What happens if I cancel this?
See what stops, what could be deleted, what to export and what depends on a service before you cancel it.
Official sources last reviewed · How we review
Check what cancelling would affect
A few questions, revealed as they become relevant. Your answers stay in this browser.
Start with the basics
We never ask for phone numbers, card numbers, passwords or codes. Names of providers or nicknames are enough.
Your plan so far
11things this change touches
- critical0
- high4
- moderate3
- low4
Updates as you answer. Every item will explain why it’s there.
What could break
In a typical cancel a service plan, these are the most serious things to get right.
Dropbox: files over the Basic plan's limit
Critical · Data & files
Syncing and backups stop quietly, and files you didn't download could be deleted later.
Phone and computer backups
Critical · Data & files
You find out the backup stopped only after losing or replacing the device.
Dropbox: check the current cancellation and retention policy
High · Subscriptions & billing
You could lose access or data sooner than you expected, or keep paying longer than you meant to.
Download the files and photos you want to keep
High · Data & files
Files, records or history you didn't export could be deleted with the account.
Records you're required to keep
High · Legal & records
Records you need for a tax review, audit or dispute could be gone with the account.
Find everything that depends on this service
High · Integrations & APIs
Something you forgot about stops working, and you find out only when it's needed.
Files that are only online, not on your computer
High · Data & files
After cancelling, those placeholders may not open, and the local folder may not be the full copy you assumed.
Connected apps, automations and API keys
High · Integrations & APIs
Automations fail quietly, forms stop delivering, or devices lose their connection.
Set up the replacement and move data first
High · Data & files
A gap between the two can mean lost data or a stretch where nothing works.
Shared folders, vaults or workspaces you own
High · Data & files
Others lose access to shared folders, vaults or projects, possibly without warning.
Before and after you cancel
Before you cancel
- Dropbox: check the current cancellation and retention policy
- Dropbox: files over the Basic plan's limit
- Annual plan: check auto-renew and refund terms
- Consider downgrading or pausing instead
- Download the files and photos you want to keep
- Records you're required to keep
- Download past invoices and receipts
- Find everything that depends on this service
- Phone and computer backups
- Files that are only online, not on your computer
- Connected apps, automations and API keys
- Set up the replacement and move data first
After you cancel
- Cancel through whoever bills you, and keep the confirmation
- Check the cancellation took effect
- Decide whether to delete the account too
- Remove your saved payment details
- Watch for a final or unexpected charge
- Watch for anything that still depends on it
Your own plan adds or removes items based on your answers, and explains why each one is there.
The safe order
Doing things in the right sequence is what keeps you from getting locked out halfway through.
Before the change
Step 1: Check what cancelling actually does
When access ends, what happens to your data, and what the billing terms are.
- Dropbox: check the current cancellation and retention policy (high risk)
- Dropbox: files over the Basic plan's limit (critical risk)
- Annual plan: check auto-renew and refund terms (moderate risk)
- Consider downgrading or pausing instead (low risk)
Step 2: Export and keep what you need
Copies to take while you still have full access.
- Download the files and photos you want to keep (high risk)
- Records you're required to keep (high risk)
- Download past invoices and receipts (moderate risk)
Step 3: Move what depends on it
Logins, integrations, websites, email and anything else that relies on the service.
- Find everything that depends on this service (high risk)
- Phone and computer backups (critical risk)
- Files that are only online, not on your computer (high risk)
- Connected apps, automations and API keys (high risk)
- and 2 more
Step 4: Tell the people who use it
Family, staff, clients or your accountant, before their access ends.
- Shared folders, vaults or workspaces you own (high risk)
- Shared folders and links (moderate risk)
- Tell family members who share it (moderate risk)
During the change
Step 5: Cancel through whoever bills you
Only after the steps above, and keep the confirmation.
- Cancel through whoever bills you, and keep the confirmation (high risk)
Verify
Step 6: Confirm the cancellation took effect
Check the plan status and that nothing you rely on broke.
- Check the cancellation took effect (moderate risk)
Clean up
Step 7: Tidy up access and payment details
Remove saved cards and decide whether to delete the account.
- Decide whether to delete the account too (moderate risk)
- Remove your saved payment details (low risk)
Later
Step 8: Watch for loose ends
Late charges and forgotten dependencies tend to show up within a few weeks.
- Watch for a final or unexpected charge (low risk)
- Watch for anything that still depends on it (low risk)
Why this change needs a plan
Cancelling looks like one button, but what happens next varies a lot. Some services stop the moment you cancel; others keep working until the end of the billing period, then shrink to a free plan or freeze. Data may be kept for a while, or deleted.
The bigger surprises are usually the things that quietly depend on the service: a phone backup, a website's email, a login you use elsewhere, an automation, or a shared folder someone else relies on.
This plan shows what to check, what to export and what to move first, without guessing at any provider's timelines. Where timing matters, verify the provider's current retention/cancellation policy.
Why it matters
Once access ends you may not be able to export, and some data is deleted after a retention period you can't extend. Logins, automations and shared links that depend on the service can break at the same time.
What makes it risky
Risk is highest for services that hold your only copy of something (cloud storage, password managers, accounting and payroll), for anything other accounts sign in or recover through (email and domains), and for services that keep a website or business process running.
Common mistakes
- Deleting the app and assuming the subscription is cancelled.
- Cancelling before exporting, then finding exports aren't available on the free plan or after access ends.
- Forgetting that a phone or computer backs up to the service.
- Letting a domain lapse while accounts still use an email address at it.
- Cancelling the plan but leaving the account, and its data, in place when the goal was to delete it.
Frequently asked questions
Does deleting the app cancel my subscription?
No. Subscriptions billed through Apple or Google Play are cancelled in your app store account, and Google Play says uninstalling an app doesn't cancel its subscription. Services billed directly are cancelled in the provider's account settings.
Will I lose my data straight away when I cancel?
Often not straight away, but it varies. Many services keep access until the end of the paid period, then move you to a free plan or freeze the account, and some delete data after a retention period. Verify the provider's current retention/cancellation policy and export first.
Is cancelling the same as deleting my account?
Usually not. Cancelling stops a paid plan, and your account and data may remain. If you want your data removed, delete the account separately once you've exported what you need.
Can I get a refund if I cancel an annual plan?
It depends on the provider and where you live. Some offer refunds for unused time, others only turn off auto-renew so access continues to the end of the term. Check the provider's terms before you cancel.
What should I check before cancelling cloud storage?
Whether you're over the free storage limit, whether a phone or computer backs up to it, whether files on your computer are online-only placeholders, and whether anyone relies on folders or links you've shared.