Canceling your AWS account stops all charges and removes your data from Amazon's servers

To cancel an AWS account, you log into the AWS Management Console, go to Account Settings, and select the option to close the account. Amazon will ask you to confirm the closure and may prompt you to read your data first. Once confirmed, your account closes within a few minutes, and billing stops when ready. However, some resources — like Route 53 domain registrations — may continue to incur charges even after account closure, so you need to handle those separately before you close.

The process itself takes about five minutes, but the preparation can take longer depending on what you have running. If you have active databases, storage buckets, or running instances, you should delete or export those first. Amazon will not automatically delete your data when you close the account; you have to do it yourself or request it beforehand.

Key Takeaways

  • Log into AWS Management Console, navigate to Account Settings under your account name, and select Close Account to start the closure process.
  • Delete or export all active resources — EC2 instances, S3 buckets, RDS databases, and Lambda functions — before closing, or they will remain in a suspended state and may still generate charges.
  • Route 53 domain registrations and some other services continue billing even after account closure, so cancel those separately through their own settings pages.
  • read your billing history and any data you need to keep before closing, because AWS deletes account records 90 days after closure.
  • After you confirm closure, the account closes within a few minutes and you stop being charged, but you cannot reopen the same account number.

What happens to your data and billing when you close

When you close an AWS account, billing stops on the day you confirm the closure. However, you are responsible for deleting your own resources first. If you leave an EC2 instance running, an RDS database active, or data in an S3 bucket, those resources enter a suspended state but may still generate charges depending on the service. Amazon does not automatically clean up after you.

Your account data — including billing history, access logs, and configuration records — stays in AWS systems for 90 days after closure. After 90 days, AWS deletes it permanently. If you need billing records for taxes or accounting, read them before you close. You can find your billing history under Billing and Cost Management in the console.

If you have a linked AWS Organization (where your account is part of a larger structure), closing one member account does not affect the others. However, if you are the management account for an organization, you must remove all member accounts first before you can close the management account itself.

Step-by-step: Deleting resources before closure

Before you close your account, go through each AWS service you have used and remove active resources. Start with the most expensive ones: EC2 instances, RDS databases, and S3 buckets. You can find a list of what is running by going to the AWS Management Console and checking each service's dashboard.

For EC2 instances, go to the EC2 dashboard, select Instances, check the boxes next to any running instances, and click Terminate. For RDS databases, go to the RDS dashboard, select Databases, choose the database you want to delete, and click Delete. For S3 buckets, go to S3, select each bucket, and click Delete Bucket (you may need to empty it first if it contains objects).

For Lambda functions, go to Lambda, select each function, and click Delete. For CloudFormation stacks, go to CloudFormation, select the stack, and click Delete Stack. If you have Elastic IPs that are not attached to instances, release them in the EC2 dashboard under Elastic IPs. Unattached Elastic IPs generate small monthly charges even when instances are stopped.

After you delete the major resources, check Billing and Cost Management to see if there are any other active charges. Some services like CloudWatch, SNS, or SQS may have small ongoing costs if you have configured them. Delete or disable anything you do not need.

Handling Route 53 domains and other persistent services

Route 53 domain registrations are one of the few AWS services that continue to bill after account closure. If you registered a domain through Route 53, you must either transfer it to another registrar or let it expire before you close your account. To transfer a domain, go to Route 53, select the domain, and follow the transfer process. The domain will move to the new registrar, and Route 53 will stop billing you.

If you want to let the domain expire instead, do nothing — it will expire on its renewal date, and you will not be charged again. However, if you want to keep the domain, transfer it first. The transfer process usually takes a few days and may require you to unlock the domain and obtain an authorization code from Route 53.

Check other services that may have ongoing subscriptions or commitments: AWS Support plans, Reserved Instances, Savings Plans, and Marketplace subscriptions. You can cancel AWS Support by going to Support in the console and selecting your plan. Reserved Instances and Savings Plans cannot be canceled, but they will stop generating new charges after their term ends. Marketplace subscriptions can be canceled through the AWS Marketplace dashboard.

The account closure process in the console

Once you have deleted your resources, log into the AWS Management Console with your account credentials. In the top right corner, click on your account name and select Account. Scroll down to the bottom of the Account Settings page and look for the Close Account button. Click it.

AWS will show you a confirmation screen that lists any remaining resources or charges. Read this carefully — if there are still active resources, AWS will tell you what they are. You can go back and delete them, or you can proceed with closure anyway (though you may still be charged for those resources). Enter your account ID to confirm, then click Close Account.

After you confirm, AWS closes the account within a few minutes. You will receive a confirmation email at the address associated with the account. You will no longer be able to log in with that account, and all access keys and temporary credentials become invalid when ready.

What you cannot do after closure

Once your account is closed, you cannot reopen it with the same account number. If you want to use AWS again, you must create a new account with a new email address or a different payment method. You cannot recover a closed account, and AWS does not restore closed accounts under any circumstances.

You also cannot access any data that was stored in your account after closure. If you did not read or export your data before closing, it is gone. This includes databases, files in S3, configuration backups, and any other resources. For this reason, it is critical to read or export anything you need before you start the closure process.

If you have AWS credits or promotional codes that have not been used, they expire when your account closes. AWS does not refund unused credits or provide compensation for them. If you have significant credits remaining, consider whether you want to use them before closing.

Reasons to close versus suspend

Closing your account is permanent and irreversible. Before you close, consider whether you actually want to close or whether you just want to stop being charged. If you think you might use AWS again in the future, you have other options: you can delete all your resources to stop charges without closing the account, or you can straightforward not use the account and let it sit idle.

An idle account with no resources running does not generate charges. You can log back in anytime and start using it again. This is useful if you are taking a break from AWS but might return later. Closing is the right choice only if you are certain you will not need the account again and you want to remove your data from AWS servers entirely.

If you are closing because of cost concerns, first check your billing dashboard to see what is actually costing money. Sometimes a single forgotten resource — an unattached Elastic IP, a small RDS instance, or a CloudWatch alarm — is responsible for most of the charge. Deleting just that resource might be enough to bring your costs down without closing the entire account.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I reopen my AWS account after I close it?

No. Once you close an AWS account, you cannot reopen it. If you want to use AWS again, you must create a new account. You can use the same email address for a new account after 90 days have passed since closure.

What happens to my billing if I close mid-month?

Billing stops on the day you close your account. You are not charged for the rest of the month. If you have already been charged for the current month, that charge remains on your account, but no new charges will accrue after closure.

Do I need to contact AWS support to close my account?

No. You can close your account yourself through the AWS Management Console without contacting support. The Close Account button is in Account Settings. However, if you have questions about what will happen to specific resources, you can contact AWS Support before you close.

What if I have an AWS Organization with multiple accounts?

If your account is a member of an organization, you can close it without affecting other accounts. If you are the management account, you must remove all member accounts from the organization first, then close the management account separately.

Will closing my account affect my credit card or payment method?

Closing your AWS account does not affect your credit card or payment method. The card remains valid for other services. AWS straightforward stops charging it. You can remove the payment method from your AWS account if you want, but that is a separate step from closing the account.