The provided reference explains how to cancel a Google Workspace subscription through the Google Admin console, which would prevent further billing and essentially disable the services associated with that subscription. If you are looking to disable your Google Cloud Platform (GCP) account, the process is slightly different. This response addresses both scenarios.
Disabling a Google Workspace Subscription
This process is for cancelling a paid Google Workspace subscription. If you only use free Google services (like Gmail), you don't need to take these steps.
Here’s how to cancel a Google Workspace subscription, based on the provided reference:
- Sign in to your Google Admin console: Use an account with super administrator privileges (an account that doesn't end in @gmail.com).
- Navigate to Billing: In the Admin console, go to Menu > Billing > Subscriptions.
- Select the Subscription: Click on the specific subscription you want to cancel.
- Cancel the Subscription: Click Cancel Subscription.
- Confirm: Click Continue to finalize the cancellation.
Disabling a Google Cloud Platform (GCP) Project
To stop incurring charges, you need to disable the Google Cloud project(s) you are using. This is different from simply cancelling a Google Workspace subscription.
Here’s how to shut down a GCP project:
- Go to the Google Cloud Console: Navigate to the Google Cloud Console.
- Select the Project: From the project selector at the top, choose the project you want to disable. Important: Ensure you are disabling the correct project!
- Navigate to IAM & Admin > Settings: In the left-hand navigation menu, go to IAM & Admin, and then click Settings.
- Shut Down: Click the SHUT DOWN button.
- Confirm: A confirmation screen will appear. Type the project ID (or project name depending on the prompt) to confirm, and then click SHUT DOWN.
Important Considerations:
- Data Loss: Shutting down a project immediately stops all running resources and deletes the project 30 days after you request the shutdown. All data and resources within the project will be unrecoverable after that 30 day period. Make sure to back up any data you need before shutting down the project.
- Billing: Cancelling a subscription or shutting down a project stops further charges, but you are still responsible for any outstanding charges incurred before the cancellation or shutdown.
- Reactivation: Within the 30-day deletion window, you may be able to restore the project. After the deletion window, the project name becomes available again, but the contents are permanently gone.
- Multiple Projects: If you have multiple GCP projects, you'll need to disable each one individually.
In summary, disabling Google Cloud depends on what you specifically want to disable. Cancelling a Google Workspace subscription is different from shutting down Google Cloud Platform projects.
