Close an important online account
Closing an account can take your data, purchases and other logins with it. Find out what depends on it, export what you need, and close it in a safe order.
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
Optional. Service names only. Don't enter usernames or email addresses.
We never ask for phone numbers, card numbers, passwords or codes. Names of providers or nicknames are enough.
Your plan so far
6things this change touches
- critical1
- high1
- moderate2
- low2
Updates as you answer. Every item will explain why it’s there.
What could break
In a typical account closure plan, these are the most serious things to get right.
Download a copy of your data first
Critical · Data & files
Records you need later, such as receipts, photos or tax documents, can't be recovered.
Apps you sign in to with this account
Critical · Sign-in & recovery
If the identity changes or goes away, you may not be able to sign in to those apps at all.
Accounts that use this address to sign in or recover
Critical · Sign-in & recovery
Recovery messages go to the old details, so a lockout later becomes hard to fix.
Sign out of phones, computers and consoles first
Critical · Devices
A device still tied to a closed account may be impossible to set up again.
Check what happens when you close, and whether it can be undone
High · Legal & records
You lose the chance to change your mind, or data is deleted sooner than you expected.
Digital purchases you'll lose access to
High · Data & files
You may lose access to everything you've bought through the account.
Connected apps and devices
High · Integrations & APIs
Devices go offline and connected apps stop syncing as soon as the account closes.
The address could later belong to someone else
High · Sign-in & recovery
Someone who later gets the address could request password resets for accounts still using it.
Cancel or move subscriptions billed through the account
High · Subscriptions & billing
Services you still want stop without warning, or you lose time you've already paid for.
Spend or transfer any balance first
High · Banking & payments
Any remaining balance may be lost when the account closes.
Before and after you cancel
Before you cancel
- Check what happens when you close, and whether it can be undone
- Digital purchases you'll lose access to
- Connected apps and devices
- Download a copy of your data first
- Apps you sign in to with this account
- Accounts that use this address to sign in or recover
- Sign out of phones, computers and consoles first
- The address could later belong to someone else
- Tell people the address is going away
- Cancel or move subscriptions billed through the account
- Spend or transfer any balance first
- Remove saved cards and payment methods
After you cancel
- Close the account from its official settings page
- Check nothing broke after closing
- Clean up your password manager and authenticator last
- Watch for charges after closing
- Keep the closure confirmation
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 depends on the account
Read the provider's closure policy and list what you'd lose.
- Check what happens when you close, and whether it can be undone (high risk)
- Digital purchases you'll lose access to (high risk)
- Connected apps and devices (high risk)
Step 2: Download your data
While you still have full access.
- Download a copy of your data first (critical risk)
Step 3: Move logins, devices and contacts
Nothing else should depend on the account when it closes.
- Apps you sign in to with this account (critical risk)
- Accounts that use this address to sign in or recover (critical risk)
- Sign out of phones, computers and consoles first (critical risk)
- The address could later belong to someone else (high risk)
- and 1 more
Step 4: Settle subscriptions, balances and orders
Money tied to the account may not survive the closure.
- Cancel or move subscriptions billed through the account (high risk)
- Spend or transfer any balance first (high risk)
- Remove saved cards and payment methods (moderate risk)
During the change
Step 5: Close the account
From the provider's own settings, and keep the confirmation.
- Close the account from its official settings page (moderate risk)
Verify
Step 6: Check nothing broke
Apps, devices and subscriptions that used the account.
- Check nothing broke after closing (moderate risk)
Clean up
Step 7: Clean up security tools last
Only after the closure is confirmed.
- Clean up your password manager and authenticator last (low risk)
Later
Step 8: Keep records and watch for charges
Your proof of closure, and a check on the next couple of statements.
- Watch for charges after closing (low risk)
- Keep the closure confirmation (low risk)
Why this change needs a plan
Online accounts rarely stand alone. An email or platform account can be the sign-in for other apps, the recovery address for your bank, the home of your purchases and the billing account for subscriptions.
Closing one is often permanent. Some providers offer a window to change your mind; others delete data quickly, and purchases or store credit may not be transferable. Policies differ and change, so check the provider's own help pages before you start.
The safe order is: find what depends on the account, export your data, move logins and money, then close it and keep the confirmation.
Why it matters
Closing the wrong account, or closing it too early, can lock you out of other services that sign in through it and permanently delete files, messages and purchases.
What makes it risky
Risk is highest when the account signs you in to other apps, is the recovery email for other accounts, holds digital purchases or a balance, or controls phones, computers or consoles.
Common mistakes
- Closing an account before moving the apps that use it to sign in.
- Forgetting that the account's email address is the recovery email for other accounts.
- Losing a store credit or gift card balance that could have been spent first.
- Removing the account from an authenticator app before closing it, then being unable to confirm the closure.
- Assuming that closing an account also cancels subscriptions billed through an app store or a card.
Frequently asked questions
Can I reopen an account after closing it?
Sometimes, for a limited time. Some providers keep a closed account recoverable for a while before deleting it; others don't. Check the provider's current policy before you close, and assume it may be permanent.
Does closing an account delete my data?
Usually, after a period set by the provider, though some data may be kept for legal or security reasons. Download a copy first, and check the provider's privacy or retention policy for what's kept and for how long.
What happens to apps I sign in to with this account?
They may stop letting you in. Before closing, add a password, passkey or another sign-in method in each app, and change any email address the app has on file.
Will my subscriptions stop when I close the account?
Subscriptions billed through the account may stop immediately or at the end of the billing period, and ones charged elsewhere may keep running. Cancel or move each one first and watch your statements afterwards.
Should I delete the account from my password manager?
Not straight away. Keep the entry, marked as closed with the date, until you're sure you won't need to reopen it or prove ownership. Remove it from your authenticator app only after the closure is confirmed.