Closing a business
Export company data before shutting down: what each system keeps after you cancel
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The short answer
Export company data before shutting down, because most tools start cutting access or deleting soon after you cancel. Microsoft says data left after a cancellation is deleted no later than 180 days later (source: Microsoft Learn, what happens when a Microsoft 365 for business subscription ends), Zendesk starts permanent deletion 90 days after cancellation (source: Zendesk, Service Data Deletion Policy), and deleting a Slack workspace is permanent (source: Slack Help Center, delete a workspace).
Some windows are longer: QuickBooks Online stays read-only for a year (source: QuickBooks Online Help, what happens to my data after I cancel). Others are effectively zero once the term ends. The safe order is export, download, verify, then cancel.
Export company data before shutting down: deadlines by system
| System | What happens after you cancel | How long you have | Export path | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Workspace | Users lose Gmail, Calendar, Meet and other core services; Google warns users' data will be deleted and can't be restored | No data grace period described; export before you cancel | Admin console, Data, Data import & export, Data export | (see: Google Workspace Help, cancel Google Workspace, Google Workspace Help, export all your organization's data) |
| Microsoft 365 | Expired (normal access), then Disabled (admins only), then Deleted; a monthly plan cancelled in the cancellation window goes straight to Disabled | 30 days Expired, 90 days Disabled for most offers; after a cancellation, deleted no later than 180 days | Outlook .pst export, download OneDrive and SharePoint files, Viva Engage .zip export | (see: Microsoft Learn, what happens when a Microsoft 365 for business subscription ends, Microsoft Learn, back up data before changing Microsoft 365 for business plans) |
| Slack | Downgrading to free shows only 90 days; data older than a year may be deleted; deleting the workspace is permanent | Deletion is immediate and can't be undone | Workspace export; private channels and DMs on Business+ or Enterprise after applying | (see: Slack Help Center, export your workspace data, Slack Help Center, message and file history on free workspaces, Slack Help Center, delete a workspace) |
| QuickBooks Online | Read-only access after a paid subscription is cancelled | 1 year (trials 90 days; declined card 14 days) | Settings gear, Export data, Export to Excel; attachments exported separately | (see: QuickBooks Online Help, what happens to my data after I cancel, QuickBooks Online Help (Canada edition), export your QuickBooks Online data) |
| HubSpot | Marketing Hub Pro and Enterprise: temporary access or copies on written request; other Hubs, Smart CRM and free tools: no access after the term | 30 days for Marketing Hub Pro and Enterprise; otherwise none | Each object's index page, Export, all properties | (see: HubSpot Product Specific Terms (modified Sep 16, 2026), HubSpot Knowledge Base, export records) |
| Salesforce | Return of data on request as CSV plus native attachments; then inactive, then deleted | Request within 30 days; inactive 120 days, then deleted from production within 90 and backups within 180 | Setup, Data Export, Export Now or Schedule Export | (see: Salesforce, Security, Privacy and Architecture documentation, Salesforce Trailhead, export your data) |
| Zendesk | Access to data ends at cancellation; permanent deletion begins 90 days later and can't be reversed | 90 days to request a temporary reactivation | Data export (plan-dependent, must be enabled) | (see: Zendesk Help, can I export data from an expired account?, Zendesk, Service Data Deletion Policy) |
The pattern is clear: once you cancel, access shrinks fast and recovery gets harder. That matters for the records you must keep, covered in our guide to what happens to company data when a business closes, and for the records you might license, covered in our guide to selling company data when closing a business.
What happens to Google Workspace data when you cancel
Google says that when you cancel, you lose access to core Google Workspace services such as Gmail, Calendar and Meet, and that for domain-verified subscriptions your users' Google Workspace data will be deleted and can't be restored (source: Google Workspace Help, cancel Google Workspace). The same page tells admins to export users' data with the Data Export tool before canceling, and notes that data in third-party apps is not deleted automatically, so it needs its own export (source: Google Workspace Help, cancel Google Workspace).
How the Data Export tool works, per Google:
- Who can run it. A super administrator account at least 30 days old, with 2-Step Verification turned on (source: Google Workspace Help, export all your organization's data).
- Where. Admin console, then Data, then Data import & export, then Data export (source: Google Workspace Help, export all your organization's data).
- How long it takes. The export is available no earlier than 48 hours after you start it (source: Google Workspace Help, export all your organization's data).
- How long the files last. Exported data is automatically deleted 60 days from the beginning of the export (source: Google Workspace Help, export all your organization's data). Download it to storage you control well before then.
- Larger organizations. Google asks organizations with more than 1,000 users to contact Workspace support before using the tool (source: Google Workspace Help, export all your organization's data).
Start the Google export days before you cancel
Because the export takes at least 48 hours and cancellation ends access, start it at least a week before the cancellation date so there is time to download and check every packet.
Microsoft 365 data retention after the subscription ends
Microsoft describes a subscription lifecycle of Active, Expired, Disabled and Deleted (source: Microsoft Learn, what happens when a Microsoft 365 for business subscription ends). For most offers bought directly from Microsoft, the subscription spends 30 days Expired, when users keep normal access, and 90 days Disabled, when only admins can reach the data (source: Microsoft Learn, what happens when a Microsoft 365 for business subscription ends). Microsoft notes that as of February 9, 2026, the Expired state no longer applies to license-based subscriptions bought directly through a Microsoft Customer Agreement (source: Microsoft Learn, what happens when a Microsoft 365 for business subscription ends), so check which kind you have.
Cancelling changes the clock:
- A monthly subscription cancelled within the cancellation window skips Expired and goes straight to Disabled (source: Microsoft Learn, what happens when a Microsoft 365 for business subscription ends).
- Customer data left behind after a cancellation might be deleted after 90 days and will be deleted no later than 180 days after cancellation (source: Microsoft Learn, what happens when a Microsoft 365 for business subscription ends).
- If you explicitly delete a subscription, it skips Expired and Disabled and SharePoint Online data, including OneDrive, is deleted immediately (source: Microsoft Learn, what happens when a Microsoft 365 for business subscription ends).
- A deleted subscription can't be reactivated, and buying a new one doesn't restore the data (source: Microsoft Learn, what happens when a Microsoft 365 for business subscription ends).
For backups, Microsoft points to exporting Outlook email, contacts and calendar to a .pst file, downloading files from OneDrive and SharePoint, and exporting Viva Engage messages and files to a .zip (source: Microsoft Learn, back up data before changing Microsoft 365 for business plans). Enterprise, volume licensing and reseller (CSP) customers have different durations, so check your agreement (source: Microsoft Learn, what happens when a Microsoft 365 for business subscription ends).
Slack export before deleting the workspace
Slack is where many companies keep the most context and lose it most easily. Three rules decide what you can save:
- Plan decides scope. Every plan can export messages and file links from public channels. Private channels and DMs can be exported only on Business+ and Enterprise. On Business+, a Workspace Owner applies and the Primary Owner approves; on Enterprise, Org Owners contact Support (source: Slack Help Center, export your workspace data).
- Files are links. Exports include links to files, not the files themselves, and free workspaces can export file links from the last 90 days only (source: Slack Help Center, export your workspace data). Download the files you need while the links still work.
- Downgrading costs history. A free workspace shows only the past 90 days, and data older than one year may be deleted on a rolling basis (source: Slack Help Center, message and file history on free workspaces). Export before the paid plan lapses, not after.
Deleting a workspace is permanent and only the Primary Owner can do it; Slack recommends exporting first (source: Slack Help Center, delete a workspace). If you run engineering tools too, our guide to GitHub, Slack and Jira data exports covers repositories, tickets and docs in more depth.
QuickBooks Online after you cancel the subscription
QuickBooks Online is the most forgiving system on this list. Intuit says that when you cancel a paid subscription you have read-only access to your data for one year, and you can export to Excel or to a desktop version of QuickBooks during that year (source: QuickBooks Online Help, what happens to my data after I cancel). The windows are shorter in two cases: trial accounts have 90 days, and if your card is declined you have 14 days to update billing before the account is suspended and you have to re-subscribe to reach your data (source: QuickBooks Online Help, what happens to my data after I cancel). Intuit recommends exporting or printing your data before you cancel (source: QuickBooks Online Help, what happens to my data after I cancel).
The export path, per Intuit's help article:
- Select the Settings gear, then Export data.
- On the Reports tab, choose a date range; on the Reports and Lists tabs, switch on what you want.
- Select Export to Excel. The reports and lists arrive as Excel files in one .zip.
- Export attachments separately: Settings, Attachments, select them, then Batch actions and Export (source: QuickBooks Online Help (Canada edition), export your QuickBooks Online data).
Non-posting transactions such as estimates and purchase orders, customer statements, and lists like the chart of accounts are exported from their own screens (source: QuickBooks Online Help (Canada edition), export your QuickBooks Online data). Accounting files are tax records, so keep the export for the IRS periods in our record retention guide.
HubSpot and Salesforce data after cancellation
HubSpot
HubSpot's Product Specific Terms set different rules by product. For Marketing Hub Professional and Enterprise (Marketing Contacts), a written request within 30 days after termination gets temporary access or copies of your data, and after 30 days HubSpot has no obligation to keep it (source: HubSpot Product Specific Terms (modified Sep 16, 2026)). For its other Hubs, and for Smart CRM and free services, the terms offer reasonable help retrieving data during the subscription term at your cost, and say HubSpot will not provide access to Customer Data afterward (source: HubSpot Product Specific Terms (modified Sep 16, 2026)).
To export, open each object's index page (contacts, companies, deals, tickets, custom objects), choose the all-records view, click Export, and under Customize set the export to include all properties, or all properties and associations. HubSpot emails a download link that expires after 30 days (source: HubSpot Knowledge Base, export records). CSV has no column limit, which makes it the safer format for wide exports (source: HubSpot Knowledge Base, export records).
Salesforce
Salesforce's Security, Privacy and Architecture documentation says customers may request return of their data within 30 days after contract termination, delivered as CSV files with attachments in their native format (source: Salesforce, Security, Privacy and Architecture documentation). After all subscriptions for an environment end, data is kept inactive for 120 days, then deleted from production within 90 days and from backups within 180 days (source: Salesforce, Security, Privacy and Architecture documentation). Data in a managed package may not be returnable if the package was removed before termination (source: Salesforce, Security, Privacy and Architecture documentation).
Do not rely on the return window. Run the Data Export service yourself: from Setup, search Data Export, then choose Export Now or Schedule Export, include images, documents and attachments, and select all data (source: Salesforce Trailhead, export your data). Enterprise, Performance and Unlimited editions can export weekly; Professional and Developer every 29 days. The zip files are deleted 48 hours after the notification email, so download them right away (source: Salesforce Trailhead, export your data).
Zendesk tickets and engineering tools after cancellation
Zendesk says you lose access to your data when you cancel, and after 90 days an automated process begins permanently deleting it (source: Zendesk Help, can I export data from an expired account?). Once started, deletion can't be reversed; ticket, user and attachment data is deleted within 40 days after it begins, and backups within 130 days (source: Zendesk, Service Data Deletion Policy). Within the 90 days, the account owner can request a temporary reactivation to export, and Zendesk bills for the reactivated period (source: Zendesk Help, can I export data from an expired account?). Data exports are available only on certain plans and must be enabled on the account (source: Zendesk Help, can I export data from an expired account?), so confirm yours before the shutdown, not during it.
Ticket history is some of the most useful material in a data license, because each ticket shows a problem, the steps taken and the fix. For Jira, Linear, GitHub and Confluence, see our guide to exporting GitHub, Slack and Jira data.
Order of operations: the shutdown export checklist
| Step | What to do | Why now |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Inventory | List every system, its admin, its plan, its renewal or end date, and how many years it covers | You can't export what nobody remembers |
| 2. Freeze deletion | Turn off auto-delete and short retention settings; tell staff not to delete mailboxes, channels or drives | Departing staff and retention rules delete quietly |
| 3. Confirm admin access | Make sure at least two people have owner or super admin rights in every system | Exports need owner rights; Google needs a super admin at least 30 days old |
| 4. Request gated exports | Apply for Slack private channel and DM export; enable Zendesk exports; check HubSpot and Salesforce editions | Approvals and plan checks take time |
| 5. Start slow exports | Start the Google Workspace export and any large mailbox exports | Google's export takes at least 48 hours |
| 6. Export everything else | CRM, support, accounting, drives, chat, code and project tools | All plans still paid, all features available |
| 7. Download and verify | Move every file to storage you control, open samples, check counts and date ranges | Vendor download links expire, some within 48 hours |
| 8. Split the archive | Separate records you must keep from records you might license | Retention duties and license scope are different |
| 9. Cancel last | Cancel subscriptions only after step 7 is done for that system | Cancellation starts every clock on this page |
If you have staff leaving in waves, run steps 1 to 4 before the first layoff. The people who set up each system are the ones who know where the data is and which settings delete it.
Check, store and protect the exports
An export you have not opened is not an export. Before you cancel anything, confirm each one:
- Counts match. Number of mailboxes, channels, tickets, deals and files roughly matches what the live system shows.
- Date ranges are complete. The oldest and newest records are both there.
- Attachments came through. Slack exports carry file links, not files (source: Slack Help Center, export your workspace data), and QuickBooks attachments export separately (source: QuickBooks Online Help (Canada edition), export your QuickBooks Online data).
- Storage is yours. Encrypted drives or storage you control, with at least two copies, and a written index of what is where.
- Access is limited. Exports contain personal information. Restrict who can open them and keep a log.
Once the exports are safe, you have options. The records you must keep sit in the archive for their legal periods. The rest can be destroyed, or, with personal and client information removed, licensed to AI companies as a de-identified copy. Our guide to who buys data from closed companies covers the programs, the buyer directory names them, and our data value checker shows which factors drive value.
How Regulr is paid, and how we write these pages
Regulr is a sell-side advisor. When a business we introduce signs a license, we may be paid a fee by the buyer or through a program's referral terms. We list every program we can verify whether or not it pays us, order is never set by fees, and every figure is the company's own advertised term with a link to where it says so. Regulr has not closed a data deal yet, so nothing here describes our results.
Frequently asked questions
What happens to Google Workspace data when you cancel?
Users lose access to core services such as Gmail, Calendar and Meet, and Google warns that users' Google Workspace data will be deleted and can't be restored. Google's cancellation page describes no grace period for recovering data, so run the Admin console's Data Export tool first. It needs a super admin account at least 30 days old with 2-Step Verification, takes at least 48 hours, and the exported files are deleted 60 days after the export starts.
How long does Microsoft 365 keep data after the subscription ends?
For most offers bought directly from Microsoft, a subscription that ends spends 30 days Expired with normal access, then 90 days Disabled with admin-only access, then it is deleted. If you cancel a monthly plan within the cancellation window, it skips straight to Disabled, and Microsoft says data left behind might be deleted after 90 days and will be deleted no later than 180 days after cancellation. Explicitly deleting a subscription deletes SharePoint and OneDrive data immediately.
Can I export private Slack channels and DMs before deleting the workspace?
Only on Business+ and Enterprise plans, and only after applying. Public channels can be exported on every plan, but private channels and DMs require Business+ or Enterprise; on Business+, a Workspace Owner applies and the Primary Owner approves. Exports include links to files, not the files themselves. Deleting a workspace is permanent, so export and download files first.
Can I still access QuickBooks Online after I cancel?
Yes, in read-only mode for one year after you cancel a paid subscription, and you can export to Excel or to QuickBooks Desktop during that year. Trial accounts have 90 days. If the card on file is declined, you have 14 days to fix billing, and after that you have to re-subscribe to reach the data. Intuit recommends exporting or printing your data before you cancel.
What happens to HubSpot data after cancellation?
It depends on the product. HubSpot's terms give Marketing Hub Professional and Enterprise customers 30 days after termination to make a written request for temporary access or copies of their data. For its other Hubs, Smart CRM and free services, the terms say HubSpot will not provide access to Customer Data after the subscription ends. Export every object with all properties before the end date.
How long does Salesforce keep data after the contract ends?
Salesforce's security documentation says you can request return of your data within 30 days after contract termination, delivered as CSV files with attachments in native format. After all subscriptions end, data sits in inactive status for 120 days, then is deleted from production within 90 days and from backups within 180 days. Run the Data Export service yourself before the contract ends rather than relying on the return window.
What should I export first when shutting down?
Start with whatever deletes fastest or permanently: any workspace you plan to delete, any tool that ends access the day you cancel, and anything whose export takes days to prepare, such as a Google Workspace data export. Then do email and drives, CRM, support tickets and accounting. Cancel nothing until each export has been downloaded and opened.
Do I need to export data I might license to an AI company?
Yes. A buyer can only license records that still exist, and buyers work from a copy you control. If the accounts are cancelled before the export, there is nothing left to license. Export everything once, then decide later what is in scope.
Sources
Google, Microsoft, Slack, Intuit, HubSpot, Salesforce and Zendesk pages read on their own sites on November 8, 2026. Windows shown are the vendors' published defaults; your contract may differ.
- Google Workspace Help, cancel Google Workspace
- Google Workspace Help, export all your organization's data
- Microsoft Learn, what happens when a Microsoft 365 for business subscription ends
- Microsoft Learn, back up data before changing Microsoft 365 for business plans
- Slack Help Center, export your workspace data
- Slack Help Center, message and file history on free workspaces
- Slack Help Center, delete a workspace
- QuickBooks Online Help, what happens to my data after I cancel
- QuickBooks Online Help (Canada edition), export your QuickBooks Online data
- HubSpot Product Specific Terms (modified Sep 16, 2026)
- HubSpot Knowledge Base, export records
- Salesforce, Security, Privacy and Architecture documentation
- Salesforce Trailhead, export your data
- Zendesk Help, can I export data from an expired account?
- Zendesk, Service Data Deletion Policy
Brian Boesen · Founder, Regulr AI
Brian runs Regulr AI, which works for established businesses that want to license de-identified records to AI companies. He checks each program's published terms against its own pages and updates these guides when they change. Last updated November 8, 2026.
This page is general information, not legal advice, and Regulr is not a law firm. Rules vary by state, by profession and by contract, and they apply to your facts, not to a category. You approve exactly what is in scope before anything is shared.
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