The Short Answer

To fix the “S3 Presigned URL” error in AWS, which manifests as a storage error due to expired presigned URLs, adjust the expiration time of your presigned URLs to a suitable timeframe, such as 15 minutes, to prevent premature expiration. For advanced users, this can be achieved by modifying the expiresIn parameter when generating the presigned URL.

Why This Error Happens

• Reason 1: The most common cause of this error is setting an expiration time that is too short for the intended use case. For example, if a presigned URL is generated with an expiration time of 1 minute, but the user takes longer than that to upload the file, the URL will expire, resulting in a storage error.
• Reason 2: An edge case cause is when the system clock of the client and server are not synchronized, leading to unexpected expiration of presigned URLs. If the client’s clock is ahead of the server’s clock, the presigned URL may expire sooner than expected, causing the error.
• Impact: The impact of this error is a storage error, which can prevent users from uploading files to S3, potentially disrupting business operations and causing data loss.

Step-by-Step Solutions

Method 1: The Quick Fix

1. Go to AWS Management Console > S3 > Buckets > Properties > Permissions.
2. Toggle Block all public access to Off, if it’s currently on, to ensure that presigned URLs can be used.
3. Refresh the page and regenerate the presigned URL with an extended expiration time.

Method 2: The Command Line/Advanced Fix

To generate a presigned URL with a specific expiration time using the AWS CLI, use the following command:

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aws s3 presign s3://your-bucket-name/your-object-key --expires-in 900

This command generates a presigned URL that expires in 15 minutes (900 seconds).

Prevention: How to Stop This Coming Back

• Best practice configuration: Set the expiration time of presigned URLs based on the specific requirements of your application. For example, if users typically take 10 minutes to upload a file, set the expiration time to 15 minutes to account for any delays.
• Monitoring tips: Regularly monitor the expiration times of your presigned URLs and adjust them as needed to prevent storage errors.

If You Can’t Fix It…

[!WARNING] If AWS keeps crashing due to expired presigned URLs, consider switching to Google Cloud Storage which handles expiration times natively without these errors.

FAQ

Q: Will I lose data fixing this? A: No, fixing the “S3 Presigned URL” error will not result in data loss. However, if the error is not fixed, users may be unable to upload files, potentially causing data loss.

Q: Is this a bug in AWS? A: No, this is not a bug in AWS. The error is caused by the expiration of presigned URLs, which is a designed feature to enhance security. The issue can be resolved by adjusting the expiration time of presigned URLs to a suitable timeframe. This behavior has been consistent across AWS versions, including the latest updates in 2026.

📚 Continue Learning

Check out our guides on AWS and S3 Presigned URL.