Deleting your Outlook account can be a good way to clean up your online presence and improve your privacy. It can also be necessary if you’re no longer using Outlook or if you’re switching to a different email service.
However, it’s important to note that deleting your Outlook account is permanent. Once you delete your account, all of your emails, contacts, and other data will be deleted and cannot be recovered.
So, in this article, we’ll show you how to delete your Outlook account and every other piece of information you should know before deleting your account.
Quick Answer
To delete an email address from Outlook, go to File > Account Settings, select the email account, and then click the Remove button.
To completely delete your Outlook account, you must first delete your Microsoft account.
What You Should Know Before Deleting an Outlook Account From an iOS or Android Device
Outlook is a multi-featured email client that includes a calendar and contact list. Removing the account from your phone may result in losing important calendar entries, notes, and business or personal contacts. Fortunately, you can sync your calendar and contacts with Outlook separately to include the required information on your device.
If you use Microsoft 365 or individual Office apps on your phone, you should save the associated Outlook email address. The same logic applies when using cloud-based services that require a Microsoft account to operate, such as OneDrive or SharePoint.
Removing Outlook from a device is not the same as permanently closing your account. It simply means you no longer have access to the app-based service on your phone. Your emails, attachments, and saved data are all preserved and can be accessed anytime via Outlook’s webmail.
How to Delete an Outlook Email Account from an iPhone
The removal of an Outlook account from your iPhone is dependent on how you access the service:
- As a new email account in Apple Mail
- In the standalone Outlook app, as one of the email accounts
#1. How to Delete of an Outlook email account in Apple Mail
Apple Mail is the default email client on the iPhone, and it allows users to:
- Create an iCloud Mail account and manage it.
- Configure and add third-party email accounts (for example, Outlook, Gmail, Yahoo, Zoho Mail, and so on).
Follow these steps to remove your Outlook account if you set it up using Apple Mail:
- Navigate to the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Scroll down and select the Mail icon.
- Select Accounts from the options to see a list of all the email accounts that have been added to Apple Mail. (Tip: The view at this stage also shows the services associated with the account, such as Contacts, Calendar, or Notes, so it’s important to review which services will be affected if you remove your Outlook account.)
- Select Outlook.
- Select the Delete Account option.
- To confirm, tap Delete From My iPhone—and the job is done!
Take note that these steps follow the iOS 15 navigation pattern (supporting iPhone 6S and higher). Depending on the model, the procedure may differ.
If you’re using an older operating system, here’s how to delete an Outlook account:
- Launch the Settings app.
- Navigate to the integrated Mail, Contacts, and Calendars menu.
- Choose Outlook from the list of accounts.
- Scroll down and click the Delete Account button.
- To finish, select Delete From My iPhone.
#2. How to Delete an Outlook Email Account in the Outlook App
If you use the dedicated Outlook app on your iPhone, you must remove the account using that app. Uninstalling the app is one option for removing the service, but it is not an option for users who have added multiple accounts to their Outlook app.
Here’s how to remove an account from the iPhone’s Outlook app:
- Launch the Outlook application.
- Navigate to the Settings menu within the app.
- Go to the Accounts section and find the desired email account.
- Choose Delete Account.
- Choose Delete from this device or Delete from all devices—the latter will remove the account from all apps where it has been synced.
Keep in mind that the steps and labels are subject to change based on Outlook app updates.
Having Trouble Removing Outlook From iOS? Here’s What You Should Do
Despite following the instructions, some users reported that they were unable to delete their Outlook account on an iPhone. According to responses from the support team, the problem stems from cache retained by your device. If you’re using the Outlook app, the issue could be due to recent updates or incorrectly configured settings.
Apple previously confirmed that the stock Mail app had issues communicating with Microsoft Exchange Server. Some experts believe that resetting the app will resolve the account and syncing issues, but it’s best to contact support to determine the underlying issue.
How to Delete an Outlook Account on Android
Android users who want to uninstall Outlook can do so by going to the app or email client that hosts the service. If you’re using Outlook’s Android app, take the following steps to delete the account:
- Open the Outlook application.
- Tap on your profile icon (located in the upper left corner).
- Scroll down and select the Settings icon.
- Select the appropriate account from Mail Accounts.
- Select Delete Account and confirm deletion.
Almost every Android device allows you to delete an email account from the phone’s settings. We won’t go into specifics because labeling is not standardized. Some devices, for example, may have the option under the Users and Accounts tab, whereas others may have a separate Manage Accounts section. You must first access the option, then navigate to the Outlook account you want to delete and click Remove Account.
How to Turn Off Email Accounts in Outlook for Windows
If you don’t want to delete an account from Outlook, you can disable it temporarily. Only Outlook for Windows has the option to disable accounts.
When you disable an account in Outlook, the app no longer syncs email messages from that account. You can still send emails from the account, but you won’t be receiving new messages from it in the app.
To disable an account in Outlook on your Windows device, follow the steps below.
- In the Outlook app, go to the Send / Receive tab.
- Select Define Send/Receive Groups from the Send/Receive Groups drop-down menu.
- Choose the Edit option.
- On the sidebar, select the account you want to disable and uncheck the Include the selected account in this group checkbox.
- To save the changes, click OK.
- To re-enable the account, repeat the previous steps while checking the Include the selected account in this group box.
How to Delete an Email Account in Outlook for Windows
Open Outlook on your Windows computer and proceed with the steps below.
- In the top-left corner, click the File tab.
- Select Account Settings from the Account Settings drop-down menu.
- Select the email account you want to delete and press the Remove button.
- To remove the selected account, click Yes on the pop-up.
Outlook will delete the account as well as any offline data stored on your computer. Messages in your inbox or outbox are preserved and available on other devices.
When attempting to delete the only email account in Outlook, you will be prompted to create an Outlook Data File (.PST).
How to Delete an Email Account from Outlook for Mac
Follow these steps after opening the Outlook application on your Mac computer.
- To access the Outlook Preferences page, press Command + Comma (,). Alternatively, on the menu bar, select Outlook and then Settings.
- Choose Accounts.
- Choose the email account to be deleted and click the minus icon in the bottom-left corner.
- Select Sign Out for Outlook.com accounts to remove the account from the Outlook app.
- Sign out of third-party email services or accounts (Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, and so on) on your Mac’s Outlook app or across all your devices.
How to Delete Outlook Web Email Account
To remove an email address from your account, sign in to Outlook using any web browser and follow these steps.
- Select View all Outlook settings from the toolbar’s Settings icon.
- Select Manage or a primary alias under Email > Sync email.
- You may be prompted to enter your Microsoft account password. Continue to the next step by following the instructions.
- Select Remove next to the Outlook account you want to disconnect or delete.
- To delete the account, select Remove from the pop-up menu.
Outlook Email Management
When you delete an account in Outlook, no email messages or data in your inbox are deleted. Only cached data saved on your device is deleted during the operation. Messages from a deleted account can be accessed using other email clients or applications.
If you are having trouble deleting an email account, restart or update the Outlook application on your device. If the problem persists, restart your device.
Outlook Problems—and What Alternatives to Consider
Phone users are frequently dissatisfied with how Outlook crashes on their devices, making it difficult to carry out routine tasks. The problem is not limited to phones; desktop users also experience frequent system errors.
While an ideal Outlook replacement should have a light, bug-free interface, Outlook’s poor usability is not its only flaw. The free version of the service has limited security features and advertisements that clog your inbox.
TLS (Transport Layer Security) protocols are typically used to protect your emails in Outlook. TLS encrypts (that is, converts plaintext to ciphertext) data only while it is being transmitted over the internet, leaving it vulnerable to attacks when it is stored on servers. Outlook also retains ownership of the decryption keys, implying that the provider (and any hacker who gains access to the servers) has access to your data.
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- HOW TO DELETE OUTLOOK ACCOUNT: Easy Guide
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