What happens when you delete a Microsoft account from your computer
Deleting a Microsoft account from your computer removes that account's access to the machine, but it does not delete the account itself from Microsoft's servers. The account still exists—you can sign back in on this computer or any other one later. What gets removed is the local user profile: the files, settings, and sign-in credentials stored on this specific machine.
Before you delete the account, understand what you'll lose access to on this computer. Any files saved in that account's Documents, Desktop, Downloads, or Pictures folders will remain on the hard drive, but you won't see them unless you're signed in as that user or you have administrator rights to access them. Email, OneDrive files, and other cloud services tied to that account will still exist online—they just won't sync to this computer anymore.
The process differs slightly depending on whether you're removing your own account (which requires another administrator account to do it) or removing someone else's account (which you can do if you have admin rights). Both take about five minutes.
Key Takeaways
- Deleting a Microsoft account from your computer removes only the local profile on that machine, not the account from Microsoft's servers.
- You cannot delete your own account while you're signed in—you must use a different administrator account to remove it.
- Files stored in the deleted account's folders remain on the hard drive but become inaccessible unless you have administrator rights.
- The account can be added back to the computer at any time by signing in again with the same email and password.
How to delete your own Microsoft account from Windows 10 or 11
Sign out of the account you want to delete, then sign in as a different user who has administrator rights. If you only have one account on the computer, you'll need to create a temporary administrator account first—see the section below on creating an admin account.
Once you're signed in as an administrator, open Settings by pressing the Windows key and typing "Settings," then press Enter. Go to Accounts in the left sidebar, then select Other people. You'll see a list of all user accounts on the computer. Find the Microsoft account you want to remove and click it, then click Delete. Windows will ask whether you want to delete the account's files as well. Choose Delete account and data if you want to remove everything, or Keep files if you want to preserve the files in that account's folders (they'll be moved to a backup folder on the C: drive).
Confirm the deletion. The account will be removed when ready, and you won't be able to sign in with that email on this computer unless you add it again later.
How to delete someone else's Microsoft account from your computer
If you have administrator rights and want to remove another person's account, the process is the same. Open Settings, go to Accounts, then Other people, click the account you want to remove, and select Delete. You don't need that person to sign out first, and you don't need their password.
The person whose account you're deleting will no longer be able to sign in on this computer. If they have files in their account folder, you'll be asked whether to keep or delete those files. If you choose to keep them, they'll be moved to a folder called "Old user data" on the C: drive, and you can access them with your administrator account.
Creating a temporary administrator account if you need one
If you're the only user on the computer and you want to delete your own account, you'll need another administrator account to do it. The fastest way is to create a temporary local account (not a Microsoft account) that you can use just for this task.
Open Settings, go to Accounts, then Other people, and click Add account. Select I don't have this person's sign-in information, then Add a user without a Microsoft account. Give it a straightforward name like "Temp Admin" and create a password you'll remember. After you create it, go back to Other people, click the temporary account, and select Change account type. Set it to Administrator. Now sign out and sign in as the temporary account, then follow the steps above to delete your Microsoft account. After that's done, you can delete the temporary account the same way.
What to do if you can't remember the password
If you've forgotten the password to the Microsoft account you want to delete, you have two options. The first is to reset the password on another device or computer by going to account.microsoft.com, selecting Security, and following the password reset process. Once you've reset it, you can sign back in on your computer and then delete the account using the steps above.
The second option is to use another administrator account on the same computer to delete the account without knowing the password—administrator accounts can remove other accounts without requiring their passwords. If you don't have another administrator account and can't reset the password, you may need to contact Microsoft Support or take the computer to a technician.
How to sign back in with a deleted account later
Deleting the account from your computer doesn't prevent you from using it again. At any time, you can go to the Windows sign-in screen, click Other user, and type in the email address and password for the Microsoft account you deleted. Windows will recreate the local profile and you'll be able to sign in normally. Your OneDrive and other cloud services will sync again, though your local files won't return—only the cloud data will.
If you want to prevent someone from signing back in with a particular account, you'll need to change the password at account.microsoft.com or disable the account entirely through Microsoft's account settings. straightforward deleting it from one computer won't stop it from being used elsewhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will deleting my Microsoft account from my computer delete my email or OneDrive?
No. Your email, OneDrive files, and all other cloud data remain on Microsoft's servers. Deleting the account from your computer only removes the local profile on that machine. You can sign back in anytime and access everything again.
Can I delete my account if I'm the only user on the computer?
Not directly—you can't delete the account you're currently signed in as. You'll need to create a temporary administrator account first, sign in as that account, then delete your Microsoft account. After that, you can delete the temporary account.
What happens to my files when I delete the account?
Windows will ask whether you want to keep or delete the files. If you choose to keep them, they're moved to a folder called "Old user data" on your C: drive. You can access them with your administrator account, but they won't be visible when you sign in as other users.
Can someone sign back in with the same account after I delete it?
Yes. Deleting the account from your computer doesn't change the password or disable the account. Anyone with the correct email and password can sign in again on this computer or any other one. To prevent this, you'd need to change the password or disable the account through Microsoft's website.
Do I need the password to delete someone else's account?
No. If you have administrator rights, you can delete any other user account on the computer without knowing their password. You just need to be signed in as an administrator.