📋 Overview
If your Search Atlas account has been cancelled and you need to retrieve a file or piece of work stored inside the platform, you may be able to request a temporary reinstatement without paying the standard reactivation fee. This article explains what the process involves and how to get help quickly.
⚠️ Important: This Is Not a Self-Serve Process
Temporary reinstatement for file retrieval requires approval from our specialized internal team. There is no automated way to restore access on your own after cancellation. However, our support team has successfully handled these requests and can escalate your case for review.
🛠️ What Happens When You Request Reinstatement
When you contact support with this type of request, here is what takes place:
- A support agent reviews your request and escalates it to our specialized team for management approval.
- The specialized team restores your account access on a temporary basis.
- You are able to log in, locate your file, and download or export it.
- Your account is set up with a new payment date if reactivation is part of the resolution, or access is closed again once the retrieval is confirmed.
📁 Before You Reach Out
To help our team process your request as quickly as possible, have the following information ready:
- The email address associated with your cancelled account.
- A description of the file or content you need to retrieve (for example, a report, a project, or an exported document).
- The approximate date your account was cancelled.
- Any urgency or deadline related to your retrieval need.
💡 What to Expect After Reinstatement
Once our team restores your access, you should be able to log in to your account and navigate to the relevant section to locate and download your file. Act promptly — temporary reinstatements are time-limited and granted specifically for the purpose of file retrieval.
If your account is being reactivated on a new billing cycle as part of the resolution, our team will confirm the details of your next payment date before closing the case.
🔍 A Note on Account and Subscription Fixes
Our engineering team has resolved several underlying issues related to how cancelled and pending-cancellation accounts are handled on the platform, including improvements to how account status is managed after cancellation and refund events. If you previously encountered an error when trying to reactivate your account, these fixes may now allow the process to proceed correctly.
💬 How to Request Temporary Access
To submit a temporary reinstatement request for file retrieval, follow these steps:
- Gather your account details — have your registered email address, a description of the file you need, the approximate cancellation date, and any relevant deadline ready before reaching out.
- Contact Search Atlas support via the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of any page at searchatlas.com, and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team.
- State your request clearly — tell the agent that your account is cancelled and that you need temporary reinstatement specifically to retrieve a file. Provide the details you gathered in step 1.
- Wait for escalation confirmation — the agent will escalate your case to the specialized internal team. You will receive a confirmation once the escalation is submitted.
- Log in as soon as access is restored — once the specialized team reinstates your account, navigate directly to the section where your file is stored, download or export it, and notify support that your retrieval is complete so the case can be closed promptly.
If you do not receive a response within one business day, reply to your existing support thread to follow up — do not open a duplicate ticket, as this may delay processing.
If you need help at any point, our support team is here to assist you.