Disconnect your account in Plaid's settings, then check the apps you linked
Removing your bank account from Plaid happens in two places: first in Plaid itself, then in each app where you connected it. Plaid is the service that sits between your bank and apps like budgeting tools or investment platforms—it doesn't hold your money, but it does hold the connection. When you disconnect in Plaid, the apps lose access to your account data, but you may need to remove the connection from those apps too to fully sever the link.
The process takes about five minutes and doesn't affect your actual bank account. Your money stays where it is. You're just revoking permission for Plaid and the apps to see your transactions and balances.
Key Takeaways
- Log into your Plaid account directly (not through an app) and find the connected bank account under "Accounts" or "Connected Institutions" to disconnect it.
- After disconnecting in Plaid, go into each app you linked—your budgeting app, investment app, or loan app—and remove the connection there as well.
- Disconnecting stops the app from seeing your transactions and balances going forward, but does not delete the historical data the app already downloaded.
- If you cannot find your Plaid account login, check your email for the original Plaid confirmation, or contact the app you used to set up the connection.
Steps to disconnect in Plaid
Go to plaid.com and log in with the email and password you used when you first connected your bank. If you don't remember your Plaid password, use the "Forgot password" link on the login page. Plaid will send a reset link to your email.
Once logged in, look for a section called "Accounts," "Connected Institutions," or "My Accounts"—the exact label varies depending on when your account was created. Click on the bank you want to remove. You should see a button that says "Disconnect," "Remove," or "Unlink." Click it. Plaid will ask you to confirm. After you confirm, the connection is severed on Plaid's end.
This step stops Plaid from passing your data to any app, but the apps themselves may still have a record of the connection. That's why the next step matters.
Remove the connection from each app you used
Open each app where you linked your bank account through Plaid—your budgeting app, investment platform, loan service, or whatever else you connected. Look for a settings section, usually labeled "Settings," "Accounts," "Connected Accounts," or "Linked Institutions."
Find the bank account you just disconnected from Plaid. You should see an option to "Disconnect," "Remove," "Unlink," or "Delete." Click it. Some apps will ask you to confirm; others will remove it when ready. Repeat this for every app where you used Plaid to connect your bank.
This step is important because some apps cache your data—meaning they keep a local copy of transactions and balances they downloaded before you disconnected. Removing the connection from the app's side tells it to stop refreshing that data and, in many cases, to delete what it has stored.
What happens to your data after you disconnect
Once you disconnect in both Plaid and the individual apps, Plaid stops sending new transaction data to those apps. Your bank account itself is unaffected—your money is still there, and your bank has no record of Plaid ever existing.
Data the apps already downloaded before you disconnected may remain in those apps. For example, if you used a budgeting app for six months and then disconnected, the app might still show your historical transactions from those six months. If you want that data deleted too, check the app's privacy settings or contact its support team to request deletion.
Plaid itself deletes the connection record after you disconnect, but Plaid's privacy policy allows it to keep anonymized data for a limited time. This does not include your account numbers or personal details—only patterns that help Plaid improve its service.
If you cannot find your Plaid account login
Not all users create a standalone Plaid account. Some apps let you connect your bank directly through their interface without ever logging into Plaid separately. If you don't have a Plaid login, you can still disconnect—you just do it through the app instead.
Open the app where you originally linked your bank, go to settings or connected accounts, find your bank, and click disconnect. That removes the connection on the app's end. The app will tell Plaid to revoke access, and Plaid will do so automatically.
If you're not sure which app you used to set up the connection, check your email for messages from Plaid or the app. The original confirmation email usually says something like "You've successfully connected your bank to [App Name]." That tells you where to go to disconnect.
Reconnecting later if you change your mind
Disconnecting is not permanent. If you decide later that you want to use a budgeting app or investment platform again, you can reconnect your bank account through Plaid the same way you did the first time. You'll log into the app, select "Connect Bank," choose your bank, and authenticate with your online banking credentials.
Plaid will create a new connection record. Any historical data from before you disconnected will not automatically reappear in the app—the app will only see transactions from the moment you reconnect forward. If you need historical data, the app may have an option to import it manually, or you may need to read it from your bank's website and upload it yourself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does disconnecting from Plaid affect my bank account or credit score?
No. Plaid is only a connection tool—it doesn't hold your money or report to credit bureaus. Disconnecting changes nothing about your actual bank account, your credit history, or your financial standing. Your bank has no record of Plaid.
Will the apps still see my transactions after I disconnect?
No. Once you disconnect in Plaid and remove the connection from the app, the app stops receiving new transaction data. It may still display historical transactions it downloaded before you disconnected, but it will not refresh or update them.
What if I disconnect from Plaid but forget to disconnect from one of the apps?
The app will stop receiving updates because Plaid has revoked access on its end. However, the app may still show the old connection as active in its settings. Go into that app and manually remove it to clean up the interface and may support the app stops trying to refresh the data.
Can I remove just one bank account if I have multiple connected?
Yes. In Plaid, you can disconnect individual accounts one at a time. In each app, you can remove individual bank connections while keeping others active. You don't have to disconnect everything at once.
How long does it take for the disconnection to take effect?
Disconnecting in Plaid is when ready. The app stops receiving data right away. However, it may take a few minutes for the app's interface to update and show that the connection is no longer active. If the app still shows the connection after 10 minutes, try refreshing the page or closing and reopening the app.