Removing an MS Account from Windows 11: Personal or Work

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Unlink a personal, work, or school account from your PC

Written by Stan Kats | Edited by Megaera Lorenz, PhD

Last Updated: September 22, 2025 Fact Checked

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• Removing a Personal Account
|
• Removing a Work or School Account
|
• Troubleshooting
|
• Video
|
• Warnings

|Show more |Show less

Would you prefer to use a local account on your Windows PC instead of signing in with a Microsoft account? While using a Microsoft account makes it easier to sync your settings across devices, having a local account offers more privacy and can save space on your OneDrive. You can easily remove a Microsoft personal, school, or work account from your Windows 11 computer in a few simple steps. We’ll talk you through how to do it and share troubleshooting tips for common issues.

Quick Steps to Remove a Microsoft Account

1. Go to Start > Settings > Accounts.
2. Click Your info.
3. Select Sign in with a local account instead > Next. Enter your PIN.
4. Enter the login information for your local account and click Sign out and Finish.
5. Go back to Start > Settings > Accounts and select Other Users.
6. Click your Microsoft account and select Remove > Delete account and data.

Steps

Section 1 of 3:

Removing a Personal MS Account

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1. 
   1
   Click the Start button

   

   and select Settings. Most of the time, you can easily remove your Microsoft account in Settings. To get started, click the Start button at the bottom of the screen, then click the gear-shaped icon in your Start menu.
2. 
   2
   Click Accounts. It’s in the left-hand menu bar.
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3. 
   3
   Select Your info. This is in the Account settings section. You may need to scroll down to find it.
4. 
   4
   Click Sign in with a local account instead. This link is under the Account settings header next to Microsoft account.

   • Switching to a local account will not cause you to lose any files or data that are stored locally on your computer. However, it will prevent the contents of your computer from automatically syncing with your Microsoft account.
5. 
   5
   Click Next. A window will pop up explaining what happens when you switch to a local account. Click Next to confirm.
6. 
   6
   Enter your PIN. To verify your identity, you may be prompted to enter the PIN you use to sign into Windows. If you don’t know your PIN, click I forgot my PIN and follow the instructions on the screen reset it.
7. 
   7
   Enter your local account info. At this point, you can either enter the information associated with a current local account or create a new one. Type in your username and password (you’ll need to type the password twice to confirm it). You can also enter a password hint if you like. Click Next to continue.
8. 
   8
   Click Sign out and Finish. Once you’re signed out, use the new local account info you entered to sign back in.
9. 
   9
   Return to the Accounts menu. Now that you’ve signed out, you can remove the Microsoft account from your PC. Go back to Start > Settings > Accounts.
10. 
    10
    Click Other Users. This option might be called Family and other users instead. You might need to scroll down a little in the Accounts menu to find it.
11. 
    11
    Click your Microsoft account in the list of accounts. A drop-down menu will open.
12. 
    12
    Select Remove. It’s next to Account and data in the drop-down menu. Click Delete account and data in the window that pops up to confirm your choice. This will remove the Microsoft account from your device, but it will not delete your account.

    • You can also remove your computer from your Microsoft account using the Microsoft website:
      • Visit account.microsoft.com/devices and sign in.
      • Locate the computer you want to remove from your account.
      • Click Remove device in the device menu.
      • Select More actions > Remove.
      • Click I’m ready to remove this device > Remove.
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Section 2 of 3:

Removing a School or Work Account

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1. 
   1
   Open your Accounts menu. If you have a Microsoft work or school account associated with your computer, you can disconnect it in account settings. To get started, open Start > Settings > Accounts.

   • Disconnecting won’t delete your school or work account, but it will remove associated data and sign-in information from your PC.
2. 
   2
   Select Access work or school. It’s under the Account settings header. You might need to scroll down to find it.
3. 
   3
   Open the drop-down next to your account and click Disconnect. A window will pop up. Click Yes to confirm that you want to disconnect the account.

   • If you don’t see this option, make sure you’re not logged into your work or school account. Instead, sign in with a local account or your personal Microsoft account.
   • If you don’t have an administrator account, or if your organization owns the computer you’re using, you might not have permission to remove a work or school account. In this case, you won’t see an option to disconnect the account.
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Section 3 of 3:

Troubleshooting

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1. 
   1
   Log in with a local administrator account. You might not be able to remove an account if you don’t have administrator privileges. It can also help to create an alternative local account before you attempt this process (although theoretically, you should be able to create a local account when you sign out of your Microsoft account). To make a new local admin account if you don’t already have one:

   • Go to Start > Settings > Accounts.
   • Click Other users or Family and other users.
   • Click Add account under the Other users header.
   • Select I don’t have this person’s sign-in information in the window that pops up.
   • Click Add a user without a Microsoft account.
   • Fill in a username, password, and any other required information, then click Next.
   • Click on the new account in the list under Other users, then select Change account type next to the Account options header.
   • Use the drop-down menu to select Administrator, then click OK.
   • Log in with your new account and follow the steps described above to remove your Microsoft account or disconnect a work or school account.
2. 
   2
   Make sure you’re in the right menu for the type of account you want to remove. If you have a work or school account, you can’t remove it using the Other users menu. Instead, make sure you go to Start > Settings > Accounts > Access work or school.
3. 
   3
   Try an alternate method for removing the account. If removing your account in Account settings doesn’t work, there are a couple of other options you can try:

   • Use the netplwiz utility:
     • Press Windows + R and type in netplwiz, then click OK.
     • Select your Microsoft account in the User Accounts window and click Remove. Click Yes to confirm in the pop-up window.
   • Use the Control Panel:
     • Go to Start > Control Panel.
     • Click User Accounts.
     • Under the User Accounts header, click Remove user accounts.
     • Click your Microsoft account and select Delete the account in the left-hand menu bar.
     • Select either Keep Files or Delete Files to save or delete local files associated with your account.
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Warnings

• While removing your Microsoft account shouldn’t delete any local files or data from your computer, it’s a good idea to back up your data first just in case.
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