What happens when uninstalling and re-installing Marketplace apps in Confluence Cloud?

Summary

In order to boost Confluence's productivity and expand its features, users can install apps from the Marketplace. While some of these apps are used for integration, enhancement of features, and new configuration for the product itself, others will have the data (e.g., attachments like .drawio files) stored directly on pages, including their parameters. These files remain accessible and downloadable even if the app is uninstalled or its license is revoked. However, users cannot create, modify these files directly within Confluence until the app is reinstalled or relicensed. For example, in the case of draw.io diagrams, users are recommended to export critical diagrams before canceling or uninstalling the app to ensure data usability.

For such apps, users wonder what happens with this data. Is it deleted? Can it be re-used when the app is reinstalled later?

Solution

When an app was previously installed on Confluence Cloud, removing and re-installing it should bring its data back because Confluence stores it on the Page's storage format, including parameters such as "macro id" and the corresponding data to "match" with the app information.

Note: To prevent issues from app removals or trial expirations, administrators are strongly recommended to test app installations and removals in non-production environments. Additionally, exporting critical data such as diagrams or HTML content before trial expiration ensures accessibility in the absence of the app.

Let's use Gliffy as an example. When a diagram is added to a page, it will use parameters such as:

• Macro name

• Macro ID

• Attachment name (and ID in Confluence)

• Attachment ID (the diagram itself)

Revoking the app's license or trial expiration

If the user chooses to stop the trial or revoke the license, some apps may render an error message or display a notification when accessing affected content. For example, in the case of Gliffy diagrams, the content will still be visible but show this message:

Gliffy is unlicensed. Please install a license to draw diagrams in your wiki

Note: These diagrams will not be editable unless the app is re-licensed or re-installed. Other apps, like the HTML Macro, may cease to render embedded content until the app is re-licensed or reinstalled. Users are advised to communicate trial statuses to relevant team members to prevent unexpected disruptions.

Completely uninstalling the app

If the app is completely uninstalled, the parameters will still remain on the pages, and depending on the editor used, different messages will be displayed where the macro was supposed to be:

• "Error loading extension!" - For the new/current editor

• "Unknown macro: Gliffy" - For the legacy editor

This behavior can also occur after a migration process where macros from uninstalled apps are carried over from the source environment to Confluence Cloud. These macros will trigger similar error messages if the corresponding app is not installed. Currently, there is no bulk removal functionality for residual or error-causing macros. Users must manually remove or replace these macros on each affected page. For macros like the HTML Macro that cease functioning after trial or license expiration, consider migrating content to native Confluence formatting or evaluating alternative apps that meet operational needs.

Re-installing the app

After re-installing it, the diagrams will be displayed again because the parameters of the macro did not change and the attachments are still added to the page(s), allowing the data to be properly fetched.

For other apps, reinstallation can resolve similar errors caused by missing macros. If the corresponding app is no longer needed or unavailable, users must manually update affected pages to remove or replace these macros. To request bulk removal features, users can follow and vote on ongoing feature requests, such as CONFCLOUD-83244, on Atlassian's issue tracking platform.