# Project is read-only

Why a project says Read only, saves fail and its forms stop taking submissions, and how the workspace owner reactivates it from Billing.

A read-only project still opens, but changes in it aren't saved and its forms stop taking submissions. It's read-only because your workspace has more projects than its plan keeps active. To bring it back, the workspace owner opens **Billing**, chooses the **Usage** tab and clicks **Reactivate** on the project's card. That needs a project licence that isn't in use.

If the message or notification says the **workspace** is read-only, not one project, the cause is a failed payment and **Reactivate** doesn't help: the owner clicks **Update payment method** on **Billing**. See [If the message says the workspace is read-only](#if-the-message-says-the-workspace-is-read-only).

## Check this first

Open the project: every page has a banner at the top, **This project is read-only**. On the **Projects** page its card says **Read only**. A change you try in the project is refused with "This project is read-only because it has no project licence. Reactivate it in Billing, under Usage." A teammate's message ends "Ask the workspace owner to reactivate it." instead.

- **You own the workspace:** go to [Reactivate the project](#reactivate-the-project).
- **You're a teammate:** ask the workspace owner. Only the owner can reactivate a project, and the **Billing** page you can open is for your own workspace. Once a cancelled plan has ended, the workspace's projects stop opening for teammates altogether: teams are on Premium and Business. The teammate's **Projects** page then says that the workspace isn't on a plan with teammates, and names its owner.

## If the message says the workspace is read-only

A banner that says **This workspace is read-only**, and the message "This workspace is read-only while payment recovery is required. Update the payment method in Billing to continue." (for a teammate: "This workspace is read-only while payment recovery is required. Ask the workspace owner to update the payment method."), are a different case. A payment for the plan failed and wasn't fixed in time, so no change goes through in any of the workspace's projects, whatever their cards say. A customer who submits a form sees "This form is temporarily unavailable while the workspace owner updates billing."

The owner's **Billing** page shows a **Payment recovery required** notice above its tabs. **Reactivate** doesn't help here: the owner clicks **Update payment method**. See [Payment failed](/help/troubleshooting/payment-failed).

## Why a project becomes read-only

Each project licence keeps one project active, and Free keeps 1 project active. When a workspace is left with more active projects than that, the extra ones become read-only:

- **A paid plan was cancelled.** The workspace returns to Free when the paid period ends. With more than one active project, the owner picks the one to keep under **Project to keep active on Free**, on the **Cancel subscription** card.
- **Project licences were lowered.** The change waits for the next renewal. While reviewing it, the owner ticks the projects to keep, under the heading that starts **Choose exactly**.

The projects that weren't chosen become read-only on the day the change takes effect. ReTestimonial never chooses for you. If no valid choice is on record that day, for example because the chosen project was deleted in the meantime, every project that's still active becomes read-only and the owner reactivates the ones to keep.

## What stops in a read-only project

Your testimonials, widgets, forms and settings are kept. You can still open the project, read its testimonials and download them with **Export to CSV** in the inbox's **Options** menu. Everything that changes the project is refused:

- approving, editing and deleting testimonials, and saving widgets, forms, Walls of Love and settings;
- imports, including scheduled review syncs;
- Smart Invites: new invites are refused, events that reach your invite webhooks are skipped, and a customer part-way through a sequence is cancelled when their next email comes due;
- new gift card rewards.

## Forms stop taking submissions

A read-only project's forms close at once. Their links show a page-not-found error, and a customer who already had a form open sees "This form is unavailable because the project is read-only." when they submit. Nothing they sent is saved, so ask them to submit again once the project is active.

## Widgets and Walls of Love stay live for a limited time

The project's widgets, Walls of Love, share pages and video embeds stay live for up to 30 days from the day it became read-only, then go offline until it's active again. On the **Billing** page's **Usage** tab, **Usage by project** gives each project's date: "Your widgets and Walls of Love stay live until" a date, or "were taken offline on" a date.

A custom domain keeps working for the same period. When it ends, the domain is disabled and a **Custom domain disabled** notification says so.

## Reactivate the project

Only the workspace owner can reactivate a project.

1. Click your profile picture in the top-right corner, choose **Billing** and open the **Usage** tab.
2. Under **Usage by project**, find the project. Its badge says **READ ONLY**.
3. Click **Reactivate**. A message with the project's name followed by "reactivated." confirms it.

The project can be changed again straight away. Its form links open again, and widgets, walls and share pages that had gone offline are live again.

## What doesn't come back by itself

- **A custom domain that was disabled.** Open the project's **Domain** page and click **Re-enable**. See [Custom domain not connecting](/help/troubleshooting/custom-domain-not-connecting#if-it-says-disabled).
- **Smart Invites sequences that were cancelled.** Choose **Restart sequence…** for each customer you still want to email. See [Invite emails not sending](/help/troubleshooting/invite-emails-not-sending#the-project-is-read-only).

## If Reactivate says "No unused project licence is available"

The full message is "No unused project licence is available; increase quantity or deactivate another project". Every licence you have already keeps a project active: the line at the top of the **Plans & capacity** tab shows how many are in use. Get a spare one in either of these ways, then click **Reactivate** again:

- **Add a licence.** On a paid plan, raise **Project licences** under **Change plan or project capacity**, click **Review billing change**, then **Confirm and pay**. It applies right away, and you pay only the difference for the rest of your billing period. See [Change your plan, project licences or seats](/help/account/change-your-plan-licences-or-seats). One subscription holds up to 100 licences. On Free, upgrade first: see [Upgrade to a paid plan](/help/account/upgrade-to-a-paid-plan).
- **Delete an active project you no longer need.** That frees its licence.

More licences don't reactivate a project by themselves: click **Reactivate** for each one.

## If Reactivate says "Payment recovery must finish before reactivating a project"

The workspace itself is read-only after a failed payment. Update the payment method first: see [Payment failed](/help/troubleshooting/payment-failed).

## If Reactivate says "Video upload cleanup is still finishing"

Video uploads that were left unfinished when the project became read-only are still being cleared away. Wait a little, then click **Reactivate** again.

## Delete a project you no longer need

The owner can delete a read-only project instead of reactivating it: in the project's settings, open **Danger Zone** and click **Delete Project**. Deleting is permanent. A read-only project wasn't using a licence, so deleting it frees none. See [Delete a project](/help/account/delete-a-project).

## Still stuck?

[Contact us](/contact) and include:

- the project's name, and whether you own the workspace or are a teammate;
- the message you saw, word for word;
- what **Usage by project** shows for the project: its badge and its date.

## Next steps

- [Change your plan, project licences or seats](/help/account/change-your-plan-licences-or-seats)
- [Payment failed](/help/troubleshooting/payment-failed)
- [Delete a project](/help/account/delete-a-project)