You can delete a Microsoft account easily through the ap­pro­pri­ate support page on the Microsoft website. You can simply access this with your desktop browser.

How to delete a Microsoft account via browser quick guide

  1. On the Microsoft website, go to ‘Support’ and enter delete Microsoft account in the search bar at the top.
  2. Open the article ‘How to close your Microsoft account’ and click ‘Close account’.
  3. Select a time frame and click ‘Next’.
  4. Tick the ap­pro­pri­ate boxes, provide a reason, and then click ‘Mark account for closure’.
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What to consider before deleting your Microsoft account

A Microsoft account offers many ad­vant­ages. With your own account, you can sign in to various Microsoft services such as Xbox Live or Outlook and link online office and cloud services like Microsoft 365 and OneDrive to your account. However, if you wish to switch to a Microsoft al­tern­at­ive and no longer need the account, you should delete it and remove all data.

Before you delete your Microsoft account, remember that deleting the account will also result in the loss of the following services:

  • Accounts with Outlook/Hotmail/Live/MSN
  • OneDrive/Xbox Live data
  • NuGet.org accounts
  • Perpetual licenses like Office 2019 Home and Student

Be­fore­hand, make sure to back up your data, cancel sub­scrip­tions linked to the account, and use any remaining balance. Ensure you first create a local account on Windows 10 or 11 before you delete your Microsoft account.

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How to delete your Microsoft account step by Step

Step 1: Start the can­cel­la­tion process by opening your desktop browser and signing in to your Microsoft account. In the left menu, select ‘Your info’, then scroll down to ‘Account info’ and click ‘Close account’ at the bottom right.

Image: Microsoft account in desktop browser
To access the can­cel­la­tion option for your account, you need to open your ‘Account info’ in the desktop browser.

Step 2: You will be re­dir­ec­ted to the Microsoft support page ‘How to close your Microsoft account’. Scroll down and click on ‘Close account’.

Image: Microsoft: ‘How to close your Microsoft account’
Microsoft provides some in­form­a­tion before you can delete your account.

Step 3: You will be re­dir­ec­ted to a page for closing your account. After reading all the notices about account deletion, select the waiting period Microsoft observes before your account is per­man­ently closed. You can choose between 30 and 60 days. Then click ‘Next’.

Image: Closing Microsoft account: Preliminary information
The services linked to your Microsoft account will also be deleted. You can select a period during which you can re­act­iv­ate your account.

Step 4: Review the ad­di­tion­al in­form­a­tion and tick the relevant boxes to confirm you un­der­stand what will happen when your account is closed.

Image: Delete Microsoft account: Confirm information
Confirm that you un­der­stand the con­sequences of closing an account by ticking the ap­pro­pri­ate boxes.

Step 5: Now choose a reason for closing your account. Then click the ‘Mark account for closure’ button.

Image: Mark account for closure
Before your account can be closed, you must provide a reason for closing your account.

Step 6: You are now re­dir­ec­ted to a con­firm­a­tion page where you are informed of the date your account will be closed. It will remain as a de­ac­tiv­ated account for an optional 30 or 60 days. If you do not log in again, it will be auto­mat­ic­ally deleted after this period.

Image: Confirmation that account will be closed
In the final step, you are informed that your account will be closed on the date you selected.
Tip

Are you looking for an al­tern­at­ive to Microsoft’s software solutions? Google offers com­par­able tools for com­mu­nic­a­tion, col­lab­or­a­tion, and pro­ductiv­ity. Comparing Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 can be helpful in making a decision.

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