How to Cancel Tableau Free Trial
Ending a free trial for a powerful tool like Tableau can feel a bit daunting, but it's a straightforward process. Whether you've decided it's not the right fit, your project is done, or you just want to avoid an unexpected charge, this guide will walk you through the exact steps. We'll cover how to cancel a Tableau Cloud trial, what to do with the desktop versions, and what to check before you hit confirm.
Why You Might Cancel a Tableau Trial
People move on from a Tableau trial for all sorts of reasons, and they're all perfectly valid. Taking a moment to identify yours can help you figure out what to look for in your next data tool.
The Learning Curve: Tableau is an incredibly powerful platform, but that power comes with complexity. For many teams, especially those without a dedicated data analyst, the learning curve is steeper than they anticipated. If your goal is to get quick answers from your data, a multi-week training course might not be feasible.
The Cost: After the trial, Tableau subscriptions can be a significant investment, especially for smaller businesses, startups, or individual marketers. If the price doesn't align with your budget or the potential return on investment, it makes sense to explore other options.
One-Time Project Needs: Sometimes, you just need a professional-grade tool for a specific, short-term project. Maybe you were building a one-off report for a stakeholder or analyzing a single dataset for a school project. Once it's done, you no longer need the subscription.
Wrong Fit for Your Needs: You might discover that your data needs are simpler — or just different — than what Tableau is built for. Perhaps you live in spreadsheets and just need better charting, or maybe you need a tool that connects to a specific application Tableau doesn't support easily.
Whatever the reason, the most crucial part is making the decision before the trial period ends to avoid being automatically billed for the first month or year of service.
Before You Click "Cancel": A Pre-Cancellation Checklist
Pausing for five minutes before canceling can save you a lot of headaches later. Once your trial ends, you'll lose access to your account and the valuable work you've put in. Here's a quick checklist to run through.
1. Export Your Workbooks and Visualizations
If you've built any dashboards or charts that you might want to reference later, save them to your local machine. The best way to do this is by saving your work as a Tableau Packaged Workbook (.twbx file). This type of file bundles your visualization with the underlying data source, making it a self-contained snapshot of your work.
To do this:
Open your workbook in Tableau Desktop.
Go to File > Export Packaged Workbook...
Choose a location on your computer and save the file.
Even if you can't open it after your trial expires, you'll have the file ready if you ever subscribe or use another trial in the future.
2. Save Your Data
Did you use Tableau Prep to clean, shape, or combine datasets? If so, the final, processed data is valuable in its own right. Before your trial access is revoked, make sure to export that clean data as a file type you can use elsewhere, like a .csv or .xlsx file.
In Tableau Prep Builder:
Add an "Output" step to your flow.
In the Output pane, choose "File" from the "Save output to" dropdown.
Click "Browse..." to name your file and select a location. Choose your desired output type (e.g., Comma Separated Values - .csv).
Run the flow to generate the output file.
3. Double-Check Friendlier Alternatives
For individuals and smaller teams, there might be a better approach where a data person is not even required. Take a look at the other options on your table, like competitors & alternatives for a data analyst tool like Tableau before committing as well.
4. Document Your Key Findings
It's easy to forget the "aha!" moments you had while exploring your data. Take a few screenshots of your most important dashboards or copy and paste key numbers, trends, or insights into a separate document. This gives you a permanent record of your analysis that lives outside the Tableau ecosystem.
5. Confirm Your Trial End Date
Log in to your Tableau Customer Portal and find the exact date and time your trial expires. Don't rely on memory or the first email you received. This ensures you're not canceling too late or thinking you have more time than you do. Time zones can sometimes cause confusion, so be sure you know the exact deadline.
How to Cancel Your Tableau Cloud Free Trial (Step-by-Step)
Tableau Cloud (formerly Tableau Online) is their subscription-based SaaS product. If you signed up for this trial, you likely entered your account information through the Salesforce portal, as Salesforce owns Tableau. This is where you'll manage and cancel your trial subscription.
Here's the process:
Log in to the Customer Portal: Head to the Tableau Customer Portal. You will probably be redirected to a Salesforce login page. Use the same credentials you used to sign up for the free trial.
Navigate to Your Account Section: Once logged in, look for a section related to your profile or account. This might be under your name or an icon in the top-right corner. You're looking for an area often called "My Orders," "Subscriptions," or "Manage Billing." The user interface can change, but the terminology is usually similar.
Locate Your Trial Subscription: In the billing or subscription area, you should see your active Tableau Cloud trial listed. It should be clearly identified as a "Trial" and will likely show the start date, end date, and the product you're using.
Find the Cancellation Option: Next to your trial subscription, there should be an option to manage it. Look for a link or button that says “Cancel Subscription,” “Manage,” or “Turn off auto-renew.” The most common pattern for SaaS trials is an automatic renewal at the end of the trial period, so your goal is to disable that.
Follow the Confirmation Prompts: Click the cancellation link and follow the on-screen instructions. The system will likely ask for a reason for your cancellation (this is for their internal feedback). Select an option and confirm your choice.
Verify with a Confirmation Email: Once the cancellation is complete, you should receive an email confirming that your subscription has been canceled and that you will not be charged. Keep this email for your records as proof of cancellation.
Troubleshooting Tip: If you can't find the cancellation option in the portal, don't panic. Sometimes trial accounts are handled slightly differently. The best course of action is to contact Tableau's customer support directly through their website before the trial ends. Explain that you need to cancel your free trial, and they can guide you or process it for you.
What About Tableau Desktop or Prep Builder Trials?
This is where things are much simpler. Tableau Desktop (for creating visualizations) and Tableau Prep Builder (for cleaning data) are software applications you install on your computer. Their free trials work differently than a cloud subscription.
There is nothing to cancel.
The 14-day trials for Tableau Desktop and Prep Builder are simply time-based. For 14 days, you have full access to the software. On day 15, the software will stop working. When you open it, you will be prompted to enter a paid product key to continue using it. You did not provide any payment information to download this software, so there is no risk of being automatically charged.
If you no longer want the software on your machine, you can simply uninstall it just like any other program:
On Windows: Go to "Settings" > "Apps" > "Apps & features." Scroll down to find Tableau Desktop or Tableau Prep Builder, click on it, and select "Uninstall."
On Mac: Open your "Applications" folder in Finder. Find the Tableau application, and simply drag it to the Trash can in your dock.
"I Missed the Cancellation Deadline! Did I Get Charged?"
It's easy to lose track of time when busy. What happens in this scenario depends on which trial you were using.
For Tableau Desktop/Prep Trials: You're in the clear. As mentioned above, no payment info was given, so no charge was made. The software just stops working.
For a Tableau Cloud Trial: If you provided credit card details at the start of your trial, then yes, it is very likely you have been charged for the first billing cycle (either a month or a year, depending on the plan you selected). Here are the steps to take immediately:
Log into your customer portal and cancel the subscription now to prevent any future charges.
Contact Tableau/Salesforce customer support. Politely explain that you intended to cancel before the trial ended but missed the deadline.
Ask if it's possible for them to process a refund. Not all companies have a refund policy for this situation, but many are reasonable if you contact them quickly (within a day or two of being charged) and haven't used the service since the trial ended. Be courteous and clear in your request.
Final Thoughts
Canceling your Tableau free trial is easy once you know where to look. For Tableau Cloud, it's a matter of disabling auto-renew in your customer portal, while for the Desktop and Prep apps, you simply let the trial expire and can uninstall the software. The most important thing is to make your decision and take action - saving any work first - before the deadline arrives.
If you're canceling because you found Tableau's manual, click-and-drag interface too complex or time-consuming, you might appreciate a different approach to analytics. We designed Graphed to remove exactly that friction. Instead of spending hours learning to build dashboards, you simply connect your data sources and describe the reports you need in plain English. This allows you to get answers in seconds, empowering your entire team to make data-driven decisions without a steep learning curve.