Anything else
What happens to your GitHub data when you cancel
To cancel a paid subscription, downgrade the organization to GitHub Free instead of deleting it. Deleting the organization permanently removes repositories, forks of private repositories, wikis, issues, pull requests, and project or organization pages. That deletion is irreversible, and GitHub cannot restore the content afterward. The organization name stays unavailable to a new account for 90 days.
| Rule | What changes |
|---|---|
| When you stop paying | To cancel a paid subscription, downgrade the organization to GitHub Free instead of deleting it. |
| Deletion events | 2 events. See the timeline below. |
| Export | 4 steps. See the steps below. |
| Who can export | You back up a repository by cloning it. |
| What the export requires | A mirror clone copies the Git history. |
| Recovery after deletion | After you delete the organization, GitHub cannot restore the content. |
What GitHub does when you stop paying
Downgrading the organization to GitHub Free is how you cancel a paid subscription without deleting the work. Deleting the organization is a different ending. That deletion permanently removes repositories, forks of private repositories, wikis, issues, pull requests, and project pages, and GitHub cannot restore them. Billing for the organization ends. The organization name stays unavailable for 90 days unless you rename the organization first, which makes the name available immediately. If a public repository had a Marketplace action, or more than 100 clones or more than 100 Actions uses in the week before deletion, GitHub can retire that owner and repository name. Packages in the namespace are deleted with the account. Copy the repositories before anyone opens the Danger zone. GitHub (Microsoft) explains what happens when you stop paying in Deleting an organization account. For the other tools you still pay for, read what happens to company data when you cancel software. Closing this subscription while the company closes is part of how to wind down a company.
Deletion timeline for GitHub
| Event | After | What the vendor says |
|---|---|---|
| Delete the organization | When the vendor deletes it | Deleting the organization permanently removes repositories, forks of private repositories, wikis, issues, pull requests, and project or organization pages. GitHub cannot restore that content. |
| Organization name reuse | 90 days | The organization name is not available for another organization or user account for 90 days. After 90 days it becomes available. Renaming the organization makes the name available sooner. This interval is about the name, not a second copy of the files. |
See GitHub in the deletion-window dataset beside the other systems.
Export your GitHub data before you cancel
The backup is a mirror clone, not a button inside organization settings. git clone --mirror copies the revision history. If the repository uses Git Large File Storage, git lfs fetch --all has to run or those objects stay out. Compress the clone into a zip or tar.gz and keep it on a drive you control, or in a store you choose. Open that archive before you delete the organization. A wiki is its own Git repository, so clone that too and compress it the same way. A migration archive is a different file. It leaves out Large File Storage objects, discussions, and packages, and GitHub documents no supported restore for it.
The cross-vendor checklist is what to do before canceling software when closing a business.
Run git clone --mirror with the repository URL so the clone includes the revision history.
Run git clone --mirror with the repository URL so the clone includes the revision history.If the repository uses Git Large File Storage, run git lfs fetch --all so those objects are included.
If the repository uses Git Large File Storage, run git lfs fetch --all so those objects are included.Compress the clone into a zip or tar.gz file and move it to a place you control.
Compress the clone into a zip or tar.gz file and move it to a place you control.Clone the wiki repository the same way, then compress that clone.
Clone the wiki repository the same way, then compress that clone.
Who can run the export
Anyone who can clone the repository can run the mirror clone. The command uses the repository URL, and it includes the revision history. The wiki uses the same kind of clone because GitHub stores the wiki as a repository. You can also use the REST API to build a migration archive, or a backup utility from GitHub Marketplace, when a clone is not the file you want. Deleting the organization is a different control. It sits in Settings, in the Danger zone, and it asks you to type the organization name before Cancel plan and delete the organization. Take the clone while that repository is still there.
What to keep from GitHub
A GitHub organization keeps the product as repository history, review comments, and the issues that tracked the work. The mirror clone is that history, including each file's revisions, not a flat copy of the latest tree. A licensed copy can keep the history and the wiki pages, and it can keep issues and pull requests you copied before the organization was deleted. Compress the clone and confirm it opens. Names, emails, phone numbers, customer and staff details, passwords, and legal files are removed before any copy is shared. A package that was deleted with the account is not in the clone unless you fetched it.
- Repository history from a mirror clone
- Wiki pages cloned as their own repository
- Issues and pull requests copied before the organization is deleted
Removed before sharing:
- Names, emails and phone numbers
- Customer and staff details
- Passwords and legal files
Read what data is shared when licensing company data before you decide which of the items below can stay.
Plan-specific caveats
A migration archive is not a full copy. It leaves out Git Large File Storage objects, discussions, and packages, and there is no supported way to restore that archive on GitHub. Use the mirror clone when you need the revision history back on a Git remote. You restore that clone by decompressing it and pushing it to a remote. If a public repository had heavy Actions use or a Marketplace action, deleting the account can retire that owner and repository name. A public container image with more than 5,000 downloads can have its name retired as well. Read those warnings on the deletion article before you confirm.
What a licensing program can use from anything else
A licensing program can keep repository history as the record of changes, reviews, and the issues tied to them.
Other tools keep a ticket queue or a ledger rather than a Git history. Read what happens to your Jira data when you stop paying, what happens to your Confluence data when you cancel, and what happens to your Notion data when you cancel.
GitHub is named on software and SaaS company data for AI research, and fintech company data for AI research.
Related
- What's shared
Which records can be licensed, which details never leave, and what you approve.
- How it works
The six steps from a short enquiry to payment, and how to stop.
Questions about GitHub cancellation
Can deleted GitHub data be recovered?
After you delete the organization, GitHub cannot restore the content. Copy repositories, wikis, issues, and projects first. You can restore a mirror clone by decompressing it and pushing the repository to a Git remote. A migration archive has no supported, documented restore on GitHub, so keep that file as an archive you hold elsewhere.
Do we need a paid GitHub plan to export everything?
A mirror clone copies the Git history. If the repository uses Git Large File Storage, run git lfs fetch --all or those objects stay out. A migration archive is a separate file. It leaves out Git Large File Storage objects, discussions, and packages. GitHub documents no supported way to restore that archive on GitHub.
Does downgrading a GitHub organization to Free delete the repositories?
The deletion article tells you to downgrade the organization to GitHub Free when you want to cancel a paid subscription without deleting the organization and its content. Deleting the organization is the action that permanently removes repositories, wikis, issues, and pull requests. GitHub cannot restore that content after the deletion. The 90 days that follow deletion apply to reuse of the organization name. Take a mirror clone before anyone confirms the deletion.
What does a GitHub migration archive leave out of the backup?
A migration archive leaves out Git Large File Storage objects, discussions, and packages. It is built for moving data between GitHub products, and GitHub documents no supported way to restore it, so it is only an archive you keep. A mirror clone is the backup that includes revision history. If the repository uses Git Large File Storage, run git lfs fetch --all after the clone or those objects stay out of the file.
Sources
- GitHub Docs. Deleting an organization account. Checked 2026-11-04
- GitHub Docs. Backing up a repository. Checked 2026-11-04