Disconnect Plaid from your bank account in three places
You need to revoke Plaid's access in two locations: your bank's website and the app or service that uses Plaid. Plaid itself does not hold your login credentials—it acts as a bridge between your bank and third-party apps—so disconnecting means telling both your bank and the app to stop using that bridge. The process takes about five minutes total and does not affect your bank account or the app itself, only the connection between them.
Start by disconnecting through the app you use (like a budgeting tool, investment platform, or loan service). Then revoke access at your bank's website. If you skip either step, the connection may remain partially active, and you may still see Plaid listed as an authorized service.
Key Takeaways
- Disconnect Plaid through the third-party app first—usually under Settings, Connected Accounts, or Integrations—then remove it from your bank's authorized apps list.
- Your bank's process varies: some banks list Plaid under "Connected Services" or "Third-Party Access," while others group it under "Security" or "Authorized Apps."
- Disconnecting does not delete your account with the app or your bank, only the permission for Plaid to access your account information.
- If you reconnect later, you will need to re-enter your bank login through Plaid and re-authorize the connection.
- Some apps stop working when ready after disconnecting Plaid; others may continue to show cached data for a few hours before updating.
Disconnect through the app or service first
Open the app or website that uses Plaid to pull your bank data. Look for a settings menu, account settings, or a section labeled "Connected Accounts," "Linked Banks," "Integrations," or "Data Sources." The exact label depends on the app—a budgeting app might say "Linked Banks," while an investment platform might say "Connected Accounts."
Find Plaid or your bank name in that list and select the option to disconnect, unlink, or remove. Most apps will ask you to confirm the action. Once you confirm, Plaid loses permission to access that app's requests for your bank data. The app may continue to show your most recent data for a short time, but it will not refresh or pull new information.
If you cannot find the settings section, check the app's help documentation or search for "disconnect bank" or "unlink account" within the app. Some apps hide this option under "Privacy," "Security," or "Account Management" instead of the obvious location.
Revoke access at your bank's website
Log into your bank's website or mobile app and navigate to the security or account settings area. Banks organize this differently, so look for sections labeled "Connected Services," "Third-Party Access," "Authorized Apps," "Security Settings," or "Manage Access." Some banks put it under "Privacy" or "Account Permissions."
Scroll through the list of connected services or authorized third parties until you see Plaid or the name of the app you were using (sometimes both appear). Select Plaid or the app and choose the option to revoke, disconnect, or remove access. Confirm the action if prompted.
After you revoke access, Plaid can no longer request information from your bank on behalf of any app. If you later want to reconnect an app to your bank account, you will need to go through the Plaid authorization process again, which means re-entering your bank login credentials through Plaid's find portal.
What happens to your data after disconnecting
Plaid deletes the connection between your bank and the app, but it does not delete the historical data the app already collected. If you used a budgeting app for six months before disconnecting, those six months of transaction history remain in the app—Plaid just stops pulling new transactions going forward.
Your bank account itself is unaffected. Disconnecting Plaid does not close your account, change your balance, or alter any settings at the bank. Your login credentials remain the same, and you can still access your account normally through your bank's website or app.
The third-party app also remains active unless you delete it separately. You can still log in and view the data it collected while Plaid was connected, but it will not show new transactions or updated balances.
Reconnect later if you change your mind
If you disconnect Plaid and later want to reconnect the same app to your bank, you will go through the full authorization process again. Open the app, find the option to add or link a bank account, and select your bank. Plaid will ask you to log in with your bank credentials through its find portal, just as you did the first time.
You do not need to create a new account with the app or your bank. Your existing accounts remain intact; you are straightforward re-establishing the permission for Plaid to bridge them. The app will begin pulling new data from your bank once the connection is active, though it will not automatically recover the historical data from before you disconnected.
Troubleshooting: Plaid still appears connected
If you disconnected through the app but Plaid still appears in your bank's authorized services list, you completed only half the process. Return to your bank's website and revoke Plaid's access directly, as described above. This removes the connection from the bank's side.
Conversely, if you revoked access at your bank but the app still shows your account as connected, go back to the app and disconnect it there as well. Some apps cache data or display a stale connection status for a few hours before updating.
If Plaid continues to appear after you have disconnected in both places, contact your bank's customer service. Provide them with the date and time you revoked access, and ask them to confirm that Plaid no longer has authorization. A rare technical glitch may require the bank to manually remove the connection.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will disconnecting Plaid affect my credit score?
No. Plaid only reads your account information; it does not report to credit bureaus or affect your credit in any way. Disconnecting it has no impact on your credit score or credit history.
Can I disconnect Plaid from one app but keep it connected to another?
Yes. Each app has its own connection to Plaid. Disconnecting Plaid through one budgeting app does not affect Plaid's access through a different investment app. You must disconnect each app separately, and you can revoke all of them at your bank at once or one at a time.
What if my bank does not show Plaid in its authorized apps list?
Some banks do not display third-party connections prominently or use different terminology. Search your bank's help documentation for "third-party access" or "connected services," or contact customer service and ask them to revoke Plaid's authorization. Provide them with the name of the app you were using, and they can locate and remove the connection.
Do I need to change my bank password after disconnecting Plaid?
No. Plaid never stores your password—it only uses it to authenticate your identity during the initial connection. Disconnecting Plaid does not require a password change, though you may change your password anytime for security reasons.
How long does it take for the disconnect to take effect?
Disconnecting through the app is when ready. Revoking access at your bank usually takes effect within minutes, though some banks may take up to an hour to process the change. During that time, Plaid may still be able to pull one final data refresh before the bank's system fully blocks it.