How to delete your Microsoft account: A step-by-step guide

Before you close your Microsoft account

Closing your Microsoft account means you’ll lose access to every Microsoft account feature that you had. Yes, unfortunately, this means losing access to Outlook, OneDrive, and other Microsoft suite products. That's why, before closing your account, first make sure to take care of the things mentioned below.

Use the remaining credit balance

If you’ve used your Microsoft account to buy something online, chances are you might still have some funds left in your Microsoft Store account. Check your balance by opening the “Payment options” page in your Microsoft account. If you still have a substantial balance, consider cashing that credit in the Microsoft store, since the only way to remove the balance from your Microsoft account is through a purchase. If you decide not to buy anything, you’ll permanently lose the unspent credit.

Cancel subscriptions

Even if you delete your Microsoft account, the uncancelled subscriptions will remain. So make sure to cancel your Microsoft 365, Xbox Game Pass, OneDrive, and any other Microsoft product subscriptions before deleting your account. Otherwise, you’ll be in for an unpleasant (and potentially recurring) surprise.

Important: Even though Skype is shutting down, it’s still fully integrated with Microsoft accounts, which means it doesn’t have a separate deletion process. When you delete your Microsoft account, your Skype account and data will be removed automatically after the grace period.

Save your data

Data backups are your friends. Before deleting your Microsoft account, make sure to back up your files from OneDrive, emails and contacts from Outlook, and any other content (pictures, documents, notes) from linked Microsoft services. 

Update connected accounts 

If you have third-party profiles that are linked to your Microsoft account (for example, apps, websites, or social media profiles), make sure to set up alternative means of logging in. You don’t want to lose your accounts, just because your @live.com email account doesn’t exist anymore, right?

Switch to a local account (Windows)

If you don’t want to lock yourself out of your Windows device after deleting your Microsoft account, make sure to switch to a local Windows account. To do that on Windows 10/11, go to “Settings” > “Accounts” > “Family and other users” (or “Other users”). Then, click “Add account,” choose “I don’t have this person’s sign-in information,” and “Add a user without a Microsoft account.” Finish the setup by setting up your credentials (username and password). Next, go back in the list, select the new account > “Change account type” > “Administrator,” then sign out and sign in with it to make sure it works.

Once you’re in the local admin account (and have your files backed up), you can go back to “Accounts” and remove the Microsoft account from the device.

How to delete a Microsoft account

You can only delete your Microsoft account through its official website. It's also possible to initiate the deletion via your Windows OS or Outlook. Still, the system will automatically redirect you to the web where you can finalize the account closure process. 

Delete via website

To delete a Microsoft account via the website, follow these steps:

1. 1.Open your Microsoft account, click on your profile picture, and navigate to “My Microsoft account.”
2. 2.In the sidebar, choose “Your info.”
3. 3.Scroll down until you see the “Account info” section. Then, click “Close account.”
4. 4.The system will redirect you to the Microsoft support page. In there, find the “Close account” option and click on it. 
5. 5.Click “Next” and follow the onscreen instructions to confirm that you acknowledge the effects your account closure will have on all related data. 
6. 6.Pick a reason why you’re deleting your Microsoft account (optional) and then click “Mark account for closure.”
7. 7.Click "Done" to confirm account termination. You will have 30 (or 60, depending on what you picked) days to recover your account by signing back into it. After the grace period, your account will be permanently deleted without any chance of recovery.

Delete via the Office mobile app

You cannot delete your Microsoft account via the Office mobile app. If you want to close down your Microsoft account using your Android device, you must either do so through an online browser (see the steps above) or close down the account by using Outlook (see the steps below).

Delete Microsoft Account from Windows 10

While it's impossible to delete a Microsoft account using your Windows 10 OS, it's possible to remove the account from the OS itself. However, it's important to mention that you should first set up a local Windows account to avoid getting locked out when you remove the Microsoft account from your computer. Here's how to remove a Microsoft account on Windows 10:

1. 1.Open the Windows menu in the bottom left corner and click on the gear icon or look for settings using a search bar.
2. 2.Click on “Accounts.”
3. 3.Choose “Manage my Microsoft account.”
4. 4.Microsoft will redirect you to its online website. From there, pick “Your info” in the left sidebar and proceed the same way you’d go when deleting the account via the Microsoft website (see instructions above).

You can also remove Microsoft accounts that are connected to your family plan. This will not delete your Microsoft account, but will erase all its data from your computer. To remove the account from your family plan:

1. 1.Go to the “Family and other users” tab in the “Accounts” section of your Windows settings.
2. 2.Click on the account you want to remove and then pick “Block.” You can also choose “Manage family settings online.”

If you choose "Manage family settings online," the system will redirect you to your Microsoft family plan page. There, you can select the account you want to remove from the computer. Click on it and pick "Remove from the family group."

Delete Microsoft Account from Windows 11

Same as Windows 10, Windows 11 only allows you to remove your account from the device. If you want to permanently delete your Microsoft account, you'll have to open the Microsoft support page and do it from there. Meanwhile, if you want to remove your Microsoft account from your Windows 11 OS, first: 

1. 1.Go to your computer’s settings.
2. 2.Choose “Accounts” in the sidebar on your left.
3. 3.Click on “Email and accounts.” 
4. 4.In "Email and accounts," find the account you want to remove from your device, click on it, and then choose "Manage."
5. 5.Choose “Delete account from this device” and click “Delete” to confirm your choice.

Note: Remember to set up a local account before deleting your old account from Windows 11 to avoid locking yourself out of your device.

Delete an Outlook account

You can easily delete your Outlook account by deleting your Microsoft account via the web or by opening the Outlook app on your phone and following these steps:

1. 1.Tap on the Outlook logo in the top left corner.
2. 2.Tap on the gear icon in the bottom left corner.
3. 3.Pick “Accounts.”
4. 4.Tap on your email address.
5. 5.Pick “Remove account” and confirm by tapping “Remove.”

What will happen after deleting the Microsoft account

After deleting your Microsoft account, you get a 60‑day (or 30, if you choose) grace period. After that, your Outlook/Hotmail email account, OneDrive files, Xbox/Store purchases and cloud saves, Skype balance, Microsoft 365 subscriptions, family settings, and any BitLocker keys stored in the account will be deleted. This is irreversible after the grace period.

Your PC can still use local accounts and stay activated, but anything that requires Microsoft sign‑in will stop working, and you won’t be able to reset that account’s password.

For tips on how to delete your LinkedIn or Twitter (X) account, check out our other blog posts.