Delete college account, remove permanently

Sapir On-Dray 0 Reputation points
2026-11-06T13:09:20.1733333+00:00

I would like to delete an academic email account. I transferred from one college to another and received a new academic email address; I do not want the old one—from the college I left—to appear anymore.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Subscription, account, billing | For education | Other

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  1. Helen Luu 3,645 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-11-06T13:49:11.9+00:00

    Hello @Sapir On-Dray

    If you would like to remove your old colleague account from your personal computer, please try the following steps:

    1. Go to Windows Settings, choose Accounts. Then scroll down to find Access work or school, select your Work or School account, and click Disconnect.  User's image
    2. From Windows Search, find for Windows Credentials, and remove all credentials related to Microsoft Office.  images
    3. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog box paste and delete all contents in the following folders:
      • %localappdata%\Microsoft\OneAuth  
      • %localappdata%\Microsoft\IdentityCache 

    If you are referring to the Windows user profile itself, you would need to create a new Windows profile. You can do this by going to Windows Settings > Accounts > Other users > Add account and setting up a new user.

    After signing in to the new profile and confirming that all necessary files and data are available, you can remove the old Windows profile that is associated with your previous school account.

    I hope the information above will be helpful. If you still have any concerns or encounter any issues while following the steps, please feel free to let me know.

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  2. Sapir On-Dray 0 Reputation points
    2026-11-06T13:12:49+00:00

    You misunderstood what I meant. I intended to delete this account from my computer and from Office—to remove myself.

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  3. AI answer

    2026-11-06T13:10:04.28+00:00

    The former college’s IT support must permanently delete the old academic account because a school-managed Microsoft 365 account cannot be deleted by the student who uses it.^1^

    Permanently delete the academic account

    1. Save anything needed first, including email, OneDrive files, and OneNote notebooks. Access to that information can be lost after deletion.
    2. Contact the former college’s IT help desk or Microsoft 365 administrator. If the contact is unclear, ask the office that originally issued the email address and password. Microsoft specifically directs university and college users to their school’s technical support team for account deletion.^2^
    3. Ask them to:
      • Delete the old Microsoft 365 user account and mailbox.
      • Remove it from the college directory/address book.
      • Confirm whether institutional retention or alumni policies prevent immediate deletion.
    4. The college administrator performs the deletion in Microsoft 365 admin center → Users → Active users → select the account → Delete user. Deleted accounts can ordinarily be restored by the administrator for 30 days before their data is permanently deleted.^1^

    The Leave organization option is not a substitute. A work or school account cannot leave its Home organization, meaning the organization that owns the account. It can leave only other organizations where it was added as a guest.^3^

    Remove the old account from a Windows device

    If “appear anymore” means that Windows, Office, or Teams still offers the old address, disconnect its local registration after saving any locally stored school data:

    1. Open Settings → Accounts → Access work or school.
    2. Expand the old college account.
    3. Select Disconnect, then confirm.
    4. Restart the Microsoft 365 apps and sign in with the new college account.

    Disconnecting removes the old account’s sign-in information and organizational connection from that PC; it does not delete the college’s online account.^4^

    If the old address is also listed under Settings → Accounts → Other users, select the account and choose Remove next to Account and data. This removes that Windows profile and its local data, not the underlying Microsoft 365 identity.^4^

    If there is a paid subscription

    If a personal, paid Microsoft 365 subscription was purchased using the old academic address, deleting or disconnecting the school account does not by itself settle that subscription. If the college has already disabled the account and online cancellation is inaccessible, gather the old email address, payment details, approximate purchase date, and any order or transaction numbers, then contact Microsoft Support for identity verification and cancellation assistance.^5^

    References

    1. Delete a user from your organization
    2. How do I find my Microsoft 365 admin? | Microsoft Support
    3. Manage organizations for a work or school account in the My Account portal | Microsoft Support
    4. Manage User Accounts in Windows | Microsoft Support
    5. subscription cancellation for a deactivated account - Microsoft Q&A
    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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