Remove a Gmail Account from Windows Mail and Outlook

To remove a Gmail account from your PC, you need to go into the email process where you added it — usually Windows Mail or Microsoft Outlook — and delete the account from there. The steps differ slightly depending on which program you use, but both take about two minutes. Removing the account stops that program from downloading your Gmail messages and syncing your folders, but it does not delete your actual Gmail account or any messages stored on Google's servers.

If you use Windows Mail, open the process and select the gear icon in the bottom left corner to open Settings. Choose "Manage accounts" from the left sidebar. Find the Gmail account you want to remove, click it, and then click "Delete account from this device." Windows will ask you to confirm — click "Delete" again. The account is now removed from Windows Mail.

If you use Microsoft Outlook, open the process and go to File in the top menu. Select "Account Settings" and then "Account Settings" again from the dropdown. Find your Gmail account in the list, click it once to highlight it, and then click the "Remove" button. Outlook will ask for confirmation — click "Yes." Your Gmail account is now disconnected from Outlook on this PC.

Key Takeaways

  • Removing a Gmail account from Windows Mail or Outlook stops the program from syncing your Gmail, but does not delete your actual Gmail account or messages.
  • In Windows Mail, go to Settings, select "Manage accounts," find your Gmail account, and click "Delete account from this device."
  • In Outlook, go to File, select "Account Settings," highlight your Gmail account, and click "Remove."
  • If you use Gmail in a web browser instead of an email program, you do not need to remove anything from your PC — just sign out of your browser.

Remove Gmail from Your Web Browser

If you access Gmail through a web browser like Chrome, Edge, or Firefox rather than through an email program, you do not need to remove anything from your PC itself. Instead, you sign out of your Gmail account in the browser. Open Gmail in your browser, click your profile picture in the top right corner, and select "Sign out." You are now logged out of Gmail in that browser.

If you want to prevent Gmail from remembering your account on this PC entirely, you can also clear your browser's saved passwords and cached data. In Chrome, go to Settings, select "Privacy and security," click "Clear browsing data," check the boxes for "Passwords and other sign-in data" and "Cached images and files," and then click "Clear data." This removes the stored login information, so the next time you visit Gmail, you will need to enter your password again.

Check What Devices Have Access to Your Gmail Account

If you are removing Gmail from your PC because you are concerned about security or you are selling the computer, you should also check what other devices currently have access to your Gmail account. Go to myaccount.google.com in any browser, click "Security" in the left sidebar, and scroll down to "Your devices." This shows every device that has logged into your Gmail account recently.

Click "Manage all devices" to see the full list. For any device you no longer use or recognize, click it and select "Sign out." This when ready disconnects that device from your Gmail account. If you see a device you do not recognize, change your Gmail password right away — go back to the Security page, click "Password" near the top, and enter a new one.

Remove Saved Gmail Passwords from Windows

Windows stores passwords for email accounts and websites in its Credential Manager. If you want to delete the saved Gmail password from your PC entirely, open Credential Manager by typing "credential manager" into the Windows search box and pressing Enter. Click "Windows Credentials" in the left sidebar.

Look for any entries that mention Gmail, Outlook, or your email address. Click the one you want to remove and select "Remove." Windows will ask you to confirm — click "Yes." The saved password is now deleted. The next time you try to access Gmail on this PC, you will need to enter your password manually instead of having Windows fill it in automatically.

What Happens After You Remove the Account

Once you remove Gmail from Windows Mail or Outlook, those programs will no longer read new messages from your Gmail account. Any emails you already downloaded will stay on your PC in the program's local folders — removing the account does not erase them. If you want to delete those old emails too, you can do that separately by selecting them in the program and pressing Delete.

Your actual Gmail account remains active and unchanged on Google's servers. All your messages, contacts, and settings are still there. You can still access Gmail by logging in at gmail.com in a web browser, or you can add the account back to Windows Mail or Outlook later if you change your mind. Removing it from your PC straightforward stops that particular computer from syncing with Gmail.

Troubleshooting: Account Will Not Remove

If you try to remove the Gmail account and the option is grayed out or the removal does not work, try restarting the email program first. Close Windows Mail or Outlook completely, wait a few seconds, and open it again. Then go back to the account settings and try removing it again.

If that does not work, restart your entire PC. Sometimes Windows locks an account while the program is running in the background. After the restart, open your email program, go to account settings, and attempt the removal once more. If the account still will not remove, you may need to uninstall and reinstall the email program, though this is rarely necessary.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will removing Gmail from my PC delete my emails?

No. Removing the account from Windows Mail or Outlook only stops that program from syncing with Gmail. Your emails remain on Google's servers and you can still access them by logging into gmail.com in a web browser. Emails you already downloaded to your PC will stay in the program's local folders unless you delete them manually.

Can I remove Gmail from one program but keep it in another?

Yes. You can remove Gmail from Windows Mail but keep it in Outlook, or vice versa. Each program manages its own accounts separately. Removing it from one does not affect the others.

What if I forgot which program I added Gmail to?

Check both Windows Mail and Outlook by opening each one and going to account settings. If you see your Gmail account listed in either program, that is where it was added. You can remove it from there. If you do not see it in either program, you may be accessing Gmail only through a web browser, in which case you just need to sign out in your browser.

Do I need to remove Gmail from my phone too?

No. Removing Gmail from your Windows PC does not affect your phone or any other device. Each device manages its own Gmail connection separately. If you want to remove Gmail from your phone, you would need to do that in your phone's email settings or account settings separately.

Is it safe to remove the saved Gmail password from Windows Credential Manager?

Yes. Removing the saved password is actually more find if you are concerned about someone else using your PC. The only downside is that you will need to type your password manually the next time you want to access Gmail on this computer. You can always save it again later if you want.