DUPLICATED ACCOUNTS

Microsoft personal accounts cannot be merged into one account. The practical path is to choose the account to keep, move any files needed from the other account, then remove or close the account no longer needed.

Recommended steps:

1. Identify which account is actually over quota.
   • Sign in to each account separately.
   • For the account showing full, open OneDrive storage and check what is using space.
   • OneDrive storage includes OneDrive files, photos, and items in the Recycle Bin.
2. If the full account contains files that must be kept, move them first.
   • Download the files from the account that will be removed.
   • Upload them to the account that will be kept.
   • This is important because if an account stays over quota, files become read-only, and after 6 months over quota, files may be deleted and are non-recoverable.
3. Reduce storage on the account that is over limit if needed before cleanup.
   • In OneDrive, open Manage your OneDrive storage.
   • Empty the Recycle Bin and delete files that are no longer needed.
   • If a shared folder is consuming space, remove that shared folder from OneDrive.
   • If needed, buy more storage temporarily.
4. If the duplicate sign-in is caused by the same email being used for both a personal account and a work or school account, rename the personal Microsoft account.
   • Go to Manage how you sign in.
   • Set an existing alias as Make primary, or add a new alias.
   • This can remove the repeated account-selection prompt.
5. Close the account that is no longer needed.
   • First confirm the account to keep has the files and subscription wanted.
   • If the unwanted account has a Microsoft 365 subscription, cancel that subscription on the services page before closing the account.
6. If OneDrive is still syncing the wrong account on the device, use OneDrive account support or technical support to correct the sync/account state.

If the issue is specifically that one is a personal Microsoft account and the other is a work or school account with the same email address, the accounts are separate and not duplicates in the merge sense. In that case, either rename the personal account alias or contact the organization tied to the work/school account.

For direct help with the account and sync issue, use Contact Microsoft Support for personal accounts.

• Which account do you want to use?
• My OneDrive says it's full
• How to remove an account in OneDrive
• OneDrive shows "You're syncing a different account" error
• I have two Microsoft accounts on different email addresses - Microsoft Q&A I need to have someone call me about how I can combine my two Microsoft accounts each with individual email addresses into one account I am paying for two accounts and I need to drop one.
• I think I have 2 accounts, how do I merge them and/or cancel one? - Microsoft Q&A