How to Deactivate Outlook Account

Microsoft Outlook is a popular personal information manager that can be used to manage email, contacts, and calendars. If you no longer need to use your Outlook account, you can deactivate it to prevent others from accessing your information.

Deactivating your Outlook account is a temporary process. This means that you can reactivate it at any time if you change your mind. However, it is important to note that any data that you have stored in your Outlook account will be permanently deleted if you deactivate your account for more than 60 days. Therefore, it is important to back up your data before you deactivate your account.

To deactivate your Outlook account, you will need to follow these steps:

How to Deactivate Outlook Account

Follow these steps to deactivate Outlook account:

• Sign in to Outlook.
• Click your profile picture.
• Select "View account."
• Click "More account settings."
• Under "Account info," select "Close your account."
• Follow the on-screen instructions.
• Confirm that you want to close your account.
• Wait 60 days for your account to be deactivated.
• Your account will be permanently deleted.

Remember to back up your data before deactivating your account.

Sign in to Outlook.

To deactivate your Outlook account, you must first sign in to your account.

• Open a web browser and go to the Outlook website.
  

  You can use any web browser, such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Microsoft Edge.

• Enter your Outlook email address and password.
  

  Make sure that you enter the correct email address and password for the account that you want to deactivate.

• Click the "Sign in" button.
  

  This will sign you in to your Outlook account.

• If you have two-factor authentication enabled, you will need to enter a verification code.
  

  The verification code will be sent to your phone or email address. Enter the verification code and click the "Verify" button.

Once you have signed in to your Outlook account, you can proceed to the next step to deactivate your account.

Click your profile picture.

Once you have signed in to your Outlook account, you need to click on your profile picture in the top-right corner of the screen.

Your profile picture is a small circular image that displays your initials or a photo of yourself, if you have uploaded one. If you have not uploaded a profile picture, your initials will be displayed in a colored circle.

When you click on your profile picture, a drop-down menu will appear. This menu contains various options, including "View account," "Sign out," and "Settings."

To deactivate your Outlook account, you need to select the "View account" option. This will take you to your account settings page.

On the account settings page, you will find various options and settings related to your Outlook account. You can use these options to manage your account, change your password, and deactivate your account.

Select "View account."

Once you have clicked on your profile picture, a drop-down menu will appear. This menu contains various options, including "View account," "Sign out," and "Settings."

To deactivate your Outlook account, you need to select the "View account" option. This will take you to your account settings page.

The account settings page contains various options and settings related to your Outlook account. You can use these options to manage your account, change your password, and deactivate your account.

To deactivate your account, you need to scroll down to the bottom of the account settings page and click on the "Close your account" link.

When you click on the "Close your account" link, a new window will appear. This window contains a warning message that tells you what will happen if you close your account. You will also be asked to enter your password to confirm that you want to close your account.

Click "More account settings."

After you click on the "Close your account" link, a new window will appear. This window contains a warning message that tells you what will happen if you close your account. You will also be asked to enter your password to confirm that you want to close your account.

Before you enter your password and confirm that you want to close your account, you should click on the "More account settings" link.

The "More account settings" link will take you to a new page that contains more detailed information about your Outlook account. This page contains information about your account security, your connected accounts, and your privacy settings.

You should review the information on this page carefully before you close your account. Make sure that you have backed up any important data that you want to keep, and that you have disconnected any connected accounts that you no longer use.

Once you have reviewed the information on the "More account settings" page and you are sure that you want to close your account, you can enter your password and confirm that you want to close your account.

Under "Account info," select "Close your account."

Once you have reviewed the information on the "More account settings" page and you are sure that you want to close your account, you can scroll down to the "Account info" section and click on the "Close your account" link.

• The "Close your account" link will take you to a new page that contains a warning message.
  

  The warning message tells you what will happen if you close your account. It also tells you that you will have 60 days to change your mind and reactivate your account if you need to.

• Read the warning message carefully and make sure that you understand what will happen if you close your account.
  

  If you are sure that you want to close your account, click on the "Close account" button.

• You will be asked to enter your password to confirm that you want to close your account.
  

  Enter your password and click on the "Close account" button again.

• Your account will now be closed.
  

  You will receive an email from Microsoft confirming that your account has been closed.

You will have 60 days to change your mind and reactivate your account if you need to. After 60 days, your account will be permanently deleted and all of your data will be lost.

Follow the on-screen instructions.

Once you have clicked on the "Close account" button, you will be asked to follow the on-screen instructions to close your account.

• You may be asked to enter your password again.
  

  Enter your password and click on the "Continue" button.

• You may be asked to confirm that you want to close your account.
  

  Click on the "Yes, close my account" button.

• You may be asked to provide a reason for closing your account.
  

  Select a reason from the drop-down menu and click on the "Continue" button.

• You will see a confirmation message that your account has been closed.
  

  Click on the "OK" button to close the window.

You will receive an email from Microsoft confirming that your account has been closed. You will have 60 days to change your mind and reactivate your account if you need to. After 60 days, your account will be permanently deleted and all of your data will be lost.

Confirm that you want to close your account.

After you have followed the on-screen instructions to close your account, you will be asked to confirm that you want to close your account.

You will see a message that says something like this:

Are you sure you want to close your Outlook account? This action is permanent and cannot be undone.

Below the message, there will be two buttons: "Yes, close my account" and "Cancel."

If you are sure that you want to close your account, click on the "Yes, close my account" button. If you change your mind, click on the "Cancel" button.

If you click on the "Yes, close my account" button, your account will be closed immediately. You will receive an email from Microsoft confirming that your account has been closed.

You will have 60 days to change your mind and reactivate your account if you need to. After 60 days, your account will be permanently deleted and all of your data will be lost.

Wait 60 days for your account to be deactivated.

Once you have confirmed that you want to close your Outlook account, your account will be deactivated immediately. However, your account will not be permanently deleted for 60 days.

During this 60-day period, you can change your mind and reactivate your account if you need to. To reactivate your account, simply sign in to your account using your old email address and password.

If you do not reactivate your account within 60 days, your account will be permanently deleted and all of your data will be lost. This includes your emails, contacts, calendar entries, and any other data that you have stored in your Outlook account.

Therefore, it is important to make sure that you have backed up any important data that you want to keep before you close your Outlook account.

Your account will be permanently deleted.

If you do not reactivate your Outlook account within 60 days of deactivating it, your account will be permanently deleted. This means that all of your data, including your emails, contacts, calendar entries, and any other data that you have stored in your Outlook account, will be lost forever.

Microsoft does not offer any way to recover your data once your account has been permanently deleted. Therefore, it is important to make sure that you have backed up any important data that you want to keep before you close your Outlook account.

You can back up your Outlook data by exporting it to a PST file. To do this, open Outlook and click on the "File" tab. Then, click on "Open & Export" and select "Import/Export." In the Import/Export wizard, select "Export to a file" and then select "Outlook Data File (.pst)." Choose the data that you want to export and click on the "Finish" button.

Once you have exported your data to a PST file, you can store it in a safe place, such as an external hard drive or a cloud storage service.

If you change your mind and decide that you want to keep your Outlook account, you can reactivate it within 60 days of deactivating it. To reactivate your account, simply sign in to your account using your old email address and password.

FAQ

Here are some frequently asked questions about how to deactivate an Outlook account:

Question 1: How do I deactivate my Outlook account?
Answer 1: To deactivate your Outlook account, sign in to your account, click on your profile picture, select "View account," click on "More account settings," and then click on "Close your account." Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the deactivation process.

Question 2: What happens when I deactivate my Outlook account?
Answer 2: When you deactivate your Outlook account, your account will be immediately deactivated, but it will not be permanently deleted. You will have 60 days to change your mind and reactivate your account if you need to.

Question 3: What data will be lost when I deactivate my Outlook account?
Answer 3: If you do not reactivate your Outlook account within 60 days of deactivating it, your account will be permanently deleted and all of your data will be lost. This includes your emails, contacts, calendar entries, and any other data that you have stored in your Outlook account.

Question 4: How can I back up my Outlook data before I deactivate my account?
Answer 4: You can back up your Outlook data by exporting it to a PST file. To do this, open Outlook, click on the "File" tab, click on "Open & Export," and then select "Import/Export." In the Import/Export wizard, select "Export to a file" and then select "Outlook Data File (.pst)." Choose the data that you want to export and click on the "Finish" button.

Question 5: Can I reactivate my Outlook account after I have deactivated it?
Answer 5: Yes, you can reactivate your Outlook account within 60 days of deactivating it. To reactivate your account, simply sign in to your account using your old email address and password.

Question 6: What should I do if I have forgotten my Outlook account password?
Answer 6: If you have forgotten your Outlook account password, you can reset it by clicking on the "Forgot password?" link on the Outlook sign-in page. You will be asked to enter your email address and then you will be sent a link to reset your password.

Question 7: How can I delete my Outlook account permanently?
Answer 7: To delete your Outlook account permanently, you must first deactivate your account and then wait 60 days. After 60 days, your account will be permanently deleted and all of your data will be lost. You will not be able to reactivate your account after it has been permanently deleted.

Closing Paragraph for FAQ: If you have any other questions about how to deactivate your Outlook account, please contact Microsoft customer support.

Transition paragraph: Now that you know how to deactivate your Outlook account, here are some tips to help you keep your account safe and secure.

Tips

Here are some tips to help you keep your Outlook account safe and secure:

Tip 1: Use a strong password.
Your Outlook account password should be at least 12 characters long and include a mix of upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Avoid using common words or phrases that can be easily guessed.

Tip 2: Enable two-factor authentication.
Two-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security to your Outlook account. When you enable two-factor authentication, you will be asked to enter a verification code in addition to your password when you sign in to your account. This makes it more difficult for hackers to access your account, even if they have your password.

Tip 3: Be careful about what emails you open.
Phishing scams are a common way for hackers to steal your personal information. These scams typically involve sending you an email that looks like it is from a legitimate company or organization. The email may contain a link that, when clicked, will take you to a fake website that looks identical to the real website. If you enter your personal information on this fake website, the hackers will be able to steal it.

Tip 4: Keep your software up to date.
Software updates often include security patches that can help to protect your computer from malware and other threats. Make sure that you install software updates as soon as they are available.

Closing Paragraph for Tips: By following these tips, you can help to keep your Outlook account safe and secure.

Transition paragraph: Now that you know how to deactivate your Outlook account and how to keep it safe and secure, you can use it with confidence.

Conclusion

Deactivating your Outlook account is a relatively simple process, but it is important to understand the implications of doing so before you proceed. If you are sure that you want to deactivate your account, follow the steps outlined in this article to complete the process.

Remember to back up your data before you deactivate your account, as all of your data will be permanently deleted if you do not reactivate your account within 60 days. You can also reactivate your account within 60 days of deactivating it if you change your mind.

To keep your Outlook account safe and secure, use a strong password, enable two-factor authentication, be careful about what emails you open, and keep your software up to date.

Closing Message: By following the tips in this article, you can keep your Outlook account safe and secure and you can also deactivate your account if you ever need to.

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