You can cancel your Ancestry membership or trial at any time. Canceling does not delete your family trees, DNA results, or Ancestry account. Once your membership expires, your account becomes a free Registered Guest account. To learn more, read Ancestry Accounts after Cancellation.
Canceling an Ancestry membership or trial
Canceling your membership turns off automatic renewal and prevents future charges. Follow the steps below until you receive a cancellation confirmation number. If you have multiple memberships, repeat the steps for each one.
- Go to Account Settings.
- Under the Membership section, find the membership you want to cancel and select Cancel membership or Cancel trial.
- Follow the prompts.
- Continue until you receive a cancellation confirmation number. You'll also receive a cancellation confirmation email.
Important: Keep your confirmation number or email for your records.
If you don’t see “Cancel membership” or “Cancel trial”
You may not see these options if:
- You have a free a Registered Guest account that doesn’t require cancellation.
- You have a gift membership that doesn’t automatically renew and, therefore, doesn't require cancellation.
- You’re an invited member of a family plan that you didn’t purchase. Only the person who purchased the family plan can cancel it. To leave a family plan, read leaving a family plan.
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You have more than one Ancestry account. If you’ve been charged but don't see a paid membership in your account settings or recent charges in your order history, you may have more than one Ancestry account. Contact us to locate any other accounts that may be billing you.
Canceling memberships with our other brands
If your Archives, Newspapers.com, or Fold3 membership is included with your Ancestry membership, canceling your Ancestry membership also ends access to those brands.
If you purchased a membership directly from Archives, Newspapers.com, or Fold3, follow the cancellation instructions for that brand:
Frequently asked questions
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Can I use my membership after I cancel?
Yes. If you cancel before your current membership period ends, you can continue using your membership benefits until the expiration date. Canceling turns off automatic renewal; it doesn't immediately end your current membership period.
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How do I know my membership or trial was successfully canceled?
You’ll know your membership or trial is canceled when you receive a cancellation confirmation number on screen or by email. If you didn’t get one, try repeating the cancellation steps.
You can also check your Account settings to see your membership status, billing details, expiration date, and confirm the cancellation. For help, check out Finding Your Membership Status and Billing Details on Ancestry. If your membership is still active and you need help canceling, contact us.
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What happens to Pro Tools if I cancel my family history membership?
Pro Tools needs an active family history membership. If you cancel your family history membership, you'll have access to its benefits until the "Expires" date on your Account settings page. After that, your Pro Tools membership will automatically be canceled at the end of its current paid month.
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What happens to my family history membership if I cancel Pro Tools?
Canceling Pro Tools will only end your Pro Tools membership—it won't affect your family history membership. You'll still have access to Pro Tools benefits until the "Expires" date on your Account settings page. To cancel your family history membership, follow the cancellation steps above to cancel it separately.
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Can I get a refund?
For information about refunds, read Ancestry Renewal and Cancellation Terms.
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What happens after my membership expires?
Your account becomes a free registered guest account. Your family trees, DNA results, and other account information remain available according to the features available to registered guests. For more information, see Ancestry Accounts after Cancellation.
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Why was I charged after I canceled my membership?
Charges can occur if you canceled too close to your renewal date, have another active membership, or have more than one Ancestry account. For more information, see Why was I charged after canceling my membership?.
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Why am I being charged a fee to cancel my membership?
Purchases of some semi-annual and annual memberships that are paid monthly come with a significant discount. Therefore, a cancellation fee applies if you cancel before the end of your membership period. For details, see Renewal and Cancellation Terms.
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How do I delete my Ancestry account?
Canceling a membership does not delete your Ancestry account, family trees, or DNA results. If you want to permanently delete your account and its data, see Deleting Your Ancestry Account.
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How do I restart my membership?
You can restart your Ancestry membership anytime. For help, check out Restarting or Renewing Your Membership.
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What should I do if I get a blank page when trying to cancel?
If you see a blank page when trying to cancel, check out Fixing Page or Button Problems on Ancestry or contact us for help.