What Happens to QCSB Configuration After a Plan Downgrade
This article explains preservation-first behavior when effective tier falls: higher-tier configuration and protected data remain stored, while currently unavailable actions are gated until entitlement returns rather than being erased.
What you need to know
- Basic includes Local storage and the first active Workspace. Pro adds FTP/SFTP, multiple Workspaces, advanced permissions, and background continuation. Max/All Access adds Google Drive, OneDrive, Private Connections, Recovery Vault management, and bulk operations.
- A plan gate decides whether a feature exists at the current Effective tier. Joomla access and QCSB permission rules separately decide whether a particular user may use that feature.
- QCSB is preservation-first: normal upgrades install the outer package over the current installation, and downgrade/uninstall behavior does not intentionally erase stored configuration/history merely because a feature is no longer usable.
What is preserved and what changes
| Area | Downgrade behavior |
|---|---|
| Storage Connections / Workspaces | Stored configuration remains in the database. A lower Effective tier can prevent use/creation of higher-tier provider or multi-Workspace features without deleting the records. |
| Private Connections / Recovery Vault settings | Max-only saved data is preserved even when the current tier cannot use the Max management surface. |
| Transfer / audit / Recovery history | Historical state remains available to the product for preservation/accountability rather than being rewritten as if prior operations never existed. |
| Base vs Effective tier | The valid lower Effective tier controls current feature use. Downgrade does not convert or erase the underlying historical configuration. |
| Returning to a higher tier | Preserved configuration can become usable again when entitlement legitimately returns; it should not have to be recreated simply because access was temporarily gated. |
Community Discussion
For practical QCSB workflows and discussion with other Joomla site owners, visit the QC Storage Bridge Community. For private support, bug reports, account-specific entitlement issues, or feature requests, use the QuantaCade support system.