PointInTimeRecoveryUnavailableException

TL;DR — Point-in-time recovery has not been enabled on this source table, so there's no continuous-backup history to restore from. Enable PITR now (UpdateContinuousBackups) — the recovery window starts from that moment — and for anything before it, restore from an on-demand backup if you have one.

What it means

PointInTimeRecoveryUnavailableException: Point in time recovery has not
yet been enabled for this source table.

PITR is opt-in per table. Until it's on, DynamoDB keeps no continuous change history, and RestoreTableToPointInTime has nothing to rebuild from — regardless of how long the table has existed. This is a configuration gap, not a transient error; retrying won't change the answer.

Why it happens

• PITR was never enabled — it's off by default when a table is created without explicitly turning it on.
• A new table missed the checklist — infrastructure code copied from a template that doesn't set PointInTimeRecoverySpecification.
• The wrong table name — you're restoring orders but PITR was enabled on orders-prod (or the other way around), or the table lives in another Region.

How to fix it

1. Confirm the table's backup state:

   aws dynamodb describe-continuous-backups --table-name orders
   # PointInTimeRecoveryStatus: DISABLED

2. Enable PITR — protection starts accruing immediately, and the restore window grows from now up to the configured recovery period:

   aws dynamodb update-continuous-backups --table-name orders \
     --point-in-time-recovery-specification PointInTimeRecoveryEnabled=true

3. Recover today's data another way — PITR can't reach the past retroactively. If an on-demand backup exists, RestoreTableFromBackup it; otherwise the current table contents are what you have.

4. Bake PITR into table creation — set it in your IaC for every production table so the gap can't recur, and remember a restored table doesn't inherit PITR either — re-enable it on the new table.

Before deciding how much recovery matters per table, look at what's in them — the DynoTable desktop app gives you that view across accounts and Regions, and the DynamoDB pricing calculator puts a number on the storage cost of continuous backups.

Related errors

• InvalidRestoreTimeException — PITR is on, but the requested time is outside the window.
• Export requires PITR — table exports need PITR too.
• BackupNotFoundException
• Learn: Backups & point-in-time recovery

References

• RestoreTableToPointInTime — Amazon DynamoDB API Reference
• UpdateContinuousBackups — Amazon DynamoDB API Reference
• Point-in-time recovery for DynamoDB — Amazon DynamoDB Developer Guide

Last verified 2026-07-13 against the official AWS documentation linked above.