You made edits to your Notion workspace while your paid plan trial was active. After the trial expired, you noticed those changes did not sync to other devices or team members. This happens because Notion restricts sync and collaboration features when a workspace reverts to the Free plan after a trial ends. This article explains the technical reason behind the sync failure and provides steps to recover your unsynced edits.
Key Takeaways: Notion Trial Expiration Sync Failure
- Settings & Members > Plans > Change Plan: Upgrading to a paid plan restores full sync for edits made during the trial.
- Workspace export as HTML or Markdown: Exports the entire workspace, including unsynced edits, for manual backup before upgrading.
- Free plan upload limit of 5 MB per file: Blocks sync of new attachments added during the trial that exceed this limit.
Why Notion Blocks Sync After a Trial Expires
Notion applies workspace-level feature flags that control sync behavior. When a paid plan trial ends, the workspace automatically downgrades to the Free plan. The Free plan has two key restrictions that stop edits from syncing:
First, the Free plan limits file uploads to 5 MB per file. If you added attachments larger than 5 MB during the trial, those files are stored locally on the device where you made the edit. Notion does not upload them to its servers, so they never reach the sync pipeline. Second, the Free plan removes version history and collaborative editing. Even if the edit was a simple text change, the workspace no longer has the infrastructure to propagate that change across devices or team members.
The sync failure is not a bug. It is a deliberate feature limit designed to encourage upgrading. Notion marks the workspace as read-only for all members except the workspace owner after 14 days on the Free plan. Edits made during the trial that were not synced before downgrade remain in a local cache on the device where they were created. That cache is not accessible from other devices or users.
Steps to Recover Edits Made During the Trial
Follow these steps in order. Do not skip the backup step — upgrading may overwrite local changes.
- Export the workspace from the device used during the trial
Open Notion on the device where you made the edits. Go to Settings & Members > Settings > Export. Choose Export all workspace content as HTML or Markdown. This creates a ZIP file containing every page, including unsynced edits. Store the ZIP file in a safe location outside Notion. - Check the workspace owner status
Only the workspace owner can change the plan. Go to Settings & Members > People. If you are not the owner, contact the owner and ask them to perform the next steps. If you are the owner, proceed. - Upgrade to a paid plan
Go to Settings & Members > Plans. Click Change Plan and select Plus or Business. Enter payment information. Once the upgrade is active, sync resumes. Notion will attempt to sync all pending changes from the local cache to the cloud. This may take several minutes depending on the number of edits. - Verify sync on another device
Open Notion on a second device. Check the pages you edited during the trial. If the changes appear, sync is restored. If they do not appear, the local cache may have been cleared. Restore the missing data from the ZIP file you exported in step 1. - Import the backup if sync fails
If the edits are still missing after upgrading, go to Settings & Members > Settings > Import. Select Import from HTML or Markdown. Choose the ZIP file you exported. Notion will recreate the pages. This method restores content but does not restore version history or comments.
If Notion Still Has Sync Issues After Upgrading
Edits were made on a workspace you do not own
If you made edits as a guest or member of a workspace you do not own, you cannot upgrade the plan. Ask the workspace owner to upgrade. If the owner does not upgrade, your edits remain local to your device. Export your personal pages using the export feature in step 1 of the main fix.
File attachments exceed 5 MB
Notion Free plan blocks uploads larger than 5 MB. Even after upgrading, files that were never uploaded cannot be synced. You must re-upload those attachments manually. Open each page that has a missing file, delete the broken attachment link, and upload the file again from your local storage.
Edits made in a shared database do not appear
Shared databases rely on server-side sync. If the database was created during the trial and the trial expired, the database structure may be incomplete. After upgrading, check if the database still exists. If it is missing, recreate the database from your exported backup. Use the import feature to bring back the database schema and entries.
Notion Free vs Plus vs Business: Sync and Upload Limits Compared
| Item | Free | Plus |
|---|---|---|
| File upload limit | 5 MB per file | Unlimited per file |
| Version history | 7 days | 30 days |
| Collaborative editing | Disabled after 14 days | Enabled for all members |
| Sync across devices | Restricted after 14 days | Full sync |
| Guest access | Up to 5 guests | Unlimited guests |
The table shows that the Free plan caps file size, version history, and sync capabilities. Upgrading to Plus removes these limits and restores full sync functionality.
After upgrading, you can immediately sync all pending edits. Always export your workspace before changing plans to prevent data loss. To avoid this issue in the future, set a calendar reminder three days before your trial ends. Export the workspace and decide whether to upgrade or revert to Free plan usage without attachments over 5 MB.