How to remove the microsoft account email from Outlook classic

Question

I have two accounts that are managed by Outlook classic. My regular email and then the Microsoft account, I'm wanting to remove the Microsoft account and only see the regular email account, but when I attempt to remove it through the control panel-email accounts-my regular email is the primary and Microsoft is not, but when I highlight the Microsoft one to remove, I receive a message stating that the account is a primary account, when it is not. How can get this completed?

Answer 1

Dear @Jeanette Vought, 

Thank you for clearly explaining the situation. I understand how inconvenient it is when Outlook prevents you from removing an account even though it does not appear to be the primary one. I appreciate your patience while sorting this out. 

Here are the steps you can follow: 

Option 1: Create a new Outlook profile with only your regular email account  
This approach creates a clean Outlook profile that includes only the account you want to use. Since the Microsoft account is never added to the new profile, it will not be flagged as primary. 

Close Outlook completely. 

Open the Outlook profile picker using one of the following methods: 

Press Windows + R, type: outlook.exe /profiles and press Enter. 

Select Options, choose New, and create a new profile. 

When prompted, add only your regular email account and complete the setup. 

Select “Always use this profile” if you do not want to choose a profile each time Outlook starts. 

Open Outlook using the new profile and confirm that email, calendar, and contacts are working as expected. 

Once confirmed, go to Control Panel, open Mail (Microsoft Outlook), select Show Profiles, choose the old profile that contains the Microsoft account, and select Remove. 

Note: Removing the old profile only deletes the local configuration on the computer. It does not delete any mailbox data stored on the server. 

Option 2: Remove accounts within the existing profile 

This method is possible but involves more steps. Outlook will not allow removal of an account marked as primary until all other Exchange type accounts in that same profile are removed first. 

Open Outlook. 

Go to File, then Account Settings, then Account Settings again. 

Remove all other Exchange type accounts first. 

Once only the primary account remains, remove it. 

Afterward, add back only the regular email account you want to keep. 

When removing an account, Outlook will display a warning explaining that only cached data stored locally on the PC is deleted. The mailbox itself remains safe on the server. 

As community moderators, we kindly ask for your understanding that our access to internal development details is limited. Our primary role is to guide users toward the appropriate resources and support channels. While we may not have visibility into performing deeper backend analysis, we’ll continue doing our best to support you within the scope of our responsibilities.  

I hope this information is helpful. If you have any questions or need further support, please don’t hesitate to reach out at any time. 

Thank you for your patience and understanding. 

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Answer 2

In classic Outlook for Windows, the “primary” status that blocks removal is tied to the default data file/profile, not just which account is marked as default for sending mail. To remove the Microsoft account, a different data file must be the default delivery location first.

Use this sequence in classic Outlook (Microsoft 365, Outlook 2019, or 2016):

1. Open Outlook and change the default data file
   1. Select File in the upper-left corner.
   2. Select Account Settings > Account Settings.
   3. Go to the Data Files tab.
   4. Select the data file (.pst or .ost) that belongs to the regular email account.
   5. Select Set as Default.
   6. Close the dialog with Close.
   This step makes the regular email account’s data file the primary delivery location, which frees the Microsoft account from being treated as the primary account in the profile.
2. Remove the Microsoft account from the profile
   1. Still under File > Account Settings > Account Settings, go to the Email tab.
   2. Select the Microsoft account that should be removed.
   3. Select Remove.
   4. Confirm the warning that all offline cached content for this account will be deleted. This only affects content stored locally on the computer; the online mailbox itself is not deactivated.
   5. Select Yes to confirm.

If Outlook shows a warning about removing the last or only email account, create a new data file first and set it as default, then repeat the removal:

1. In Account Settings, Data Files tab, select Add to create a new Outlook Data File (.pst).
2. Set this new file as Set as Default.
3. Return to the Email tab and remove the Microsoft account.

Once completed, only the regular email account will remain in that Outlook profile.

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References:

• Remove or delete an email account from classic Outlook for Windows
• Add an email account to Outlook for Windows