put-settings). Target a data stream or alias to assign a policy to all its indices.
- Don’t assign a new policy without first removing the existing policy. This can cause [phase execution](/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3028/manage-data/lifecycle/index-lifecycle-management/index-lifecycle#ilm-phase-execution) to silently fail.
```json
{
"index": {
"lifecycle": {
"name": "new-lifecycle-policy"
}
}
}
```