Make an inventory before a cancellation
List the sessions you need to keep and why, then identify the audio, corrected text and final notes belonging to each. Separate important records from experiments and accidental recordings. Do not assume that every file visible in one app has an independent copy elsewhere. Work through a small sample first, including a long session and one with several speakers, so you understand the export work before committing to a service change.
Check the archive outside the service
Use the current export instructions for your app version. Plaud’s Web v4.0.x guidance lists transcript, summary and audio exports, but says the interface exports one file at a time. Budget attention accordingly rather than assuming a single bulk-download control. Open exported audio and documents in other tools, inspect labels and timing where needed, and give matching files a consistent identity. A download that exists but cannot be opened is not a completed archive.
Keep retention and cancellation distinct
Stopping payment and removing stored information are different decisions. Read the current terms for retained access before changing a plan, then decide which remaining copies you are authorized to keep. Plaud’s deletion guidance for app v3.30.x or earlier distinguishes moving a file into trash from permanently deleting it. Check the equivalent instructions for your version. Also consider exports already stored on a phone, computer or shared drive; one app action does not account for those separate files.
Write down the handover
Keep a brief record of what you exported, where the usable archive lives and which service actions you completed. Assign any remaining work, such as a document awaiting correction or a shared link that needs review. For organizational material, use the approved storage destination and access rules. A successful exit leaves the information understandable to its next user, with a clear boundary around what was retained. It should not depend on keeping an old subscription active merely to remember where a particular decision came from.
Sources & publication notes
Retrospective period: August 2026. Written and published November 2, 2026. Product announcements establish release timing; support pages are linked as current references.