Transfer, archive, delete or export an organization

Hand ownership over, name who takes over if you cannot, freeze an organization, delete it and bring it back within 30 days, or export everything.

In short

Every organization has one owner. Only the owner hands ownership over, names a successor, deletes the organization or exports everything. An organization can be archived (frozen) and restored, and a deleted one can be brought back for 30 days.

Before you start

• Who: only the owner hands ownership over, names a successor, deletes the organization or exports everything. Archiving needs "Change organization settings".
• Plan: deleting ends a paid plan at once, and unused time is not refunded automatically.
• First: export everything if anyone may need the records later.

Steps

1. As the owner, open Settings › Ownership and choose who under "Hand over ownership".
2. An administrator takes it at once. For anyone else, choose "Offer ownership": you stay the owner until they accept, and you can withdraw the offer.
3. The person sees "Offered to you" on their Organizations page, with "Accept ownership" or "Decline".

1. Under Settings › Danger zone, choose "Archive organization" first.
2. As the owner, choose "Delete organization" and type its name to confirm.

1. Within 30 days, open "Deleted organizations" on your Organizations page and choose "Restore". It comes back archived.
2. In its Danger zone, choose "Restore organization" to work in it again.

Name who takes over if you can no longer act

Under "If you can no longer act", the owner names an administrator who could take over today. While named, only the owner can lower, pause or remove them, and the name clears itself if they leave or stop being an administrator.

If the owner's account is closed or suspended, or they have not signed in anywhere for 90 days, a 14-day notice starts. The owner is emailed and every administrator is told. Any sign-in by the owner calls it off. When the notice runs out, ownership passes to the named successor. With nobody named, nothing passes by itself - an owner of five or more people with no successor is reminded on Home.

Good to know

• The owner cannot be removed and is always an administrator. A new owner becomes an administrator; the old one keeps the administrator role.
• An ownership offer ends after seven days, and at once if their membership or the organization changes.
• Leaving as the owner hands ownership to an administrator in the same step. See /help/organizations/members-and-leaving.
• Archiving freezes the organization: members keep read access, it shows Archived, every change is refused, its ways in stop and open vacancies close. They stay closed after "Restore organization".
• From the moment of deletion nobody can open it and its ways in stop answering. A paid plan ends at once, and unused time is not refunded automatically.
• A restored organization comes back with its people, teams and things as they were and without a plan. After 30 days every row of it is erased for good.

Export first if you may need the data After the 30 days nothing can be brought back. Export everything before you delete if anyone may need the records later.

Export everything

"Export everything", for the owner, builds one archive of the organization. It holds a folder per module with its records as JSON and CSV and its files, a manifest, and the members' names and addresses. It never holds a secret or anyone's personal workspace.

• It is built in the background; you are told in your inbox and by email when it is ready.
• The download works for 7 days, for you, signed in.
• One export a day. The export is recorded in Activity.

If something goes wrong

• "Delete organization" is not offered: archive the organization first, and only the owner can delete.
• The person you chose does not get ownership at once: they are not an administrator, so it is an offer they must accept.
• "Restore" is gone from Deleted organizations: more than 30 days have passed.
• You cannot export twice: one export a day is allowed.

Related

• /help/organizations/members-and-leaving
• /help/organizations/activity-log
• /help/settings/plans-and-subscription