What Happens to Workspaces and Permissions After a Plan Downgrade

This article explains preservation of existing Workspace definitions, connection assignments, and higher-tier settings while currently unavailable premium behaviors are gated instead of silently deleted.

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.
  • An explicit deny wins over allow, and no applicable allow means denied.
  • Frontend button visibility is only guidance. QCSB rechecks authorization server-side and rejects forged Workspace/location/item references.
  • 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.

Downgrade behavior

  • Workspace/permission configuration is preserved rather than erased simply because the current Effective tier is lower.
  • The lower tier’s feature gates apply immediately to what can be used now—for example Basic retains its one-Workspace boundary while Pro/Max-only capabilities are not treated as active.
  • Stored advanced/custom permission or connection configuration is not a back door around the plan gate; server-side authorization checks current entitlement first.
  • If entitlement legitimately returns, preserved Workspace configuration can become usable again without reconstructing it from scratch.

Verify the result

  • An allowed normal account can open the intended Workspace.
  • An account outside the allowed rules cannot use the Workspace/action.
  • Connection overrides and source/destination permissions behave exactly as configured.

Important limits and mistakes to avoid

  • A successful Super User test does not prove a normal Joomla group has correct Workspace access. Test with the real role.

Troubleshooting

  • If an action is missing/denied, check Joomla menu access, Workspace allowed group, Workspace role, custom denies, connection override, and plan gate separately.

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.