In this guide
Before you start.
- Work out whether you are cancelling a subscription or looking at a course purchase, because they are unrelated. Udemy states that by purchasing a Udemy marketplace course you obtain lifetime access to that course alone, and that subscribing to Personal Plan does not affect your access to courses you previously purchased. Cancelling the plan does not refund a course, and it does not take a purchased course away.
- Download your certificates of completion before you cancel, and understand which ones are at risk. Udemy states that the course progress and certificate access for the courses will be lost if the subscription expires or is cancelled, and that this applies even if you resubscribe later. Certificates from courses you bought outright are not part of that, because that access is not tied to the subscription.
- Know that there is no refund coming for the subscription itself. Udemy states that subscription plans purchased through Udemy.com do not offer a 30-day satisfaction guarantee and that no refunds or partial refunds are available unless otherwise required by applicable law. Udemy publishes a separate page on subscription refund exceptions required by law, determined by the country associated with your account.
- If you are inside a free trial, the deadline is the thing that matters. Udemy states that if you are enrolled in a subscription via a free trial promotion you can cancel the free trial at any time without being charged, and that the duration of the trial and when it ends are posted on your Subscriptions page.
- You cannot pause instead. Udemy states plainly that the Personal Plan cannot be paused, and that once the subscription is cancelled the course progress and certificate access via the course will be lost.
- If you took a course offered free with the subscription, cancelling takes it back. Udemy states that if you cancel or are refunded for Personal Plan you lose access to the course you received for free as part of that promotion, that Lifetime Access is not available for that course, and that if you later buy the course separately, progress made during the free access will not be kept.
FOLLOW THE RIGHT BILLING ROUTE
Cancel Udemy, step by step.
Cancel a Udemy subscription on the website
This is the route for a subscription you enrolled in at Udemy.com, which is how most people subscribe. Udemy names the Subscriptions page as the place where every subscription setting lives.
- Sign in at Udemy.com on a browser with the account that holds the subscription.
- Open the Subscriptions page from the drop-down menu at the top right-hand of your screen.
- Check the next payment date and the total charge listed there, so you know what you are stopping and when.
- Click Cancel subscription.
- If you are on a free trial, the button reads Cancel trial instead, and the trial end date is shown on the same page.
- Work through the confirmation rather than closing the tab, then return to the Subscriptions page and check the plan no longer shows a next payment date.
Udemy states that if you cancel your subscription you will have access to the subscription content until the final date of your billing period, which is posted on your Subscriptions page. Access does not end the moment you cancel, but the course progress and certificates tied to the subscription do end when that date passes.
Cancel a Udemy subscription billed by Apple
If you enrolled through the Udemy iOS app, Apple processes the payment. Udemy states it cannot cancel the subscription on your behalf or update the payment method for it.
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
- Tap your name at the top of the screen.
- Tap Subscriptions.
- Select the Udemy entry.
- Tap Cancel Subscription and confirm.
Udemy states that payments for subscription enrollments through the iOS and Android mobile apps are processed by Apple and Google Play and not Udemy, that it cannot process refund requests for these in-app purchases, and that you should contact Apple and Google Play directly about them. Udemy also states that iOS course payments are only ever eligible for credit refunds rather than cash, because the payment is processed by Apple.
Cancel a Udemy subscription billed by Google Play
A subscription started in the Udemy Android app is a Google Play purchase, and Udemy directs these subscribers to Google Play.
- Open the Google Play Store app using the Google Account that bought the subscription.
- Tap your profile icon in the top right.
- Select Payments & subscriptions, then Subscriptions.
- Select Udemy.
- Tap Cancel subscription and complete the confirmation.
Udemy states that it is unable to process refund requests for in-app purchases made through Google Play and cannot answer questions about Google's refund policies. Udemy also notes that the Subscriptions page in the mobile app may be labelled Subscriptions or Manage subscription depending on your account or device, and that tapping it directs you to your device's store settings.
What happens next?
- Udemy states that after cancelling you have access to the subscription content until the final date of your billing period, which is posted on your Subscriptions page.
- The progress loss is the part people do not expect. Udemy states that the course progress and certificate access for subscription courses will be lost if the subscription expires or is cancelled, and confirms this holds even if you resubscribe later.
- Courses you bought outright are untouched. Udemy states that subscribing does not affect access to courses you previously purchased and that you continue to have lifetime access to them, provided your account is in good standing and Udemy has a license to that course.
- A course you received free with the subscription goes away with it. Udemy states you lose access to that course on cancellation or refund, and that progress made during the free access is not kept if you buy the course later.
- Udemy states it does not grant refunds for subscriptions unless required by applicable law, and publishes a separate page describing where local law creates an exception, based on the country associated with your account.
Cancelling a Udemy free trial.
How do I cancel an App Store free trial before I’m charged?
For a trial billed by Apple, open Settings on your iPhone or iPad, tap your name, then Subscriptions. Select the trial, choose the cancellation option and confirm. Apple advises cancelling at least 24 hours before the trial ends to prevent renewal. Check the confirmation for your access end date. If you track it in Subex, enter the date the trial converts as the renewal date and set a reminder 1 or 3 days before.
Pausing or freezing Udemy.
Can I pause my Udemy subscription instead of cancelling?
No. Udemy states that the Personal Plan cannot be paused, and that once the subscription is cancelled the course progress and certificate access via the course will be lost. If you want to keep the progress, the only option Udemy describes is keeping the subscription active.
WHEN IT DOES NOT WORK
If you get stuck.
I cancelled and lost all my course progress and certificates
That is Udemy's documented behaviour for subscription courses rather than a fault. Udemy states that the course progress and certificate access for the courses will be lost if the subscription expires or is cancelled, and that resubscribing later does not bring them back. This is why the certificates need downloading while the plan is still active. Courses you bought individually are separate: Udemy states those keep lifetime access and are unaffected by the subscription ending.
Udemy refused to refund my subscription even though it was within 30 days
The 30-day policy does not cover subscriptions. Udemy states that its 30-day refund policy applies to eligible courses purchased on Udemy, and separately that subscription plans purchased through Udemy.com do not offer a 30-day satisfaction guarantee and that no refunds or partial refunds are available unless otherwise required by applicable law. The one exception Udemy names is local law, and it determines your location from the country associated with your account.
My courses have vanished from the app
Udemy publishes separate pages for missing iOS course purchases and missing Android course purchases, which points at the usual cause: the purchase sits on a different account from the one you are signed into. Check the email address on the receipt against the account you are using. If the courses were part of a subscription rather than bought individually, their disappearance is expected once the paid period ends, because Udemy ties that access to an active subscription.
I was charged after cancelling, or charged twice
Check who charged you. Udemy states that payments made through the iOS and Android apps are processed by Apple and Google rather than Udemy, so a cancellation on the website never touches them. Udemy also publishes a page on temporary authorization holds and pending purchases, which explains charges that look real but have not settled. If the charge is genuinely a Udemy renewal after a confirmed cancellation, the Subscriptions page is the evidence: it shows whether a next payment date is still scheduled.
I bought the course through a third party and cannot get a refund
Udemy states that where the payment was processed by a third-party vendor it does not have the transaction on file and cannot initiate a refund, and directs you to contact that vendor directly. It says the same about courses enrolled in through a third-party sale or promotion, stating it does not have access to the information needed to review those requests. The receipt tells you who took the money, and that is who refunds it.
Still not cancelled?Common reasons a subscription will not cancel How to cancel an app subscription
GOOD TO KNOW
Questions, answered.
Does cancelling my Udemy subscription refund my courses?
No, and the two are unconnected. Udemy states that a marketplace course bought outright gives you lifetime access to that course and can be refunded within 30 days under its refund policy, while subscription plans bought through Udemy.com carry no 30-day guarantee and no refunds unless local law requires one. Cancelling the plan stops the next subscription charge and does nothing to a course purchase.
Do I keep courses I already bought if I cancel?
Yes. Udemy states that subscribing to Personal Plan does not affect your access to courses you previously purchased and that you continue to have lifetime access to them, provided your account is in good standing and Udemy has a license to that course. It is only the courses you accessed through the subscription that end with it.
How long is Udemy's refund window for a course?
Udemy states that all eligible courses purchased on Udemy can be refunded within 30 days, provided the request meets its refund policy, and that it will not process requests received after that window because instructors are paid after 30 days. Udemy also lists reasons it may deny a request, including a notable amount of the course having been consumed or downloaded, repeated or excessive refund requests, and accounts banned for policy violations. Some payment methods, including Apple in-app purchases, are only eligible for refunds as Udemy credits rather than cash.
Provider resources
- Udemy: how to manage your Udemy subscriptions
- Udemy: Udemy's refund policy
- Udemy: Personal Plan frequently asked questions
- Udemy: subscription plan refund exceptions due to applicable law
- Udemy: lifetime access
- Udemy: temporary authorization holds and pending purchases
- Apple: view, change, or cancel subscriptions
- Google Play: cancel subscriptions
Instructions reviewed .
Subex is independent of Udemy. Availability and cancellation terms can vary by plan, billing provider and country.
