How to remove an email address from outlook

Removing accounts gets them out of the app, but the accounts remain intact

Updated on March 30, 2022

Table of Contents Show

Removing accounts gets them out of the app, but the accounts remain intact
What to Know
How to Remove an Email Account From Microsoft Outlook
Delete Email Accounts in Windows Mail App
What Happens When You Delete Email Accounts in Outlook or Windows Mail?
Delete a Default Account in Window Mail
How do I remove email addresses from Outlook contacts?
How do I delete unwanted email addresses?
Can you permanently delete an Outlook email address?
How do I get rid of invalid email addresses in Outlook?

What to Know

In Outlook, go to File > Info > Account settings, choose the email account, and select Remove > Yes.
In Windows Mail, select Settings or More > Manage accounts, choose an account, then select Delete account.
For the default account, choose Change mailbox sync settings, turn off the Email toggle and select Done > Save.

This article explains how to delete email accounts in Outlook or Windows Mail. The instructions apply to Outlook for Microsoft 365, Outlook 2019, Outlook 2016, and Outlook 2013 as well as Windows 11, 10, and 8.

How to Remove an Email Account From Microsoft Outlook

The procedures for deleting email accounts in the various Outlook versions are similar, with some minor exceptions.

Go to File > Info.
Select the Account settings drop-down menu and choose Account Settings.
Choose the email account you want to remove.
Select Remove.
Confirm that you want to delete it by selecting Yes.

Delete Email Accounts in Windows Mail App

Deleting an email account in Mail (the basic email client included with Windows) is simple as well:

Select Settings (the gear icon) at the bottom of the left pane of the program (or More at the bottom, on a tablet or phone).
In the Settings pane, choose Manage accounts.
Select the account you want to remove from Mail.
In the Account settings screen, choose Delete account.
Select Delete to confirm.

What Happens When You Delete Email Accounts in Outlook or Windows Mail?

When you remove an account from Microsoft Outlook and Windows Mail, you won't have access to it in that program, and you'll remove the locally stored data. However, you won't delete the account or any messages in it.

Deleting an account from a Microsoft email client also deletes the calendar information associated with that account.

Delete a Default Account in Window Mail

If you don't see the Delete account option, you're likely trying to delete the default mail account. Windows requires at least one mail account, and you can't delete it. However, you can stop receiving and sending mail through it. The account still exists on your computer and with the email service provider, but it will be disabled.

Once you disable the account, you no longer receive mail on your computer. Plus, you won't be able to find old emails or the related calendar information on your computer. If you need access to email and dates from an account you deleted from your computer using the above procedures, log in to the email service provider's website. You'll find all your information there.

To disable the account:

Select Settings (the gear icon) at the bottom of the left pane (or More at the bottom, on a tablet or phone).
Choose Manage accounts from the right menu pane.
Select the account you want to stop using.
Choose Change mailbox sync settings.
Under Sync options, turn off the Email toggle switch.
Select Done.
Select Save.

FAQ

How do I set Outlook as my default mail client in Windows Mail?
To set Outlook as your default email client in Windows Mail, go to Default Apps > Mail > Outlook. To add an Outlook.com account to Windows Mail, go to Windows Mail Settings > Manage Accounts > Add Account.
How do I make Windows Mail my default email client?
To make Windows Mail your default email client, go to Default Apps, select the app under Email, then select Mail. In Windows 8, go to Control Panel > Default Programs > Associate a File Type or Protocol with a program > MAILTO > Mail.
How do I import Windows Mail to Outlook?
You can't export contacts from Windows Mail in Windows 10 or 11. In Windows 8, go to Tools > Windows Contacts > Export > CSV > Export.

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How do I remove email addresses from Outlook contacts?

On the navigation bar, click People. Select the contact you want to delete and then click Delete on the Ribbon or right-click the contact and then click Delete.

How do I delete unwanted email addresses?

Under Account Information, click the Account Settings option, and then select Account Settings in the drop-down menu..

In the Account Settings window, select the e-mail address you want to remove..

Click the Remove button above the list of e-mail accounts..

Can you permanently delete an Outlook email address?

To permanently close your Outlook.com email account, you need to close your Microsoft account. Important: When you close your Microsoft account, your email and contacts are deleted from our servers and can't be recovered.