Don’t know what happened, but few days ago I got disconnected from forum and when I logged, I could only join with my Retail characters, since then I am trying to change my character, but I just can’t see my Classic characters.
Does anyone knows how to solve this? I tried to logout, clear history and cache but nothing helped. Also, maybe worth to mention, but I am using the mobile application for the forum.
You need to wait until they fix this bug.
I don’t even play retail anymore, hope they fix this ASAP
Yeap, same problem since the release of P4. Got logged out and coming back in I see only my Classic 2019 chars that I abandoned with Cata release. Don’t see retail chars (but I didn’t log in there for over a decade) and no Anniversary/SoD/HC char either.
Also using Android mobile browser, but I tried on PC too and it’s the same there.
Known bug - I gan use only my Cata characters … I suppose because I do not have any Retail ones 
I only use PC. So same story everywhere - you get logged off, and returning your Classic characters are unavailable.
Same problem here 
I have not been able to use my Anniversary or Era characters since my gametime ran out after failed transaction 2months ago, I can only use Cata wich I don’t even play.
As an edit, 2 weeks ago I did everything I could find on google for a solution but nothing works.
I guess its only wait and see for them to fix. My friends also can’t use anniversary characters anymore around mid way through P4.
Lots of bugs lately in this World of Bugcraft by Bugzard and Bugrosoft 
I’ve been posting with Linal for more than ten years now.
About once every year I get logged out and Linal is not available anymore. Just characters I’m currently playing (classic only).
To solve the problem, I used to log in with Linal for ten to 15 minutes et voilà, I could log back into the forums with her again. The last time though this took more than half an hour.
Back in the day, around Pandaria, I logged her out for good in Hellfire Peninsula. About 2-3 years ago I suddenly found myself looking at Orgrimmar. The character obviously was transferred there by Blizzard. So now, once in a year, you can find me riding all over Orgrimmar for about 40 minutes or so.
You forget to tell which expansion Linal is on. If on a “higher” expansion than Era, it gets unavailable after app. a year’s inactivity because Armory can’t find it.
Cata Classic or Era Classic or Anniversary Classic?
This solution does not work for everybody – I’d say not for most of us.
I have been solely playing my Era characters, some of them for hours on end. None of these are available. Only the few Cata characters, I have not played since a bit before Cata dropped.
I am looking forward to seein what’s going to happen when I have not logged into those for over a year. I did log in recently to check on something - maybe 2-3 mins per character. This seems to be enough for Cata.
Edit:
Even an old Cata character of mine, which I have neither played, nor logged into since pre-Cata is there as well, only with the W logo instead of a profile picture.
Linal has become my “forum character” a long time ago. It is an inactive retail char, since I stopped playing retail after BfA.
logic for the win - Linal should thus always be available to you.
Which other expansions’ characters can you use?
No, it is not. There’s a lockout on inactive retail chars. So I have to be online every year for currently something around 30 minutes (used to be 15) to be able to post on the char.
Yup, but not the total lock out we experience on our Era characters.
Yeah, but most of us play our Era/Anniversary/SoD/HC characters daily and don’t have them available at all.
So from this thread it seems Retail characters are available if they were logged for a while in the last year, and Classic 2019 always available (I know for a fact Nicolayy has not been online since end of May 2024, and some of my alts even months longer.
Classic 2019 yes, but only those progressed to Cata. The Era ones not so, even if they were all created before this one, and played for long sessions within the last few months. I even could use the one I have not even logged into since mid-Wrath - he would show up with a WoW logo if I chose him.
I’ll check this out next week end.