Leaving should be straightforward. The only thing that can go wrong is losing data, so save it first.
1. Save everything you want to keep
Once an account is terminated, its data is permanently deleted.
- Everything at once: create a full backup and download it. How to create and download a full account backup
- Email: a mail app connected over IMAP keeps a local copy. How to back up your email
- Databases: export each one from phpMyAdmin as well, as a second copy. How to export a database (backup with phpMyAdmin)
Open the downloads and check they contain what you expect.
2. If you’re moving to another host
Do it in this order to avoid downtime:
- Set the site and mailboxes up at the new host and test them.
- Change your nameservers or DNS records to the new host.
- Wait until the site and email are working from the new host.
- Only then cancel here.
Cancelling before DNS has moved takes your site and email offline in the gap.
3. Cancel
- Cancel from the client area. Request cancellation on your hosting service. Do this if you’ve added a payment method, so nothing further is charged.
- Or let it lapse. Without a stored payment method nothing can be charged, and an unpaid invoice ends the service on the published timetable. How billing works
Your domain
Cancelling hosting doesn’t affect your domain registration. It stays with your registrar, and you can point it anywhere.
Coming back
You’re welcome to. A terminated account can’t be restored, so you’d start a new account and restore the backup you downloaded.