# I uninstalled the app, Can I Restore My Products and Files?

Uninstalling Big Digital Download has consequences that go further than most store owners expect, because the app does not just store settings, **it stores the actual files your customers pay to download.** If you have already uninstalled, or you are thinking about doing it as a troubleshooting step, please read this first.

## What Happens the Moment You Uninstall Big Digital Download

The second the app is removed in Shopify, several things happen automatically, and most of them cannot be reversed:

* **Your subscription is canceled immediately.** Shopify ties every app subscription to the install status of the app. This is not something we can stop, it is built into Shopify's billing system.
* **Every digital product you configured stops delivering.** New customers who purchase a digital product will not receive their files. The automated email will not go out. The download buttons on the Thank You page and customer account page stop working.
* **Past customers lose access to their downloads.** Anyone who previously bought a digital product and still relies on the download link can no longer retrieve their files. This is the part that usually causes the biggest customer service mess.
* **All your uploaded files are flagged for deletion.** Every file you uploaded to the app, PDFs, zips, videos, license key inventories, everything, is queued to be permanently removed from our storage.
* **License keys, email templates, and product configurations are queued for deletion too.**

## Is It Possible to Restore My Data?

Yes, but only within a very narrow window.

{% hint style="warning" %}
**You have 48 hours.** If you reinstall Big Digital Download within 48 hours of uninstallation, your data is still on our servers and is restored automatically when you log back in. This includes your digital products, uploaded files, license keys, email templates, and delivery settings.
{% endhint %}

After 48 hours, the data is permanently gone. Your uploaded files in particular are deleted from storage and there is no backup we can restore from. You would need to re-upload every single file and rebuild every product from scratch.

{% hint style="info" %}
**This 48-hour window is not our choice.** It is a Shopify Partners policy requiring all apps to permanently delete customer data after uninstallation. We are legally required to comply. Learn more about [Shopify's privacy law compliance](https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/build/compliance/privacy-law-compliance#shop-redact).
{% endhint %}

## What About My Subscription?

If you had paid time remaining on your plan when you uninstalled, you may be eligible for a partial refund for the unused portion. Contact us through live chat or email and we will review your case.

{% hint style="info" %}
**Reinstalling does not reactivate the previous subscription.** When you log back in, you will need to select a plan again, and billing starts fresh from that moment.
{% endhint %}

## Please Do Not Uninstall as a Troubleshooting Step

This is the part we really want you to read.

We see store owners uninstall Big Digital Download hoping a fresh install will fix a delivery issue, a failed email, or a download link that does not work. **It almost never fixes anything.** What it does is put you in a much worse position: your customers stop receiving their files, your past customers lose access to what they bought, and you have 48 hours to notice before everything is permanently deleted.

If something is not working, **open the live chat inside the app**. We have tools on our side to diagnose delivery failures, bandwidth issues, and file-specific problems that a reinstall would never solve.

## Best Practices

**If you just want to stop being charged, cancel your plan instead of uninstalling.** Canceling keeps all your files and products intact, stops the billing, and avoids the 48-hour deletion window. You can reactivate any time without re-uploading a single file.

**Keep local copies of your source files.** Even if nothing ever goes wrong, it is always good practice to have the original PDFs, zips, videos, and license key lists on your own computer. Rebuilding from local copies is always faster than contacting us for emergency recovery.

**Contact us before doing anything drastic.** If a customer is complaining about a failed download, or a product is not delivering, talk to us first. We can usually resolve it in minutes without you touching the app install.


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