What happens when you delete a Microsoft account from your computer

Deleting a Microsoft account from your Windows computer removes that account's access to the machine and erases the user profile associated with it. This means the person who used that account can no longer sign in, and all files stored in that profile's Documents, Desktop, and Downloads folders will be deleted along with it. Windows will ask you to confirm this action because the deletion is permanent.

Before you delete an account, decide what to do with its files. You can save them to another location first, or let Windows delete them when you remove the account. If you are removing your own account and it is the only administrator account on the computer, Windows will stop you — you need at least one admin account to stay on the machine.

Key Takeaways

  • Deleting a Microsoft account from Windows removes that person's ability to sign in and erases their user profile and all files in it.
  • You can save files from the account to another location before deletion, or choose to delete them along with the account.
  • Windows will not let you delete the last administrator account on the computer — you must have at least one admin account remaining.
  • The deletion process takes place in Settings under Accounts, and Windows will ask you to confirm before the account is actually removed.

How to delete a Microsoft account in Windows 11

Step 1: Open Settings. Press the Windows key and the letter I at the same time, or click the Start button, then click the gear icon labeled Settings.

Step 2: Go to Accounts. In the left sidebar, click Accounts. Then click Other people (or Family & other people, depending on your Windows version).

Step 3: Select the account to delete. Find the Microsoft account you want to remove in the list and click on it once to highlight it.

Step 4: Click Delete. A button labeled Delete will appear. Click it. Windows will show you a warning that all the account's files will be deleted. Read this carefully — if there are files you need to keep, click Cancel and save them somewhere else first.

Step 5: Confirm the deletion. Click Delete account and data to finish. The account will be removed from your computer immediately.

How to delete a Microsoft account in Windows 10

Step 1: Open Settings. Click the Start button, then click the gear icon for Settings.

Step 2: Go to Accounts. Click Accounts in the left sidebar, then click Other people.

Step 3: Select the account. Click the Microsoft account you want to delete.

Step 4: Click Delete. A Delete button will appear below the account name. Click it, and Windows will warn you that all files in that account will be deleted. If you need to save anything, click Cancel and move those files first.

Step 5: Confirm. Click Delete account and data. The account will be removed.

Save files before you delete the account

If the account contains files you want to keep, you must move them before you delete the account. Once the account is deleted, those files are gone. The easiest way is to copy the files to a shared location like the Documents folder of another user account, or to an external drive.

Sign in to the account you are about to delete. Open File Explorer and go to the user's Documents, Desktop, or Downloads folder. Select the files you want to keep, right-click them, and choose Copy. Then navigate to where you want to save them — another user's Documents folder, or a USB drive — right-click, and choose Paste.

If there are a lot of files, this can take a while. Be patient and let the copy finish before you go back to Settings and delete the account. If you close the copy window too early, the files will not finish moving.

What to do if Windows will not let you delete the account

Windows will refuse to delete an account if it is the only administrator account on the computer. Every Windows machine must have at least one admin account. If you see an error message saying you cannot delete this account, it means this is your only admin account.

To fix this, you need to make another account an administrator first. Sign in to a different account on the computer. Open Settings, go to Accounts, click Other people, select the account you want to promote, and click Change account type. Choose Administrator and click OK. Now go back and delete the original account.

If there is only one account on the computer and it is the one you want to delete, you have a problem — you cannot delete the last account on a Windows machine. You would need to create a new administrator account first, then delete the old one.

Deleting a local account instead of a Microsoft account

If the account you want to delete is a local account (one that does not use an email address to sign in), the process is the same. Go to Settings, click Accounts, click Other people, select the local account, and click Delete. Windows will ask you to confirm and will delete the account and all its files.

The main difference is that a local account is only on this computer — deleting it does not affect anything on other devices. A Microsoft account is tied to an email address and may be used on other Windows machines or devices. Deleting it from this computer does not delete the Microsoft account itself, only the profile on this machine.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I undo a deleted account?

No. Once you confirm the deletion in Windows, the account and all its files are permanently removed. There is no undo button. If you deleted an account by mistake, you would need to create a new account and restore any files from a backup if you have one.

What happens to files in OneDrive when I delete the account?

Files stored in OneDrive are not deleted when you remove the account from your computer. They remain in your Microsoft account's cloud storage. You can sign back in to that Microsoft account on another device or through the OneDrive website to access them.

Will deleting the account remove Microsoft Office or other programs?

No. Programs installed on the computer stay installed. Only the user profile and files in that account's folders are deleted. Other accounts on the computer can still use any installed programs.

Can I delete a Microsoft account from my computer without deleting it entirely?

Yes. Deleting the account from your computer only removes it from this machine. The Microsoft account itself still exists and can be used to sign in on other devices. If you want to completely delete a Microsoft account, you would need to do that through the Microsoft account website, not through Windows Settings.

What if I forgot the password to the account I want to delete?

You do not need the password to delete an account from Windows. You only need to be signed in to an administrator account. If you are the admin, you can delete any other account without knowing its password.