I have accounts on Microsoft that I don't use and would like them removed I didn't authortze

Question

I have accounts on Microsoft that I didn't sign in and I would like to delete them so they can't come back again.

Answer 1

Please provide more detail on this, where do you see the accounts you want to delete, is that on your PC or on your account online, please also provide a screenshot of where you see the accounts you want to remove.

Answer 2

To remove Microsoft accounts that are not wanted or not used, there are two main steps: remove them from the device, and then manage or close the underlying Microsoft accounts if needed.

1. Remove unwanted accounts from Windows 11

For personal Microsoft accounts on the device:

1. Select Start > Settings > Accounts > Email & accounts.
2. Under Accounts used by email, calendar, and contacts, select the account that should be removed.
3. Next to Remove account, select Remove, and confirm.

For work or school accounts on the device:

1. Select Start > Settings > Accounts > Access work or school.
2. Select the work or school account that should be removed.
3. Select Disconnect or Manage, and then use Sign out everywhere if shown.
4. If the account belongs to an organization, contact the organization’s IT admin to have it fully removed from their systems if necessary.

This prevents those accounts from being used on that Windows device.

2. Remove sign-in verification methods if an account is not trusted

If an account is accessible but has verification methods (phone, email, Authenticator) that should no longer be associated with it:

1. Sign in to the Advanced security options page of the Microsoft account.
2. For each verification method (phone, email, app) that should be removed, expand it and select Remove.
3. Select Remove again to confirm.

Important notes from the security settings:

• Old security info does not need to be removed unless there is a security risk (for example, someone else has access to that phone or mailbox).
• Always add new security information first before removing old info.
• If all security information is removed, the account goes into a restricted state for 30 days, during which security and billing changes cannot be made, but the account can still be used.

3. Remove accounts from Microsoft Authenticator (if present)

If unwanted accounts appear in Microsoft Authenticator on a phone or tablet, remove them so that device cannot approve sign-ins:

Remove a single account from Authenticator:

1. Open Microsoft Authenticator.
2. Select the account to remove.
3. Tap the Settings gear.
4. Tap Remove account and confirm.
   • After removal, that device can no longer be used to verify sign-in for that account.

Remove all accounts from Authenticator (reset the app):

On Android:

1. Open the device Settings app and select Apps.
2. Select Authenticator from the app list.
3. Select Storage or Storage & cache.
4. Tap Clear data, then OK.
   • This permanently removes all accounts from the app on that device.

On iOS:

1. Open the device Settings app.
2. Select General > Storage.
3. Select Authenticator from the app list.
4. Tap Offload App.
   • This removes all accounts from the app on that device.
5. If an entire Microsoft account must be closed

If an account truly does not belong to the user or should never be used again, the safest approach is usually:

• Remove it from all devices (as above).
• Remove or change its security methods if there is access to it (to prevent others from using it).
• Then follow Microsoft’s standard account-closure process (not detailed in the provided context, but it is separate from just removing the account from a device).

If an account is controlled by an organization (work or school) and appears linked to the user’s identity without authorization, contact that organization’s IT admin to request removal, because only they can fully remove organizational accounts.

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References:

• Sign out or remove an account from Microsoft Teams
• How to sign out from Authenticator
• Removing a sign-in verification method