You’re Not Stuck—Here’s Your Way Out
So youre done with n8n Cloud. Maybe youve spun up a self-hosted instance and realized you dont need to drop money on a monthly subscription anymore. Maybe youre cutting back on SaaS bloat. Or maybe you just want to see if running the open-source version yourself makes sense for what youre actually building.
The scary part? When you go to cancel, the immediate panic sets in: Will everything Ive automated just vanish? It wont. Below is exactly where the cancel button hides, what happens to your workflows when you pull the trigger, and how to back up your automations in minutes.
TL;DR: The Quick Version
- Where to cancel: Admin Panel 2 Manage 2 Cancel Plan 2 Type “CANCEL” 2 Confirm (seriously takes 2 minutes)
- Your workflows dont disappear immediately: They stick around until your billing cycle ends (not deleted on day one)
- Backing up is stupid easy: Select all nodes with Command+A, copy with Command+C, paste into your new instance with Command+V
- One thing wont transfer: Your API keys and credentials need to be manually reconnectedthey dont copy over for security reasons
Heads up…
Your workspace stays active until the end of the current billing period. Use that window to back up and test.
Cancel now, migrate lateryour workflows persist until billing ends, but credentials must be reconnected manually.
The Cancellation Process (Seriously, Its Not Hidden)
Go into your n8n Cloud dashboard and click Admin Panel in the left sidebar. Then open the Manage tab. Youll see your current plan with a Cancel plan button. Click it.
Type CANCEL in the confirmation modal, click the confirmation button, and on the next screen hit Cancel subscription. You may see a short exit surveyyou can skip it. Thats it.
- Admin Panel 2 Manage 2 Cancel plan
- Type CANCEL to confirm
- Click Cancel subscription on the final screen
Quick win
The whole cancellation takes ~2 minutes and doesnt delete your workspace immediately.
| Item | What happens after cancel | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Workflows | Remain active until billing period ends | Copy/paste to migrate |
| Credentials | Do not transfer | Recreate and reattach per node |
| Execution history | Deleted at workspace removal | Manually save anything you need |
| Workspace | Deleted at end of cycle | No recovery after deletion |
| Billing | Stops next cycle | Consider downgrading to Free, if suitable |
What Actually Happens to Your Data (The Part You Care About)
After you cancel, your instance stays intact until the end of your current billing cycle. If you canceled on December 1 and your cycle ends December 22, your workflows stay active and accessible until the 22nd. Your Manage page will show a yellow warning with the removal date.
Once that date hits, n8n wipes the entire workspace—workflows, credentials, execution history, everything. Use the grace period to export what you need.
How to Back Up Your Workflows (Its Borderline Stupid Easy)
Open a workflow in the editor, select all nodes, copy, then paste into your new instance. It really is that simple.
- Open a workflow
- Press Command+A (Mac) or Ctrl+A (Windows)
- Press Command+C (Mac) or Ctrl+C (Windows)
- In your new instance, create a blank workflow and press Command+V or Ctrl+V
Copy, paste, done—the canvas reproduces exactly in your new instance.
The One Thing That Wont Transfer (Credentials)
Credentials are stored separately from workflows. When you paste into a new environment, nodes reference credential names, but the actual API keys and tokens arent there yet. Youll see warnings like No credential selected until you reconnect them.
- Open the node with the warning
- Add or select the correct credential (API key, OAuth, service account, etc.)
- Save and test the node
Credentials never copy overplan time to reconnect each service and test nodes in your new environment.
Before You Cancel: Do This First
- Back up every workflow. Even ones you might not need—it takes seconds.
- Document your connections (which services each workflow uses) without storing raw secrets.
- Save execution history if you need it for audits or debugging.
- Test one workflow transfer to your self-hosted instance before canceling.
- Time your cancellation so you have runway before the deletion date.
Warning…
The deletion is permanent. After your billing cycle ends, n8n removes your entire workspace—workflows, credentials, and logs. Back up before the date.
Why People Actually Cancel (And Why It Makes Sense)
n8n Cloud costs money, and for constant, predictable automations, self-hosting is often cheaperespecially if you already have server capacity. The other big reason is control: your data, your infra, your uptime.
Cloud is great if you want a fully managed service. Self-hosted shines when you want cost control and flexibility. Most cancellations arent about disliking n8ntheyre about maturing into the setup that fits your workload.
FAQ: The Actual Questions People Ask
Can I recover workflows after cancellation? No. Once the workspace is deleted, recovery isnt possible. Back up during the grace period.
Do I lose execution history? Yes. Logs are deleted with the workspace. Export anything you need beforehand.
What if I want to keep running workflows but cut costs? Consider downgrading to the Free tier if your usage fits (about 1,000 executions/month, subject to current limits).
Does my self-hosted instance sync with Cloud? No. Its a manual copy/paste migration. Changes dont sync between environments.
How much time do backups take? Copy/paste is quickthe slower part is recreating credentials. Five workflows: ~15 minutes. Fifty: plan ~2 hours.
Can I just use the free Cloud plan instead of self-hosting? If your needs fit the limits, yes. For heavier automation, use paid Cloud or self-hosted.
