## **🔍 Overview**

When an OTTO project is **frozen**, all connected features — including Google Business Profile (GBP) automated posting and profile management — are locked. You cannot disconnect a GBP profile, update posting settings, or make any edits to the project until it is unfrozen. This article explains why this happens and the steps you can take to resolve it.

## **❄️ Why Projects Get Frozen**

OTTO projects are frozen when your account does not have enough active OTTO plan slots to keep all projects running. Frozen projects continue to hold their slot in your quota but cannot be edited or managed. Common reasons this occurs include:

- Your subscription plan was downgraded and you now have fewer OTTO slots available.
- You activated new projects that pushed you over your plan limit.
- Billing changes temporarily reduced your available slots.

A frozen project still counts against your quota but is fully inactive — meaning GBP automated posting stops and you cannot disconnect the linked GBP profile without first resolving the frozen state.

## **🛠️ How to Unfreeze a Project**

To regain control of the GBP profile connected to a frozen project, you must first unfreeze it. Follow these steps:

1. In the left sidebar, click **OTTO SEO**, then select **All Sites**.
2. Locate the frozen project. Frozen projects are clearly labelled in the project list.
3. Check your current OTTO slot availability at the top of the page. If you have a free slot, click the frozen project and select **Unfreeze**.
4. Once unfrozen, the project becomes fully editable. You can now disconnect the GBP profile, update automated posting settings, or make any other changes needed.

## **⚠️ What to Do If You Have No Free Slots**

If all of your OTTO slots are in use, you will need to free up a slot before you can unfreeze the project you need to edit. You have two options:

- **Freeze a different active project** — Navigate to **OTTO SEO → All Sites**, select a project you do not currently need active, and click **Freeze**. This frees up a slot you can use to unfreeze the project blocking your GBP work.
- **Upgrade your OTTO plan** — If you need all current projects to remain active, consider upgrading to a plan with more OTTO slots. Contact our team via the chat widget for guidance on plan options.

Once a slot is available, return to the frozen project, unfreeze it, complete your GBP edits or disconnections, and then re-freeze the project if you no longer need it active.

## **🔗 How to Disconnect a GBP Profile from a Project**

After the project is unfrozen, follow these steps to disconnect the Google Business Profile:

1. Go to **OTTO SEO → All Sites** and open the newly unfrozen project.
2. Navigate to the **Overview** tab for that project.
3. Locate the connected GBP profile under the Local SEO or GBP section.
4. Click the disconnect or remove option next to the GBP profile.
5. Confirm the disconnection when prompted.

Once disconnected, the GBP profile is no longer linked to that OTTO project and can be connected to a different project or managed independently.

## **📋 Managing Multiple Frozen Projects with GBP Profiles**

If you have several frozen projects that all have GBP profiles attached, the most efficient approach is to work through them one at a time:

- Unfreeze one project, disconnect its GBP profile, then re-freeze or delete that project if it is no longer needed.
- Repeat for each remaining frozen project.
- This approach avoids the need to upgrade your plan if your goal is simply to clean up and disconnect profiles.

If you need to disconnect GBP profiles from a large number of frozen projects at once and do not have enough slots to work through them individually, reach out to our support team for assistance.

## **💡 Tips to Avoid This Issue in the Future**

- Before freezing a project, disconnect any GBP profiles you no longer need linked to it.
- Regularly review your **OTTO SEO → All Sites** page to keep your active project list aligned with your plan's slot limit.
- If you are approaching your slot limit, consider archiving or removing projects that are no longer in use rather than allowing them to be auto-frozen.

## **🙋 Need More Help?**

If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type **human teammate** to be connected with a member of our team.