Cancel guides

Export your data before you cancel: files, photos, playlists, notes

Some services delete data soon after a plan ends, and some exports only work while you're still paying. Here's what to download first, how, and what each service keeps.

By Stackcut · Published

Sourced. Every number links the page it came from: the service's page in the Stackcut cancel library, or the company's or platform's own help page. Terms change and differ by country, so check the linked page before you rely on a date, a fee or a refund.

The short answer

  • Export while the plan is still active: some exports are paid features, and some download links expire within a day.
  • Cloud storage drops to the free allowance, and files over it can be deleted: Dropbox Basic has 2 GB. Stackcut cancel guide: Dropbox
  • Some data is deleted on a clock: Zoom deletes cloud recordings 30 days after a paid plan ends. Stackcut cancel guide: Zoom
  • Some can't be restored at all: when you cancel Google Workspace, users' Workspace data is deleted. Stackcut cancel guide: Google Workspace
  • Cancelling a plan usually keeps the account. Deleting the account is a separate step that removes your data for good.

What to download before you cancel a subscription

If you're still working out where to cancel, How to cancel a subscription (2026): find who bills you first covers that, and Cancel subscriptions on iPhone, Android, Amazon, Roku and PayPal covers app-store plans. This guide is about what to save first.

On a free trial, cancelling can end access at once: a Grammarly trial ends immediately and the account converts to the free version. Export before you cancel a trial; When to cancel a free trial or renewal so you aren't charged has more on trials.

Go through this list while the plan is still active. Some exports are paid features, some download links expire within a day, and some data is deleted soon after the plan ends.

What happens to your photos and files when cloud storage ends?

When a storage plan ends, you drop to the free allowance. Anything over it stays for a while but stops syncing, turns read-only, or can be deleted, so download what won't fit before you cancel.

iCloud+ drops to the free 5 GB plan, and over it, iCloud stops syncing and backups don't complete. Download iCloud Drive files at iCloud.com, and export photos and videos from the Photos app on a Mac with File, then Export. Stackcut cancel guide: iCloud+

Google One keeps your files, but each person drops to the free 15 GB. If you stay over quota for 2 years or longer, all your content may be deleted. Stackcut cancel guide: Google One

To keep a copy of your Google data, use Google Takeout, which exports data such as email, documents, calendar and photos. Google says each archive expires in about 7 days and can be downloaded 5 times. support.google.com

Dropbox moves you to Dropbox Basic with 2 GB. While you're over it, you may not be able to sync, upload or share, and Dropbox may delete files you own to bring the account under the limit. Stackcut cancel guide: Dropbox

Microsoft 365 home plans drop to 5 GB of cloud storage and 15 GB of Outlook.com storage. If you're over it, Microsoft may delete your OneDrive and its files after 6 months, and cancelling Family or Premium also cuts the storage of everyone you shared it with. Stackcut cancel guide: Microsoft 365

To download from OneDrive, select files or folders on the website and choose Download; several items arrive as a .zip file. OneNote notebooks can't be downloaded this way. Stackcut cancel guide: OneDrive

How to move playlists before you cancel a music subscription

Apple Music can send playlists you created to YouTube Music: at privacy.apple.com, choose Transfer a copy of your data. It needs an active Apple Music or iTunes Match subscription and a YouTube Music account, so do it before you cancel; music files and curated playlists don't transfer. Stackcut cancel guide: Apple Music

YouTube Music can copy playlists you created to Apple Music with Google Takeout's transfer option. It covers playlists you made and catalog tracks, not uploads, private content or podcasts, and you need an Apple Music subscription. Stackcut cancel guide: YouTube Music

Spotify keeps your playlists and saved music on the free account. You can still play them, with ads, so there's nothing to rescue before you cancel.

Suno keeps your library on the free tier, but downloads then follow free-tier limits: up to 7 lifetime downloads, for non-commercial use. Download the songs you need, including WAV files, while you're on Pro or Premier. Stackcut cancel guide: Suno

Export notes, passwords and AI chat history

Evernote keeps all your notes on the Free plan, where you can still view and export them. Export from the desktop app for Mac or Windows, not Evernote Web: up to 100 notes at a time or whole notebooks, as ENEX or HTML. Stackcut cancel guide: Evernote

1Password freezes the account at the end of the billing period, and you can still sign in and export while it's frozen, as long as you don't delete it. Export from the desktop app as .1pux or CSV, and keep the file safe: it isn't encrypted. Stackcut cancel guide: 1Password

Dashlane keeps your data after the subscription ends, but passwords are then available for export only. Export to CSV from Vault, then Settings, in the web app; passkeys and Secure Note attachments can't be exported. Stackcut cancel guide: Dashlane

In ChatGPT Plus, export chat history from Settings, then Data controls. It can take up to 7 days, and the download link expires 24 hours after you get it. Stackcut cancel guide: ChatGPT Plus

In Claude Pro, export from Settings, then Privacy, on the web or desktop app, not the mobile apps. The emailed link expires 24 hours after delivery. Stackcut cancel guide: Claude Pro

MyFitnessPal lets only Premium and Premium+ subscribers export meals, weight and exercise history, so export before Premium ends. The CSV files arrive by email in a single zip folder. Stackcut cancel guide: MyFitnessPal

Export work data: boards, contacts, stores, sites and recordings

Business tools hold the data that's hardest to recreate, and several delete it on a schedule. Export while an admin still has access, and open the files to check them before you cancel.

Who can export and cancel on a team plan is covered in How to cancel business software: admins, contracts, seats and data. The main exports:

Recordings, game saves and account history

Ring Protect: when you cancel, you lose access to all recorded videos, and past recordings can't be restored. Download them first from History on ring.com; videos are kept up to 180 days from recording. Stackcut cancel guide: Ring Protect

Nintendo Switch Online: download Save Data Cloud backups to the console before the membership ends; a download replaces that game's save on the console. Backups can be regained if you start a new membership within 180 days. Stackcut cancel guide: Nintendo Switch Online

PlayStation Plus: online storage for saves ends with PS Plus. Download saves to console storage from Settings, then Saved Data and Game/App Settings. Stackcut cancel guide: PlayStation Plus

Netflix keeps viewing activity, ratings and game saves for 24 months after the account closes, in case you restart. For a copy of your personal information, request it at netflix.com/account/getmyinfo; it can take up to 30 days after Netflix verifies the request. Stackcut cancel guide: Netflix

Ancestry keeps your trees and DNA results on a free account, but without a membership you can't view most record images, even ones attached to your trees. Download the images you need, and download trees as GEDCOM files.

How long do services keep your data after you cancel?

This is what each service documents, from Stackcut's cancel pages. Where a service states no period, export first and don't count on getting back in.

ServiceExport firstAfter you cancel
iCloud+iCloud Drive files, photosOver the free 5 GB, syncing and backups stop Stackcut cancel guide: iCloud+
Google OneDrive, Gmail and Photos, with Google TakeoutDrops to 15 GB; over quota for 2 years, content may be deleted Stackcut cancel guide: Google One
DropboxFiles over the free limitDrops to Basic's 2 GB; files over it may be deleted Stackcut cancel guide: Dropbox
Microsoft 365 Stackcut cancel guide: Microsoft 365OneDrive filesHome plans: over 5 GB, OneDrive may be deleted after 6 months Stackcut cancel guide: Microsoft 365
Adobe Creative CloudCloud files30 days to move files over 5 GB Stackcut cancel guide: Adobe Creative Cloud
Apple MusicPlaylists, transferred before you cancelCatalog songs, and playlists built from them, stop playing
EvernoteNotes, as ENEX or HTMLAll notes kept on the Free plan
1PasswordVault items, as .1pux or CSV Stackcut cancel guide: 1PasswordAccount frozen; you can still export
Ring ProtectVideos, as .mp4 files in a .zip Stackcut cancel guide: Ring ProtectAccess to all recorded videos ends
ZoomCloud recordingsDeleted 30 days after the plan ends Stackcut cancel guide: Zoom
Google WorkspaceUsers' Gmail, Drive, Calendar and ChatDeleted; can't be restored
monday.comBoards and files, as a zipKept by default, but may be deleted any time once inactive
ShopifyProducts, customers, orders, as CSVKept 2 years Stackcut cancel guide: Shopify
SquarespaceSite content, as .xmlKept so you can reactivate; deleting the site removes it
Constant ContactContact lists, as CSV or ExcelOnly guaranteed for 30 days Stackcut cancel guide: Constant Contact
SurveyMonkeySurvey resultsResponses over the free limit may be deleted after 30 days Stackcut cancel guide: SurveyMonkey
NetflixA personal information requestViewing history kept 24 months Stackcut cancel guide: Netflix
Nintendo Switch OnlineSave Data Cloud backupsRegained if you rejoin within 180 days Stackcut cancel guide: Nintendo Switch Online

Is cancelling the same as deleting your account?

No. Cancelling stops the next charge, and most services keep the account and your data so you can come back. Deleting the account is a separate step, and it's usually permanent.

Hulu says resubscribing with the same email keeps your profiles and watch history, while deleting the account removes them for good. Squarespace keeps a cancelled site's data so you can reactivate it, but deleting the site removes it permanently.

Cancel before you delete: Disney+ and Hulu both say charges may continue if you delete the account without cancelling first. Export, cancel, and only then delete.

FAQ

Does cancelling a subscription delete my data?

Usually not right away. Most services keep the account, but some delete data on a schedule or when you're over a free limit, as the table above shows. A few, like Google Workspace, delete it when you cancel.

Can I still export after I cancel?

Sometimes. 1Password lets you export from a frozen account, and Evernote lets free users export. Others need an active plan: Apple Music's playlist transfer and MyFitnessPal's export both do.

How long do download links last?

Often only a day. The ChatGPT Plus export link expires 24 hours after you receive it. Stackcut cancel guide: ChatGPT Plus

monday.com's account export link is also valid for 24 hours. Stackcut cancel guide: monday.com

A Google Takeout archive expires in about 7 days. support.google.com

What if my files are over the free storage limit?

Download or delete what's over the limit before the plan ends. On Dropbox, being over 2 GB can stop syncing, uploading and sharing, and Dropbox may delete files you own to get under the limit. Stackcut cancel guide: Dropbox

Do I need to export if I'm only moving to a free plan?

Check the free plan's limits first. After a SurveyMonkey downgrade, responses over the free limit can't be viewed and may be deleted after a 30-day grace period. Stackcut cancel guide: SurveyMonkey

Free plans and other ways to keep a service for less are covered in Retention offers when you cancel, and other ways to pay less.

Should I delete my account after cancelling?

Only once you've exported everything you need, and only if you don't plan to come back. Deleting is usually permanent, and cancelling first matters, because some services keep charging if you delete without cancelling.

Step-by-step cancel pages

One page per service: every way it can bill you, the steps, what to export first and cheaper ways to keep it, from the company's own help pages.

Keep reading

Cancel one service, step by step

Find your service

Each page in the Stackcut cancel library covers one service: every way it can bill you, the steps and what you should see on screen, what to export first, and cheaper ways to keep it, each linked to the company's own help page.

Open the cancel library

Or ask your agent

Connect the Stackcut MCP server (https://stackcut.io/mcp, no API key) and ask: “I pay for ChatGPT Plus through Apple. How do I cancel it?”

get_exit_plan({
  "service": "ChatGPT Plus",
  "billed_by": "apple_app_store"
})