How to Cancel Your
DigitalOcean Subscription
Migrating your infrastructure? Destroy your Droplets and close your DigitalOcean account -- but back up your data first since deletions are permanent.
Quick Overview
Difficulty
MediumTime
~5 minutes
Method
Control Panel
Refund
Pay-as-you-go
Cancel DigitalOcean via Control Panel
Log in to your DigitalOcean account
Go to cloud.digitalocean.com and sign in. Review your dashboard to see all active resources (Droplets, databases, Kubernetes clusters, Spaces, load balancers, etc.).
Back up your data and destroy all resources
Download any data you need from your Droplets and Spaces. Then destroy each resource individually -- Droplets, databases, load balancers, Kubernetes clusters, and Spaces. Billing stops as each resource is deleted.
Go to Account Settings
Click on Settings in the left sidebar (or navigate to cloud.digitalocean.com/account). Scroll down to find the Deactivate Account section at the bottom of the page.
Deactivate your account
Click Deactivate Account and follow the prompts. You must have destroyed all resources first. A final invoice for any remaining usage will be charged to your payment method on file.
Just Want to Stop Billing Without Closing?
You do not have to close your account to stop charges. Simply destroy all active resources and your bill will be zero.
Destroy Droplets
- 1. Go to Droplets in the sidebar
- 2. Click on the Droplet name
- 3. Click Destroy in the left menu
- 4. Click Destroy this Droplet
- 5. Type the Droplet name to confirm
Cancel Other Resources
- 1. Delete Managed Databases
- 2. Destroy Kubernetes clusters
- 3. Delete Spaces (object storage)
- 4. Remove Load Balancers
- 5. Delete volumes and snapshots
What Happens After You Cancel DigitalOcean?
Billing stops immediately per resource
DigitalOcean bills hourly. The moment you destroy a Droplet or other resource, billing stops for that specific resource. You only pay for actual compute time used.
Data is permanently deleted
When you destroy a Droplet, all data on it is permanently removed. There is no recycle bin or undo option. Always create backups or snapshots before destroying resources.
Final invoice is charged automatically
Your final bill for any usage during the current month will be charged to your payment method. Check your billing page to see any outstanding charges before deactivating.
Domain DNS records are removed
If you used DigitalOcean for DNS, your DNS records will be deleted when you close your account. Transfer your DNS to another provider (like Cloudflare) before deactivating.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I get a refund when I cancel DigitalOcean?
DigitalOcean uses pay-as-you-go billing, so there is nothing to refund. You are only charged for the hours your resources were active. Destroying resources immediately stops further charges.
Can I keep my account open without being charged?
Yes. An account with zero active resources costs nothing. You can keep your account open for future use without any ongoing charges.
What if I have reserved IPs or floating IPs?
Reserved IPs that are not assigned to a Droplet still incur charges. Make sure to release any reserved IPs before deactivating your account to avoid unexpected billing.
Can I reactivate my DigitalOcean account later?
Once deactivated, your account cannot be reactivated. You would need to create a new account. If you think you might return, consider just destroying all resources instead of deactivating.
Do snapshots cost money even if my Droplet is destroyed?
Yes. Snapshots are billed separately at a per-GB monthly rate. Delete any snapshots you no longer need to avoid ongoing charges even after destroying the associated Droplet.
Related Cancellation Guides
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