How to delete your Microsoft account and data

Before you delete

• Download files from OneDrive and export anything else you need before starting closure.
• Cancel subscriptions and spend balances or review them carefully. Closing the account can remove access to purchases, games, and services.
• Check the recovery email and phone number. You must be able to sign in to mark the account for closure and to reopen it during the waiting period.

Delete your Microsoft account

1. Open Microsoft's account-closure page and sign in.
2. Read the account-closure checklist and select a 30-day or 60-day reopening window.
3. Choose a reason, tick each acknowledgement, and select Mark account for closure.
4. Do not sign in again unless you intend to reopen the account during the selected window.

What happens next

Microsoft says the account remains recoverable during the 30- or 60-day window. After that window, the account and its data are deleted and cannot be recovered.

Closing a personal Microsoft account is separate from deleting a work or school account. Contact the organisation's administrator for managed accounts.

Check the official instructions

Menus and timelines can change. Confirm the current process in the Microsoft Support. If you want a copy first, use Microsoft privacy dashboard.

Cleaning up more than Microsoft?

Download Breakup for iPhone to find forgotten services connected to Gmail. Breakup scans metadata on your iPhone; you review every service and approve every deletion or closure request before it is sent.