How to edit or withdraw an Upwork proposal: the short answer
Editing and withdrawing are two different tools with different costs. Editing is free and gets less generous the longer you wait. Withdrawing costs you the Connects you already spent and, for some proposal types, the chance to ever apply again. Everything below comes from Upwork's own help center pages on editing and withdrawing proposals, which were updated in the last few days at the time of writing, so check them if you read this much later.
Edit versus withdraw, per Upwork's help center
| Edit | Withdraw | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | Connects already spent are not refunded |
| Time limit | Cover letter and attachments: six hours or until the client views it. Terms: until the client accepts or rejects | Any time before an offer is accepted |
| Can you resend? | Not applicable | Yes, if not boosted and no Uma video interview. Costs Connects again |
| Client sees | Your updated proposal | Nothing - it is removed from their list |
My view: most freelancers reach for withdraw when edit would have fixed the problem. If the issue is a typo, a weak opening line or the wrong rate, edit it. Withdraw is for when you should not be in this conversation at all.
What you can edit, and for how long
Upwork splits editing into two windows. The first is wide open and the second is narrow, and the clock is whichever comes first: six hours after you submit, or the moment the client views the proposal.
The two editing windows
| Window | What you can change |
|---|---|
| Within six hours, or until the client views it | Cover letter, answers to client questions, profile highlights (freelancers only, and at least one portfolio highlight is required), and attachments |
| After six hours or once the client has viewed it, until they accept or reject | Terms only: hourly rate or fixed-price amount, project timeline or milestones, who will do the work on fixed-price jobs, and submission or delivery details |
In Upwork Income Club we call this the Six-Hour Rule, because it turns a vague 'I will fix it later' into a deadline. The window closes early if the client opens your proposal, and you cannot see that happen in real time, so treat the six hours as a maximum and fix problems the same hour you spot them.
- Spot a typo or a wrong name in the first line: edit immediately. A fixed proposal that the client has not yet opened reads exactly like a clean one.
- Realize you missed a screening question or pasted the wrong attachment: edit immediately, same reason.
- Want to change your rate after the client has replied: you can still edit the terms, but tell them. Upwork's own guidance is to let a client you are already talking to know that you changed something like your rate or delivery timeline, so everyone is on the same page.
How to edit an Upwork proposal, step by step
- Go to Find work, then Proposals and offers.
- On the Active tab, find the proposal you want to change.
- Open it and select Edit proposal. If you are only eligible to edit terms, that is the option that appears.
- Make your changes and select Save.
If you open a proposal and the Edit button is missing or limited, Upwork lists three usual reasons: the six-hour window has passed, the client has already viewed it, or the client has already made an offer. The first two leave you with terms-only editing. The third leaves you with nothing to edit.
While you are in there, it is a good moment to reread the whole thing as the client would. In my view the edit most worth making is a generic opening line, which hurts more than a typo does. The structure I recommend is in [the Upwork proposal that gets replies](/blog/upwork-proposal-that-gets-replies).
What happens after the client makes an offer
Once an offer is made, you cannot edit the proposal. The terms are locked unless the client agrees to change them, in which case you request changes to the offer. The same applies in reverse after you accept: if the client wants to change something, you have to approve it.
That is another reason to settle rate questions before an offer lands. If the budget on the job post is off, raise it in the conversation, then edit your terms while you still can. The negotiation side is in [how to negotiate your rate on Upwork](/blog/how-to-negotiate-your-rate-on-upwork).
How to withdraw an Upwork proposal and what it costs
- Go to Find work, then Proposals and offers.
- Find the proposal and select its title.
- Scroll down and select Withdraw proposal.
Two things happen. The proposal is removed from the client's list, so they can no longer see it. And the Connects you used are gone: Upwork's help center is explicit that any Connects spent on the proposal will not be refunded when you withdraw it. Connects come back in narrow situations, such as a job post Upwork removes for breaking its terms, and withdrawing is not one of them. The full list is in [Upwork Connects refund: when you get them back](/blog/upwork-connects-refund).
Can you resend a withdrawn proposal?
Sometimes. Upwork says you can submit a new proposal to the same job post after withdrawing, as long as the original was not boosted and did not include a video interview powered by Uma, its AI interviewer. You pay Connects again for the new one.
Resubmitting after you withdraw
| Original proposal | Can you resubmit to the same job? |
|---|---|
| Standard, no boost, no Uma video interview | Yes, using Connects again |
| Boosted | No, even if the job post is still open |
| Included an Uma video interview | No, even if the job post is still open |
Boosted proposals have one more catch. Upwork says that if you withdraw a boosted proposal you cannot submit it again, and you are still charged as if you had not withdrawn. So withdrawing a boosted proposal gets you nothing back and closes the door. If a boosted proposal has a mistake in it, you are limited to editing it, which is another reason to proofread before you pay to boost.
When to edit, when to withdraw, and when to leave it alone
This is my judgment, not an Upwork rule. The right move depends on one question: is the problem fixable inside this proposal?
- Typo, weak opening, missing attachment, wrong rate: edit. It is free and fast.
- The client changed the job post and your pitch no longer fits: edit if you are inside the six-hour window, otherwise message them. A short note beats a withdrawn proposal.
- You found a red flag after applying, such as a client asking for free work or to pay off-platform: withdraw, and read [how to avoid Upwork scams and bad clients](/blog/how-to-avoid-upwork-scams-and-bad-clients). The Connects are already spent, so do not spend your time too.
- You are about to take a better contract and cannot do both: withdraw proposals you cannot honor, rather than leaving them to go stale. Upwork also requires you to withdraw all proposals before it lets you close a freelancer account.
- The client simply has not replied: leave it alone. Withdrawing recovers nothing, and a follow-up message does more. See [how to follow up on an Upwork proposal](/blog/how-to-follow-up-on-an-upwork-proposal).
If Connects feel expensive enough that you are tempted to withdraw and resend the same pitch, the better fix is upstream: fewer, better-targeted proposals. [How to spend Upwork Connects without wasting them](/blog/how-to-spend-upwork-connects-without-wasting-them) covers that.
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Frequently asked questions
Can I edit an Upwork proposal after sending it?
Yes. Per Upwork's help center, within six hours of submitting or until the client views it (whichever comes first), you can edit the cover letter, answers to client questions, profile highlights and attachments. After that you can still edit terms such as your rate, milestones and timeline until the client accepts or rejects the proposal.
Do I get my Connects back if I withdraw a proposal?
No. Upwork states that any Connects used to submit the proposal are not refunded when you withdraw it. For a boosted proposal, you are also still charged as if you had not withdrawn.
Can I send another proposal to the same job after withdrawing?
Yes, if the original was not boosted and did not include a video interview powered by Uma. You will need to use Connects again. If it was boosted or included an Uma video interview, you cannot resubmit it, even if the job post is still open.
Why can't I edit my Upwork proposal?
Upwork lists three usual reasons: the six-hour edit window has passed, the client has already viewed the proposal, or the client has already made an offer. The first two still let you edit terms. After an offer, the terms are locked unless the client agrees to a change.
Does the client know when I edit or withdraw a proposal?
Upwork says a withdrawn proposal is removed from the client's list so they can no longer see it. I do not have Upwork documentation on whether clients are notified of edits, so if you change your rate or timeline after talking to a client, tell them yourself, which is also Upwork's own advice.
Can I change my rate after the client sends an offer?
Not on your own. Once an offer is made the terms are locked, and Upwork says changing terms without client approval after they send an offer violates its Terms of Service. You can ask the client to change the offer, and they have to agree.
Last reviewed by David Iya on October 2, 2026
