Are you thinking about closing your Google Cloud account?
We understand; you may be exhausted, or you might have found a better alternative, or you want to clean up online stuff.
Then it is the best choice to delete the cloud account to avoid any charges in the future.
Surely we’re going to help you through a step-by-step guide. Let’s get started.
By the way, you can try Kamatera for free for 30 days, an ideal substitute for GCP if you need a change. The cloud offers enterprise-grade infrastructure with 2.7 GHz Intel Xeon chips, SSDs, storage, and 10 GBPS port speed for small to large projects.
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How to Cancel Google Cloud Account
Before proceeding, you must be aware that you’re going to close all services, volumes, projects, etc. All the data will be lost, and you won’t be able to restore it.
So make an offsite backup or download a full backup to your PC, whatever you feel comfortable with.
Now let’s initiate the process.
1. Sign in to Google Cloud Console
2. Now search for account management and click it. It will lead to your billing account.
3. Click on overview to know any outstanding amount. If some amount is pending, please make a full payment.
4. Go to account management; find it at the bottom in the sidebar.
5. Hit close billing account over the top, write close, and hit close billing account again.
You should see, “This billing account is closed. Reopen it to continue using linked projects.”
6. If there is any project, you need to disable it. Choose the disable option from actions. You will find now there is no project.
7. Now refresh the browser; the window will show “This project has no billing account.”
The billing account has been successfully disabled, so you won’t see any charges in the future.
But whenever you would like to use GCP, you can enable a billing account and deploy your projects.
How To Cancel Google Cloud Free Trial
Cancelling the trial is easier than the earlier process. You need to just disable
Billing account for linked projects.
1. Log in to Google Cloud Console.
2. On left sidebar, go to billings
3. Click Billing account managed (Free trial) through the three dots at the top right side.
4. Now your linked projects will appear. Disable billing from the actions option.
There are no projects linked to the billing account.
The message, if you see it. You have cancelled the trial and no future charges will occur.
How To Get Instant Refund From Google Cloud
Google Cloud sanctions refunds for various cases, but not for all.
You might get a refund.
1. Early Payment – if you make a payment and maintain a balance in GCP, then you’re eligible to receive a refund.
2. Unused Credit – if you cancel all GCP subscriptions and have a remaining credit, you can get it back.
Google doesn’t allow refunds for promotional credit, outstanding balance, and Google Cloud Storage plans.
Now follow the steps
1. First of all, cancel all subscriptions.
2. Open a support ticket with cloud identity support.
3. If you want a refund for over $1000, you may need to provide a copy of your bank statement.
The GCP team will take time, around 4 weeks. They will process and credit back your amount through your last payment method.
Alternative
Kamatera has done a tremendous job in recent years. They have heavily invested in improving their cloud server performance, security, and reliability.
We noticed the result-oriented changes in our independent test, as their server was able to achieve God-level 100% uptime and TTFB ~20 ms.
Diagonal scaling is their core identity, and 100+ one-click apps assist beginners in launching their first web property on the cloud. These two features eliminate the need for developers and allow you to choose exactly what resource you need.
You will find a cloud firewall, DDoS protection, and disaster recovery management protecting you from the front.
Moreover, if you get stuck somewhere, their support on calls, email, and live chat is ready to help you.
FAQ
1. Why should I close my Google Cloud account instead of leaving it inactive?
Leaving a Google Cloud account idle isn’t risk-free. Even if you don’t actively use it, resources like storage buckets, VM snapshots, or reserved IPs can keep incurring charges in the background. Closing the account ensures no surprise bills land in your inbox.
2. Will I lose all my data if I delete my Google Cloud account?
Yes. Once you close your billing account and disable projects, everything tied to it—VMs, databases, storage volumes, and snapshots—gets permanently deleted. Before taking the step, make an offsite backup to your local PC or another provider. Once deleted, Google does not provide recovery.
3. How do I properly cancel my Google Cloud account to avoid future charges?
Here’s the safe path I recommend as a long-time VPS user:
- Log in to Google Cloud Console
- Head to Account Management → Billing.
- Check your Overview and clear any outstanding balance.
- Select Close Billing Account, confirm by typing close, and finalize.
- Disable all projects under Actions → Disable.
- Refresh—you should now see “This project has no billing account.”
- At this stage, your billing account is closed and no future charges will occur.
4. Can I get a refund from Google Cloud after closing my account?
Google Cloud offers refunds in limited cases:
- ✅ Prepaid balance not yet consumed
- ✅ Unused credit after canceling subscriptions
But note: promotional credits, outstanding dues, and prepaid Google Cloud Storage plans are non-refundable.
To request a refund:
- Cancel all active subscriptions.
- Open a ticket with Google Cloud Identity support.
- For refunds over $1,000, you may need to provide a bank statement.
Expect a processing time of around 4 weeks, with the refund going back to your last payment method.
5. What’s a good alternative if I leave Google Cloud?
If you’re done with Google Cloud but still need enterprise-grade hosting, Kamatera is an excellent alternative. Here’s why seasoned professionals lean toward it:
- Free 30-Day Trial with $100 credit
- 2.7 GHz Intel Xeon processors, SSD storage, and 10 Gbps port speed
- 100+ one-click apps for quick deployment (WordPress, cPanel, Docker, etc.)
- Diagonal scaling lets you add or remove resources without downtime
- Firewall, DDoS protection, and disaster recovery included
- True 24/7 live support via phone, chat, or email
In our independent testing, Kamatera servers delivered near 100% uptime and a lightning-fast ~20ms TTFB, making it a strong option if you want reliability without Google Cloud’s headaches.
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