To stop using MaxCompute and end billing, choose the path that matches your situation:
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Delete a project — immediately stops billing and permanently destroys all project data. Do this when you no longer need the data.
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Deactivate a service — unsubscribes from a pay-as-you-go or subscription quota. Do this when you want to stop the service entirely while keeping the option to reactivate.
Resource release
MaxCompute releases resources in two ways: a manual delete or an automatic reclaim.
Delete a project manually
Delete a project from the MaxCompute console. After deletion, all resources are released and billing stops immediately.
Deleting a project permanently destroys all its data. This action cannot be undone. Back up any data you need before proceeding.
For the full deletion procedure, see Delete a table or a MaxCompute project.
Automatic resource reclaim
MaxCompute automatically reclaims resources when any of the following occurs:
| Trigger | What happens |
|---|---|
| Overdue payment | If your Alibaba Cloud account balance remains overdue for 15 days, MaxCompute deletes the project and all its data. Topping up within the 15-day window prevents reclaim. |
| Subscription expiration | The project is released when the subscription term ends. |
| Online refund | Resources are released immediately upon refund approval and cannot be recovered. |
For details on overdue payment rules, see the overdue payment policy.
Service deactivation
Deactivate a service from the Overview page of the MaxCompute console.
Deactivate a pay-as-you-go service
Pay-as-you-go billing is usage-based: no charges apply when the project is empty, no data is downloaded, and no compute jobs are running. If you stop using a pay-as-you-go service, the simplest option is to back up your data and delete the project — billing stops immediately without a formal deactivation step.
If you still want to formally deactivate the pay-as-you-go service, complete the prerequisites below before proceeding.
Prerequisites
Before you deactivate a pay-as-you-go service, make sure the following conditions are met:
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Standard Edition: No projects or other quotas (subscription or pay-as-you-go off-peak resources) exist in the region.
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Off-peak Edition: The computing quota is not associated with any projects.
Unsubscribe from a pay-as-you-go service
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Log in to the MaxCompute console and select the target region in the upper-left corner.
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In the left navigation pane, click Overview.
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In the Actions column for the target paid instance, click
> Unsubscribe. In the dialog box that appears, click OK.
After the service is deactivated, you can activate it again if needed.
Deactivate a subscription service
To unsubscribe from a subscription service, submit a ticket. For refund eligibility and rules, see Unsubscription rules.
Prerequisites
If your project's default compute resource is the subscription service, switch it to a pay-as-you-go resource or another instance before submitting the ticket. Deactivating the subscription service without switching may delete the project or block compute jobs. See Switch between billing methods for instructions.
Impact of deactivation
The impact depends on which services are active in the same region.
| Activated services in the region | Default compute resource | Impact | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Only subscription | Subscription | The project is deleted and cannot be recovered. Data is permanently deleted within 30 days. | Delete the project if you no longer need it. |
| Both subscription and pay-as-you-go Standard Edition | Subscription | Chinese mainland regions: Project status and data are unaffected, but you cannot run compute jobs. China (Hong Kong) and regions outside the Chinese mainland: The project is released. Data is permanently deleted within 30 days and cannot be recovered. | Before deactivating, switch the default compute resource to a pay-as-you-go resource or another instance. See Switch between billing methods. |
What's next
For answers to common billing questions, see Billing FAQ.