Reclaim a Balsamiq Cloud Space

When a Space Owner is no longer available, it's important to understand that the "ownership" of the Space is not automatically transferred to someone else. In fact, ownership is something that we take seriously, and we do everything possible to ensure we comply with our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

The most straightforward solution, if there are other Space Users with access to the project(s), is to download them. Then you can create a new Space and import the project(s).

However, we understand that this solution won't work for everyone. So there are two more options: reclaiming the former Space Owner's company email, or, on the Enterprise plan, asking us to change the Space Owner.

How can we reclaim the Space?

If the Space Owner has already left, but they used a company email address for their cloud account, you can follow the steps below:

1. Take over the employee's company email - this is pretty much standard procedure in order to reclaim all the different online accounts. Get your IT team involved if the account has been deactivated and needs to be reactivated.
2. Head to the Balsamiq Cloud login page and click on "Forgot Password?" to initiate the password reset process.
3. Enter the employee's email address and click on "Send Me a Reset Password Link"
4. From the employee's email account, click on the reset password link in the email and set a new password.
5. Once logged in, open Space Settings, go to the People tab and make a different staff member a Space Owner.
6. Have the new Space Owner log in and remove the departed staff member from the Space (click "X" on the People tab)
7. If necessary, have the new Space Owner change the credit card information following these instructions.

What if I don't have access to their email? Can Balsamiq make the change for me?

On the Enterprise plan (priced per editor), yes, with proof that the request comes from your organization. Have your IT department or an officer of your company email us from your company domain, with:

1. the Space's URL and the email of the colleague who should become the new Space Owner. They need to be a staff member of the Space already (not a guest), with an email address on your company domain, and to confirm in the same email thread that they accept the role;
2. proof of payment: the last four digits of the card on the subscription plus the amount and date of a recent charge, or an invoice number.

We'll then email each current Space Owner, and if nobody objects within 7 days, we'll make your colleague a Space Owner in place of the one who left, as our Privacy Policy describes.

On other plans, we can't change the ownership of a Space ourselves. If the person that set up your Space was an external contractor, or if they used a non-company email address, you will need to contact them directly and ask them to please assign the ownership of the Space to one of your company's current Staff Members.

If for some reason they cannot do that, you can instead ask them to download and send you the project files directly, and you can then upload them into a new Cloud Space that is owned by a current Staff Member.

When none of these options work, and you're still paying for a Space that you can't use, please just let us know! We'll be able to help by stopping your automatic monthly payment, and/or refunding recent charges.

At the end of the day, we understand that dealing with this situation can become tedious and stressful. If you've tried all of the tips above and are still in a pinch, please do get in touch with us. We will gladly work with you in hopes of finding a solution together.

How can we prevent this from happening in the future?

Before an employee departs, the best course of action is to ask them to transfer the Space ownership to someone else. That guarantees that someone still at the company can continue managing the Space once they are gone.

Keep in mind that Balsamiq Cloud Spaces can have two (2) Space Owners with equal admin rights. It might be a good strategy to ensure there are always two people assigned as the Admins.