How to Remove an Account from Outlook (Web, Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android)

No, not on the web. Outlook on the web doesn’t have a Remove button for your own mailbox, so you sign out instead. The Outlook apps for Windows, Mac, iPhone, and Android do have a real Remove option.

In this tutorial, I’ll show you what I found when I tried to remove an account from Outlook on the web, and where Microsoft puts the remove option in each Outlook app.

Why Outlook on the web has no Remove account button

I checked this in a Microsoft 365 work mailbox I use for a made-up business, Bluebird Landscaping Co. In Settings > Account > Email account, Outlook lists just one account: the one I’m signed in with, marked Microsoft 365.

There’s no Remove or Manage button next to it, and nothing appears when you hover. That makes sense, because the web version is tied to the account you signed in with. The same Account area holds Storage, if you want to check your storage space in Outlook Online.

What each kind of account means for removal

“Remove an account” can mean four different things in Outlook, so here’s how they line up:

Account type	Where it shows up	How to take it off
Your own mailbox (web)	Settings > Account > Email account	Sign out from your profile picture
Your own mailbox (apps)	The app’s account list	Remove, as Microsoft describes below
Shared mailbox	Settings > Account > Shared with me, folder list	Right-click it > Remove shared folder
Personal calendar	Settings > Calendar > Accounts	Add personal calendars > Remove

None of these close the account itself. If you’re stepping away for a while rather than leaving for good, you can set automatic replies in Outlook instead.

Sign out to take your account off a browser

Select your profile picture at the top right. The account manager shows your organization’s name with Sign out next to it, then your account card with View account, Open another mailbox, and a “…” menu.

For my signed-in account, that “…” menu only held My Microsoft 365 profile. So on a shared or public computer, Sign out is the way to take your account off the browser.

If other accounts are signed in to the same browser, they’re listed under yours, with Sign in with a different account at the bottom. Before you leave, it’s worth a quick look at which email address Outlook shows.

Shared mailboxes and connected personal calendars

Settings > Account > Shared with me says “View and manage all shared email accounts you have access to” and has an Add button. My test mailbox had nothing shared, so I couldn’t see a remove control on this page.

Microsoft’s steps for a shared mailbox you added to your folder list are simple: right-click the shared mailbox and select Remove shared folder. That only takes it out of your view.

Settings > Calendar > Accounts lets you connect a personal account, either Outlook.com, Hotmail, Live, MSN or Google, so its events show on your work calendar.

Microsoft says you can connect one personal account, and it brings over the calendar only, not email. To disconnect it, go to Calendar > Add calendar > Add personal calendars and select Remove. For work events you’d rather keep to yourself, you can mark an event as private in Outlook.

Remove an account in new Outlook and classic Outlook for Windows

I didn’t test these on a PC. These are Microsoft’s steps for new Outlook:

1. Open Settings, or go to File > Account info.
2. Choose Accounts > Your accounts.
3. Select Manage next to the account, then Remove.
4. For a non-Microsoft account like Gmail, pick this device only or all devices.

For classic Outlook, go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings, select the account, choose Remove, and confirm with Yes. If it’s your last account, Microsoft says you first need a new location for your data.

Both versions delete the offline copy stored on your computer. If you want a copy first, download your Outlook emails before you remove anything.

Remove an account from Outlook on iPhone, Android, and Mac

I haven’t tested these on a device either, so these are Microsoft’s steps.

• iPhone and Android: open Settings, choose Accounts, select the email account, and tap Remove Account.
• Outlook for Mac: select Tools > Accounts, pick the account, select Manage > Remove Account, then Continue.
• Legacy Outlook for Mac: select Tools > Accounts, pick the account, select the minus (-) button at the bottom, then Sign Out.

Microsoft says removal only takes the account out of the app, so your mail stays on the server. If you only use Outlook on the web from now on, you can still create inbox rules in Outlook Online there.

What removing an account doesn’t do

Removing an account only disconnects it from that Outlook app. It doesn’t close or delete the account, and your mail stays on the server. To close an account for good, you’d go to your email provider.

One warning from Microsoft: in new Outlook, choosing all devices for a non-Microsoft account also removes its Microsoft Cloud data, and items stored only there might not come back when you add the account again.

Want to keep tidying Outlook? Try these next

• Sort folders in Outlook Online
• Set calendar reminders in Outlook
• Save Outlook emails to OneDrive
• All Outlook Online tutorials

Common questions