Cancel Minecraft Realms through your Microsoft account

To stop your Minecraft Realms subscription, you need to cancel through your Microsoft account, not through the game itself. The process takes about five minutes and stops charges when ready — your realm stays accessible until your current billing period ends.

Go to account.microsoft.com and sign in with the Microsoft account linked to your Minecraft game. Click your profile picture in the top right, then select Subscriptions. Find Minecraft Realms in the list and click Manage. On the next page, click Cancel subscription at the bottom. Microsoft will ask you to confirm and may offer a discount to stay — you can ignore this and proceed with cancellation.

After you cancel, your realm will close when your current billing cycle ends. If you paid monthly, that's roughly 30 days from your last charge date. If you paid for multiple months upfront, the realm stays open until that period expires. You can see your exact end date on the subscription management page before you cancel.

Key Takeaways

  • Cancel through your Microsoft account at account.microsoft.com, not through the Minecraft game launcher.
  • Your realm remains playable until your current billing period ends, even after you cancel.
  • If you cancel mid-cycle, you do not get a refund for the unused time.
  • You can reactivate Realms later by purchasing a new subscription through the same Microsoft account.

What happens to your realm after cancellation

When your subscription ends, your realm shuts down and players cannot join it. Any worlds, builds, and player data stored on that realm stay on Microsoft's servers for 18 months. If you restart your subscription within that window, you can restore the realm and all its contents will be there.

If you do not reactivate within 18 months, Microsoft deletes the realm permanently. There is no way to recover it after that point. If you want to keep your builds, read the world before your subscription ends — you can do this through the realm settings menu in-game, and the downloaded world can be played as a single-player world or uploaded to a new realm later.

Cancel from the Xbox app or game launcher

If you play Minecraft on Windows through the Xbox app or the Minecraft Launcher, you can also cancel directly from there. Open the app, go to Settings, then Subscriptions, find Minecraft Realms, and select Manage. This takes you to the same Microsoft account page where you confirm the cancellation.

The steps are identical whether you cancel through the web browser or the app — both routes lead to your Microsoft account subscription settings. Use whichever is most convenient for you.

Cancellation on console (Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch)

If you play Minecraft on a console, the cancellation process depends on which one you use. On Xbox, go to your profile, select Settings, then Subscriptions, find Minecraft Realms, and choose Manage subscription. On PlayStation, go to your profile, select Account, then Subscriptions, find Minecraft Realms, and select Cancel subscription. On Nintendo Switch, go to System Settings, select your user account, then Subscriptions, find Minecraft Realms, and choose Cancel.

Each console manufacturer handles subscriptions slightly differently, but all three will stop charging you once you complete the cancellation. Your realm closes when your current billing period ends, just as it does on PC.

If you cannot find the cancellation option

If the subscription does not appear in your account settings, check that you are signed into the correct Microsoft account — the one actually linked to your Minecraft game. You can verify this by opening Minecraft, going to Settings, then Account, and confirming which Microsoft account is shown there.

If you are signed into the right account but still cannot locate the subscription, it may have already been cancelled, or the billing may be tied to a different account (for example, a parent's account on a family Xbox). Contact Microsoft Support through support.microsoft.com with your account email and the email address of the account that was charged — they can locate the subscription and cancel it for you.

Refunds and billing questions

Microsoft does not refund unused time when you cancel mid-cycle. If you cancel on the 5th day of a 30-day billing period, you lose the remaining 25 days of access and payment. However, if you were charged twice in error or charged after you cancelled, you can request a refund through your Microsoft account or by contacting support.

To check your billing history and confirm when you were last charged, go to account.microsoft.com, click your profile, select Payment & billing, then Transaction history. This shows every charge related to your account. If you see a charge after your cancellation date, take a screenshot and contact Microsoft Support to dispute it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I lose my realm when ready after cancelling?

No. Your realm stays playable until your current billing period ends. If you paid for a month on the 15th, you can use the realm until around the 15th of the next month, even if you cancel today. After that date, the realm closes and other players cannot join.

Can I get my realm back if I cancel by mistake?

Yes. If you cancelled within the last few minutes, you may be able to undo it through your Microsoft account settings. If more time has passed, you can straightforward buy a new Minecraft Realms subscription and restore your old realm from the backup Microsoft kept. You have 18 months to do this before the backup is deleted.

What if my child's account has the Realms subscription?

If the subscription is on a child account, the parent or guardian account holder must cancel it. Go to the parent account's Microsoft settings, select Family, choose the child's account, then manage their subscriptions from there. You cannot cancel a child's subscription from the child's own account.

Will cancelling Realms affect my Minecraft game or other subscriptions?

No. Cancelling Realms only stops the Realms subscription. Your Minecraft game, Game Pass, Xbox Live, or any other subscriptions remain active and unaffected. You can still play single-player Minecraft and join other players' realms or servers.

How do I read my world before the realm closes?

In Minecraft, open your realm, click the pencil icon next to the world name, scroll down to read world, and select it. The world downloads as a file you can play offline or upload to a new realm later. Do this before your subscription ends, since you cannot read after the realm closes.