How to close a Microsoft account or Outlook.com address

A Microsoft account is one login for Outlook.com, OneDrive, Xbox, Windows and anything you bought from Microsoft. Closing it closes all of them, which is more than many people searching for this actually want.

How do you close a Microsoft account?

Sign in on Microsoft's account closure page, confirm it shows the right account, and click Next. Tick each checkbox to acknowledge what you will lose, choose a 30 or 60 day reopen window, pick a reason, and click Mark account for closure. Microsoft deletes the account when the window ends.

Do you need to close it at all?

Check this table before going further. Two of the three options delete nothing you cannot get back.

What you want	What to do	What it affects
Stop Outlook mail showing on a phone or laptop	Remove the account in that device's mail or account settings	That device only
Stop using one Outlook or Hotmail address	Add a new address to the account, then remove the old one	The address. Files, purchases and settings stay
Leave Microsoft entirely	Close the Microsoft account	Everything tied to the login

The middle row surprises people. Microsoft treats the email addresses on an account as aliases that share the same contacts, storage, subscriptions and settings. Its page on changing the email address for your Microsoft account gives the route: sign in at account.live.com/names/manage, choose Add email to add the address you want to keep using, and select Remove next to the one you are done with. If your real goal is to stop using an old Hotmail address without losing a OneDrive full of photos, that is the tool.

The rest of this guide is the bottom row.

What you lose when the account closes

Microsoft's Services Agreement describes closure in three parts. Your right to use the account to access Microsoft's services stops immediately. Microsoft deletes the data and content associated with the account. And you may lose access to products you have acquired.

It adds a sentence worth quoting: "You should have a regular backup plan as Microsoft won't be able to retrieve Your Content or Data once your account is closed."

In practical terms that covers:

Your Outlook.com, Hotmail or Live mailbox, with contacts and calendar
Files in OneDrive
Your Xbox profile, including gamertag and Gamerscore, and purchased content
Subscriptions billed through the account, such as Microsoft 365
Rewards points and any account balance. The agreement notes that closure may result in forfeiture of balances associated with the account

Before you close: a checklist

Export your mail. Outlook.com has no export in the browser in Microsoft's current instructions. Its page on exporting an Outlook.com mailbox has you add the account to desktop Outlook and export a .pst file from there. Do this first, since a large mailbox takes time to sync. If the mail is going to a new provider, a .pst is widely accepted. Secria imports .pst, MBOX and EML files on every plan, including the free one.

Download your OneDrive files. Copy them to a drive or another service and open a few to check.

Save your BitLocker recovery key. If a Windows PC of yours is encrypted with BitLocker, the 48-digit recovery key is often backed up to your Microsoft account. Microsoft's recovery key page shows where to find it, and warns that Microsoft Support cannot retrieve or recreate a lost key. Print it or store it in your password manager before the account goes.

Cancel subscriptions and spend balances. Cancel anything billed to the account, and use up gift card or store balance.

Move your logins. Change the email on every site that uses the Outlook address, starting with banks and payment apps. Then check the recovery email on your other important accounts.

Change how your PC signs in. If you sign in to Windows with this Microsoft account, switch that PC to a local account or a different Microsoft account first.

Close the account, step by step

From Microsoft's page How to close your Microsoft account, as of October 2026:

Open the closure page. Microsoft's help article has a Close account button, and the Services Agreement gives the address as account.live.com/closeaccount.aspx.
Sign in, and verify your identity if asked.
Check that the page shows the correct Microsoft account, then click Next.
Read the list and tick each checkbox to acknowledge you have read it.
Choose a reopen window of 30 or 60 days.
In the Select a reason list, choose why you are closing the account.
Click Mark account for closure.

Pick 60 days unless you have a reason to hurry. The longer window costs nothing and gives you a second month to notice a login you forgot.

On a phone: Microsoft's instructions point to a web page, not to the Outlook app, so open the closure page in your phone's browser and follow the same steps.

Why Microsoft might make you wait 60 days first

One line on Microsoft's page stops a lot of people: if you have reset all your sign-in verification details, you must wait 60 days before closing the account.

It works as a security hold. It means someone who breaks in and replaces your phone number and backup email cannot delete your account the same afternoon. If you recently recovered a hacked account by replacing all its security info, you are in that hold too. There is no way around it in Microsoft's instructions. Use the time to export your data.

You also have to be able to sign in at all. Microsoft says that if you cannot, the sign-in helper is the place to start.

What happens during the reopen window

The Services Agreement calls this a suspended state. The account is marked for closure and Microsoft keeps it for the 30 or 60 days you chose.

To cancel the closure, Microsoft's reopen page says to go to account.microsoft.com and sign in. You are asked to receive and enter a security code, and the account reopens. Microsoft says subscriptions, profiles and content from before the closure come back, including rewards points, your Xbox gamertag, Gamerscore and purchased content.

Three cautions:

Signing in reopens it. Do not sign in out of curiosity during the window. Remove the account from your phone, PC and mail apps before you start.
Subscription time is not refunded. Microsoft says you keep whatever time remains, but you do not get back the time that passed while the account was pending closure.
Mail in the gap. Microsoft does not document whether messages sent to your address during the window are kept. Assume they are not, and tell your contacts before you close.

After the window, Microsoft states plainly that the account is permanently deleted and can no longer be reopened.

Or let it lapse

If you never close it, inactivity eventually does. The Services Agreement requires a sign-in at least once in a two-year period to keep a Microsoft account active, and a sign-in to your Outlook.com inbox at least once a year, otherwise Microsoft closes the inbox. Closing the account yourself is cleaner, since you choose the date and export first, but it helps to know an untouched Outlook.com mailbox does not last forever.

Frequently asked questions

Can I delete my Outlook.com email without closing my Microsoft account? You can stop using the address. Add a different email address to the account, then remove the Outlook.com one on the account's sign-in page. Your files, purchases and settings stay with the account.

How long does it take to permanently close a Microsoft account? 30 or 60 days, whichever you choose during closure. If you recently reset all your sign-in verification details, add a 60-day wait before you can start.

Can I close a Microsoft account immediately? No. The shortest option is the 30-day reopen window, and Microsoft offers no way to skip it.

Can I reopen a closed Microsoft account? Yes, during the window. Sign in at account.microsoft.com and enter the security code. Once the window has passed, the account cannot be reopened.

Does closing my Microsoft account delete my Hotmail address? Yes. Hotmail, Live and Outlook.com mailboxes are part of the Microsoft account and are deleted with it.

Closing a Microsoft account is mostly a job of getting your things out first. If the mailbox is the part you are replacing, our look at whether Outlook is encrypted explains what changes with a zero-access provider, and the Outlook alternative page shows what Secria's free plan includes.