How to Remove an Email Account from Outlook

This guide walks you through removing or deleting an email account from Outlook on Windows, Mac, and the web. You’ll learn the exact steps for each version, what happens to your emails and folders, and how to avoid common pitfalls like losing local data or getting locked out of your account.

What You’ll Need

• Access to the Outlook app or Outlook on the web where the account is set up.
• If you’re removing the account from a mobile device, make sure you know the account password in case you need to re-add it later.
• Decide whether you want to keep a local copy of your emails, contacts, and calendar items before removing the account.

Step-by-Step

Outlook for Windows (Desktop App)

1. Open Outlook and go to File (top-left corner).
2. Click Account Settings > Account Settings… from the dropdown.
3. In the Email tab, you’ll see a list of all accounts. Select the account you want to remove.
4. Click Remove (above the list). A confirmation dialog appears.
5. Check the box Delete the offline copy of this account if you want to remove the local cached data (emails, contacts, calendar) from your computer. If you leave it unchecked, Outlook keeps a copy in the data file.
6. Click Yes to confirm. The account is removed from Outlook, but your online mailbox remains intact.

Outlook for Mac

1. Open Outlook and go to the Outlook menu (top-left) > Preferences.
2. Click Accounts (under Personal Settings).
3. Select the account you want to remove from the left sidebar.
4. Click the minus (–) button at the bottom of the account list.
5. Confirm that you want to remove the account. You can choose to keep or delete the local data (Outlook will ask).

Outlook on the Web (Outlook.com or Office 365)

Note: You can only remove a connected account (like Gmail or Yahoo) from Outlook on the web. You cannot remove the primary Outlook.com or Microsoft 365 account itself.

1. Go to Outlook.com and sign in.
2. Click the gear icon (top-right) and select View all Outlook settings.
3. Go to Mail > Sync email.
4. Under Connected accounts, find the account you want to remove.
5. Click the trash can icon next to it, then confirm. The account is disconnected, but the original mailbox remains untouched.

Outlook Mobile App (Android/iOS)

1. Open the Outlook app and tap the hamburger menu (three lines) at the top-left.
2. Tap the gear icon (bottom-left) to open Settings.
3. Tap Account (or Manage Accounts on some versions).
4. Select the account you want to remove.
5. Tap Delete Account (or Remove Account) and confirm. The account is removed from the app, but the email server still holds your data.

Common Mistakes

• Deleting the offline copy when you still need local data – If you check that box in Windows, Outlook permanently deletes all locally stored emails, contacts, and calendar items that are not on the server. Only do this if you’re sure you have backups or don’t need them.
• Removing the wrong account – If you have multiple accounts with similar names, double-check the email address before clicking Remove.
• Thinking the account is deleted entirely – Removing an account from Outlook only disconnects it from the app. The email account itself (e.g., Gmail, Yahoo) remains active and can be accessed via its own website.
• Forgetting to remove from all devices – If you want to stop receiving emails on your phone, you must remove the account from the mobile app as well. Removing it from your desktop doesn’t affect other devices.

Tips

• Before removing, export your data if you need it. In Windows: File > Open & Export > Import/Export > Export to a file > Outlook Data File (.pst). On Mac: File > Export.
• If you’re switching to a new email client, consider setting up IMAP instead of POP3 so your mail stays synchronized across devices.
• If you only want to stop receiving emails temporarily, you can disable the account instead of removing it (in Windows: right-click the account in the folder pane > Set as Work/Other or uncheck Update this account in Account Settings).
• Write down your account settings (server names, ports) before removing, in case you need to re-add it later.

Troubleshooting

The Remove button is grayed out. This usually happens when you’re trying to remove the primary account that Outlook uses for delivery. You must first set another account as the default delivery account (File > Account Settings > Change > More Settings > Advanced > Set as Default). Then try removing again.

The account reappears after restart. This can happen if the account is still configured in another profile or if Outlook is set to auto-discover from a domain. Check if you have multiple profiles (Control Panel > Mail > Show Profiles) and remove the account from each one.

You get a password prompt after removal. If the account is still in the Windows Credential Manager, Outlook may try to connect. Go to Control Panel > Credential Manager > Windows Credentials and delete any entries related to that email address or server.

Can’t remove an account from Outlook on the web. If the account is a Microsoft 365 work/school account, you cannot remove it yourself; your IT admin controls that. Contact your admin.

Local data is missing after removal. If you didn’t check the delete box, the data file should still exist. Look for a .pst file (Windows) or .olm file (Mac) in your Documents or Outlook folder. You can re-attach it via File > Open & Export > Open Outlook Data File.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will removing an email account from Outlook delete my emails?

No, unless you explicitly check the option to delete the offline copy. Your emails remain on the mail server (e.g., Gmail, Exchange) and you can still access them via the web or re-add the account later.

Can I remove the primary Outlook.com account from the Outlook app?

In the desktop app, you can remove any account, including the primary one, but you’ll need to set another account as default first. On the web, you cannot remove the primary account; you can only remove connected accounts.

What happens to my calendar and contacts?

They are stored on the server (if you’re using IMAP or Exchange) or in a local data file. If you remove the account without deleting the offline copy, your local calendar and contacts remain in the data file. If you delete the offline copy, they are gone from your computer but still exist online.

How do I remove an account from Outlook on my iPhone?

Open the Outlook app, go to Settings (gear icon) > Account > select the account > Delete Account. Alternatively, you can remove it from iOS Settings > Mail > Accounts, but that removes it from the native Mail app, not Outlook.

Will removing an account stop the sync with my phone?

Yes, if you remove it from the Outlook mobile app, it stops syncing on that device. To stop sync on all devices, remove it from each one.

Can I re-add the account later?

Yes, you can re-add it at any time by going to File > Add Account (or Settings > Add Account on mobile) and entering your email address and password.

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