Before you cancel Salesforce.
A company has 30 days after its Salesforce contract ends to ask for its data. The scheduled export runs weekly only on some editions, and each export file is deleted 48 hours after Salesforce says it is ready.
Every claim below restates Salesforce’s own documentation (6 pages), with the passage it rests on. Re-checked against the live pages on October 29, 2026.
What happens to the data when you cancel Salesforce
The company has 30 days after its Salesforce contract ends or expires to ask Salesforce to make its data available for export or download; after that 30-day period Salesforce has no obligation to keep the data and will delete all copies unless legally prohibited.
Plans: All services under the online Main Services Agreement (SFDC-MSA, last updated September 1, 2026)
Salesforce’s words
Upon request by Customer made within 30 days after the effective date of termination or expiration of this Agreement, SFDC will make Customer Data available to Customer for export or download as provided in the Documentation. After such 30-day period, SFDC will have no obligation to maintain or provide any Customer Data, and as provided in the Documentation will thereafter delete or destroy all copies of Customer Data in its systems or otherwise in its possession or control, unless legally prohibited.
salesforce.com, read October 29, 2026
After all subscriptions on an org end, Salesforce keeps the data in inactive status for 120 days, then deletes it from production within 90 days and from backups within 180 days, and Salesforce reserves the right to shorten how long it keeps data after termination.
Plans: Sales Cloud, Service Cloud and the other Covered Services listed in the Salesforce Services Security, Privacy and Architecture document (published October 20, 2026)
Salesforce’s words
Except as otherwise stated below, after termination of all subscriptions associated with an environment, Customer Data submitted to the Covered Services is retained in inactive status within the Covered Services for 120 days, after which it is securely overwritten or deleted from production within 90 days, and from backups within 180 days. [...] Without limiting the ability for customers to request return of their Customer Data submitted to the Covered Services, Salesforce reserves the right to reduce the number of days it retains such data after contract termination.
salesforce.com, read October 29, 2026
For services running on Hyperforce, data can stay in inactive status for up to 120 days after all subscriptions end, is then deleted from production within 90 days, and is deleted from backups within 300 days of the subscriptions ending.
Plans: Sales Cloud, Service Cloud and the other services listed in the Hyperforce Security, Privacy and Architecture document, as operating on Hyperforce (published October 20, 2026)
Salesforce’s words
After termination of all subscriptions associated with any of the Covered Services (“Subscription Termination”), Customer Data submitted to the Covered Services may remain in inactive status for up to 120 days. After such period, Customer Data will be overwritten or deleted from production within 90 days. Customer Data will be deleted from backups within 300 days of Subscription Termination.
salesforce.com, read October 29, 2026
Who can export what, by plan
The Data Export Service exports all of an org's data; weekly exports are available in Enterprise, Performance and Unlimited Editions, monthly exports in every edition except Database.com, and Professional and Developer Editions can generate a backup only every 29 days.
Plans: Weekly: Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited. Monthly: all editions except Database.com
Salesforce’s words
Your Salesforce org can generate backup files of your data on a weekly or monthly basis depending on your edition. You can export all your org’s data into a set of comma-separated values (CSV) files. [...] Weekly export available in: Enterprise, Performance, and Unlimited Editions [...] Monthly export available in: All editions, except for Database.com [...] You can generate backup files manually once every 7 days (for weekly export) or 29 days (for monthly export). In Professional Edition and Developer Edition, you can generate backup files only every 29 days.
help.salesforce.com, read October 29, 2026
Running the export needs the Weekly Data Export permission, which by default only the System Administrator profile has.
Plans: all editions with Data Export
Salesforce’s words
To export data: Weekly Data Export [...] Users with the “Weekly Data Export” permission can view all exported data and all custom objects and fields in the Export Service page. This permission is granted by default only to the System Administrator profile because it enables wide visibility.
help.salesforce.com, read October 29, 2026
Images, documents, attachments, Salesforce Files and CRM Content are included only when the admin ticks those options, and formula and roll-up summary fields are always left out.
Plans: all editions with Data Export
Salesforce’s words
Select Include images, documents, and attachments and Include Salesforce Files and Salesforce CRM Content document versions to include these items in your export data. [...] Formula (derived) and roll-up summary fields are always excluded from exports.
help.salesforce.com, read October 29, 2026
What can stop or limit an export
Each export zip file is deleted 48 hours after Salesforce emails that it is ready, not counting weekends, so a file announced on a Friday is gone on Tuesday.
Plans: all editions with Data Export
Salesforce’s words
Zip files are deleted 48 hours after the email is sent (not including weekends). For example, if the email is sent on a Friday, the .Zip file is deleted on Tuesday.
help.salesforce.com, read October 29, 2026
Only active users can run export jobs; if an inactive user schedules an export, Salesforce sends error emails and the export does not run.
Plans: all editions with Data Export
Salesforce’s words
Only active users can run export jobs. If an inactive user schedules an export, error emails are generated and the export doesn’t run.
help.salesforce.com, read October 29, 2026
Files download one at a time with a 60 second wait between downloads, the export service does not work in sandboxes, and Chatter posts and comments are cut to 1000 characters.
Plans: all editions with Data Export
Salesforce’s words
Users can download files one at a time, with a 60 second wait between each download. [...] The data export service isn't supported in sandboxes. [...] For Chatter posts and comments, we export up to 1000 characters.
help.salesforce.com, read October 29, 2026
What the export looks like
The export arrives as a zip archive of CSV files, and a large org gets several zip files of up to about 512 MB each.
Plans: all editions with Data Export
Salesforce’s words
Salesforce creates a zip archive of CSV files and emails the user who scheduled the export when it’s ready. [...] Each .zip archive file contains one or more .csv files and can be up to 512 MB (approximately). If the total size of exported data is greater than 512 MB, the export generates multiple .zip files.
help.salesforce.com, read October 29, 2026
If the company asks within 30 days after the contract ends, Salesforce returns the data as downloadable CSV files with attachments in their native format, but only data the company has not already deleted and not data in a managed package the company already removed.
Plans: Sales Cloud, Service Cloud and the other Covered Services listed in the Salesforce Services Security, Privacy and Architecture document (published October 20, 2026)
Salesforce’s words
Within 30 days post contract termination, customers may request return of their respective Customer Data submitted to the Covered Services (to the extent such data has not been deleted by Customer, or if Customer has not already removed the managed package in which the Customer Data was stored). Salesforce shall provide such Customer Data via downloadable files in comma separated value (.csv) format and attachments in their native format.
salesforce.com, read October 29, 2026
What is deleted while you still pay
Deleted records stay in the Recycle Bin for 15 days and can be restored during that time; after 15 days Salesforce schedules them for permanent deletion.
Plans: Lightning Experience: Group, Essentials, Professional, Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited, and Developer Editions
Salesforce’s words
Deleted items remain in the Recycle Bin for 15 days, and during that time users can restore them. After 15 days, Salesforce schedules these items for permanent deletion from the Recycle Bin. Salesforce doesn’t guarantee the exact time that the Recycle Bin permanently deletes these items.
help.salesforce.com, read October 29, 2026
When Field Audit Trail is turned off, Salesforce keeps field change history for up to 18 months, and up to 24 months through the API.
Plans: Contact Manager, Group, Essentials, Professional, Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited, Developer, and Database.com Editions
Salesforce’s words
When Field Audit Trail is turned off, Salesforce retains field history data for up to 18 months, and up to 24 months via the API. If Field Audit Trail is turned on, Salesforce retains field history data until you manually delete it.
help.salesforce.com, read October 29, 2026
Those records are worth money before they are deleted.
AI labs license company records like your Salesforce history. Runbook Partners values them, finds the buyers and runs the deal, and the buyer pays our fee. We sign an NDA before we see any data.
Plans and contracts vary, and vendors change these pages without notice. Check the linked page before you act on any of this. Nothing here is legal advice.