Deleting your Outlook account removes it from Microsoft's servers

When you delete an Outlook account, Microsoft closes the email address permanently and removes your messages, contacts, and calendar from their servers. You cannot recover the account or its contents after deletion. The process takes about 60 days to complete — during that time, the account is locked but still technically exists, and after 60 days it is gone entirely.

Deletion is different from signing out or closing Outlook on your device. Signing out leaves your account active on Microsoft's servers; deleting removes it completely. If you only want to stop using Outlook on one device, signing out is the right choice. If you want the account gone from Microsoft entirely, you need to delete it through your Microsoft account settings.

Before you delete, understand what you are losing: all emails in that inbox, all contacts stored in that account, all calendar events, and any OneDrive files linked to that account. You cannot undo deletion after the 60-day grace period ends.

Key Takeaways

  • Deletion takes 60 days to complete; during that time the account is locked but you can still recover it if you change your mind.
  • You must delete through your Microsoft account settings, not through the Outlook app itself.
  • read or back up any emails, files, or contacts you want to keep before you start the deletion process.
  • After 60 days, the account and all its contents are permanently gone and cannot be recovered.
  • If you use the same email address to sign into other services (banking, social media, work), you will lose access to those accounts unless you change the email address on file first.

Back up your data before you delete

The first step is to save anything you might need later. Open Outlook in a web browser and go through your folders. If you have important emails, read them or forward them to another email account you control. If you use OneDrive through that account, read those files to your computer.

For contacts, open your Outlook contacts list, select all, and export them as a CSV file. This gives you a spreadsheet you can import into another email service later. For calendar events, right-click your calendar and choose "Export calendar" — this creates an ICS file you can open in Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, or another service.

Check whether you use that Outlook email address to sign into anything else: banking apps, social media, work systems, shopping sites. Write down the list. You will need to change the email address on file for each one before you delete the Outlook account, or you will lose access to those accounts.

Change your email address on linked accounts

Go through the list you made and update the email address for each service. Log into your bank's website or app, find the account settings or profile section, and change the email address to a different one you control. Do the same for social media, work email, shopping sites, and any subscription services.

This step takes time but it is critical. If you delete your Outlook account without changing the email address on file, you will not be able to reset your password or recover those accounts if something goes wrong. You will be locked out permanently.

Delete your Microsoft account through the settings page

Go to account.microsoft.com in a web browser and sign in with your Outlook email and password. Click on "Your info" in the left menu, then scroll down and click "Delete account." Microsoft will ask you to confirm your password again.

You will see a screen explaining what happens when you delete: your email, files, and subscriptions are removed, and you have 60 days to change your mind. If you proceed, click "Mark account for deletion." The account is now locked. You cannot use it to send or receive email, but you can still recover it during the 60-day window if you sign back in.

Microsoft will send a confirmation email to a recovery email address you set up earlier (if you have one). Check that email to confirm the deletion request went through.

What happens during the 60-day grace period

Your Outlook inbox is inaccessible during these 60 days. You cannot send or receive email from that address. Other people can still send messages to it, but they will bounce back or go undelivered depending on the sender's mail server.

If you change your mind, sign back into account.microsoft.com with your Outlook email and password before the 60 days are up. Click "Recover your account" and confirm. Your account will be restored with all its contents intact.

After 60 days pass, the account is permanently deleted. Microsoft removes all your data from their servers. The email address becomes available for someone else to register, though it may take additional time before that happens.

If you cannot access your account to delete it

If you have forgotten your password or cannot sign in, you will need to recover your account first. Go to account.live.com/password/reset and enter your Outlook email address. Microsoft will ask you to verify your identity using a recovery email or phone number you set up earlier.

If you do not have access to your recovery email or phone, Microsoft offers other verification options: you can answer security questions you created, or provide a government ID. The process can take several days.

Once you regain access, follow the deletion steps above. If you cannot recover the account after trying these options, contact Microsoft Support through support.microsoft.com and explain that you want to delete an account you cannot access. They can help, though the process is slower than self-service deletion.

What to do with your email address after deletion

After the 60-day period ends, your Outlook email address is gone. If you want to keep using email, set up a new account with a different email provider or create a new Outlook account with a different address.

Tell the people who email you regularly about your new address. Update your email on any accounts you could not change before deletion — you can now add a new email address to those accounts since the old one no longer exists.

If you had a custom domain email (like yourname@yourdomain.com) connected to your Outlook account, that domain is no longer tied to Microsoft after deletion. You can set it up with a different email provider if you want to keep using it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I recover my account after the 60 days are up?

No. After 60 days, the account is permanently deleted and cannot be recovered. All emails, files, and contacts are gone. If you think you might need the account later, do not delete it — sign out instead and leave it inactive.

What happens to emails people send me after I delete my account?

Emails sent to your Outlook address after deletion will bounce back to the sender with a message that the address does not exist. The sender will know the account is no longer active. If you set up a new email address, you will need to tell people about it separately.

Will deleting my Outlook account delete my Microsoft account?

Deleting your Outlook email address is the same as deleting your entire Microsoft account. You will lose access to OneDrive, Xbox Live, Microsoft 365, and any other Microsoft services tied to that account. If you use Microsoft services you want to keep, do not delete the account.

Can I use the same email address again after deletion?

Not when ready. After you delete an Outlook account, that email address is locked for a period of time before it becomes available for someone else to register. You cannot create a new Outlook account with the same address right away. You will need to use a different email address.

What if I only want to stop using Outlook, not delete the account?

Sign out of Outlook instead of deleting it. Your account stays active on Microsoft's servers, your emails and files are preserved, and you can sign back in anytime. If you want to stop seeing Outlook on your phone or computer, remove the account from that device without deleting the account itself.