---
title: "Downgrades and the grace period"
description: "A downgrade over the new limits makes the workspace read-only and deletes nothing, and a failed payment starts a 14-day grace period before any restriction."
---

> Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.overlane.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Downgrades and the grace period

Overlane never deletes your data because of a plan change or a payment problem. The worst outcome is a read-only workspace: everything can be read, nothing can be written, and the way out is always open.

## Downgrading over the limits

Moving to a smaller plan, or letting a paid plan end, can leave you over the new limits, for example more projects than Free holds. The workspace then becomes read-only:

- reads, exports and the billing screens keep working;
- writes that create or change project data are refused with a message saying so;
- nothing is deleted, and buying a plan whose limits hold your data lifts it at once.

```sh
overlane billing plan --plan free --dry-run
overlane billing status
```

`billing plan` shows what is over the limit before anything changes. A move to Free takes effect at the end of the period you already paid for.

## When a payment fails

The first failed payment on an invoice starts a grace period of 14 days. During it everything works. You get a notice at once, and reminders when 7 days and 2 days are left. Later failed attempts neither restart nor extend the period.

Only when the grace period ends does the workspace become read-only, as above. Paying the open invoice ends the grace period or lifts the restriction straight away, and the notices stay on record.

```sh
overlane billing status
overlane billing portal
```

`billing portal` opens Stripe's page to update the card.

Source: https://docs.overlane.app/billing/downgrades-and-grace/index.mdx