How to Cancel GitHub - Step by Step Guide

How to Cancel Your GitHub Subscription

A clear guide to downgrading or cancelling your GitHub Team or Enterprise plan - what happens to your private repositories, which collaborators lose access, and how Actions minutes change on the free plan.

Before You Cancel GitHub

Three things to check before you start the GitHub cancellation process.

  1. Check your private repository access. The GitHub free plan allows unlimited private repos for individuals and up to 3 collaborators per private repo for organizations. If your team or organization has private repos with more than 3 collaborators, those collaborators will lose access when you downgrade.
  2. Review your GitHub Actions usage. Paid plans include more GitHub Actions minutes per month. On the free plan, public repos get unlimited minutes but private repos are limited to 2,000 minutes/month. If you run CI/CD on private repos, factor this into your decision.
  3. For organization plans, only organization owners can change billing. Check your role before attempting to access billing.

How to Cancel GitHub - Step by Step

These steps apply to GitHub Team and Enterprise plans. Billing changes are made through the GitHub web app at github.com.

  1. 1
    Sign in to github.com

    Go to github.com and sign in with the organization owner account.

  2. 2
    Go to your organization settings or billing settings

    For organization plans: click your organization's profile picture, then Settings. For personal plans: click your personal avatar, then Settings > Billing and plans.

  3. 3
    Navigate to Plans and usage or Billing

    In Settings, find "Plans and usage" to see your current plan and usage.

  4. 4
    Click Downgrade to Free or manage your subscription

    Click "Edit plan" or "Downgrade" to begin the process of reverting to the GitHub free plan.

  5. 5
    Confirm the downgrade

    GitHub will show you exactly which features and collaborator limits change. Confirm and the change takes effect at the end of your current billing cycle.

What About Your Other Subscriptions?

Cancelling GitHub is a good moment to review your full SaaS stack. Most teams discover 2-4 subscriptions they had forgotten about once they do a proper audit. CostLoop is a free subscription tracker that gives you one dashboard for every tool you pay for - renewal dates, costs, owners, and cancellation links all in one place. Free plan tracks up to 5 subscriptions, no credit card required.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What happens to my GitHub repositories when I cancel?

All repositories (public and private) are preserved. On the free organization plan, private repositories are limited to 3 outside collaborators. Team members who are organization members can still access repos based on their role. No code is deleted when you downgrade.

Does GitHub offer refunds when you cancel?

GitHub does not offer prorated refunds on annual organization plans. Your paid plan continues until the end of the subscription period. Monthly plans stop billing at the end of the current month. For billing disputes, contact GitHub Support.

What does the GitHub free plan include?

GitHub Free for organizations includes unlimited public and private repositories, 2,000 GitHub Actions minutes per month (private repos), 500MB of GitHub Packages storage, GitHub Issues and Projects, and community support. It does not include advanced security features, required reviewers, protected branches for private repos, or SAML single sign-on.

Can I keep GitHub Copilot if I cancel my GitHub Team plan?

GitHub Copilot is a separate subscription from your repository plan. Cancelling GitHub Team does not automatically cancel Copilot. You need to cancel Copilot separately from your personal or organization billing settings if you no longer want it.

Keep Track of Every Subscription You Still Pay For

After cancelling GitHub, make sure you know exactly what else is renewing and when. CostLoop shows you all your subscriptions, their costs, and upcoming renewal dates in one simple dashboard.

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