Microsoft regularly changes its terms of service, and these changes are not always beneficial to the end user. If you have had enough, you can delete your Microsoft account. In this article we explain how that works.
Cancel Microsoft Account: Why?
Microsoft is working hard to make accounts indispensable. For example, to log in to Windows 10 (which is also possible without, but is not made easy for you). After all, an account is indispensable for marketing services, which are used to earn money. Think of OneDrive, Office and the apps from the Windows 10 application store. A lot of collected personal data can also be linked to your account, which is also lucrative for Microsoft. But especially in the latter there is a bottleneck. Since the introduction of Windows 10, Microsoft has been under constant fire for collecting personal data. If you don't like that, then you have no options except for a few privacy settings. Deleting your Microsoft account does make data collection more difficult for Microsoft.
Of course, there may also be other reasons for deleting your Microsoft account. Maybe you have too many accounts? Perhaps you no longer use Microsoft services at all? Or do you simply want to personally have nothing to do with Microsoft?
Step 1: Knotted together
Canceling complex services like a Microsoft account requires some attention. Let's take a newspaper subscription as an example. It would be remarkable if after finishing the washing machine stops and your car no longer opens. This can happen with complex services with all kinds of branches and links (not literally, of course). For example, by deleting your Microsoft account, you can lose photos, lose money, and your word processor may stop working. If you absolutely want to get rid of your Microsoft account, you can avoid these kinds of problems with the right preparation.
Step 2: Don't forget OneDrive
Canceling your Microsoft account goes way beyond signing in to Windows 10 locally via Home / Settings / Accounts / Sign in with a local account instead. Your Microsoft account is the 'red thread' between all kinds of services. It connects Windows devices and provides access to your files, which you store in OneDrive, for example. By actually canceling your Microsoft account, you will terminate all services associated with it.
First copy everything from your OneDrive to your own storage on your computer, then you have that already. If you do not have access to your OneDrive via Windows Explorer, you can also do this via www.onedrive.com. Notes from OneNote are also linked to your Microsoft account.
Switching to another cloud service is often very simple: you can move the copied data on your computer directly to a cloud service of your choice. Many cloud services also have a help guide for switching. For example, if you want to transfer your data from OneDrive to Google, you can read more about it via this link.
Step 3: Really Remove
Do you use a Microsoft email address (Outlook.com, Hotmail or other) with your Microsoft account? Then this address will also be deleted, including all your messages, contacts, calendar appointments and other settings. An overview of computers, tablets and phones that are linked to your Microsoft account can be found on the Microsoft administration page. Unlink here.
You can delete everything that has to do with programs and services and that is linked to your Microsoft account. Also think of current subscriptions for extra OneDrive storage space or Microsoft Office, for example. Everything checked and checked? Then go to this website to cancel your Microsoft account. Your account will be kept for another 60 days and then really deleted.
