Sources checked: 12 October 2026.
Permanently closing a personal Hotmail or Outlook.com mailbox means closing the Microsoft account associated with it. This is a wider change than signing out or removing the address from an email app. If your aim is only to stop using one device, account closure may be unnecessary.
Check what the account controls
Microsoft’s Outlook.com closure guidance warns that closure affects email and contacts and access to linked Microsoft services such as OneDrive and Xbox. Saved BitLocker recovery keys can also become inaccessible. Identify what you still need before you begin.
- Save important email, contacts and OneDrive files in a location you can access independently of this account.
- Locate recovery keys for encrypted devices and store an appropriate secure copy.
- Review subscriptions, billing and purchases associated with the account; handle cancellations through the relevant official service.
- Change the recovery/contact address on other accounts that rely on this mailbox, and tell necessary contacts your replacement address.
This preparation is a practical checklist, not a guarantee that every linked product can be transferred. Check each service’s own rules rather than assuming a new account inherits existing licenses or purchases.
Follow the official closure flow
- Open Microsoft’s account-closure instructions and use its closure button. You must be able to sign in.
- Complete any identity verification and confirm that the correct account is shown.
- Read the consequences and acknowledgements before selecting Next and the required checkboxes.
- Select the offered 30-day or 60-day reopening window and a reason, then choose Mark account for closure only when ready.
The last action starts the pending-closure period; it does not mean every account is deleted immediately. Microsoft also says that resetting all sign-in verification details requires a 60-day wait before closure. This is different from the reopening window and should not be confused with simply changing a password.
If you change your mind
Within your selected window, sign in at account.microsoft.com and complete the security-code check to reopen the account. Microsoft’s reopening guidance says reopening is no longer possible once that period has passed. Separately cancelled or expired subscriptions may need reinstatement, and time spent pending closure is not refunded as extra subscription time.
Independent information: Number Customer Care is not affiliated with Microsoft. We cannot access your account, reset your password or provide Microsoft customer support.