How to cancel Microsoft 365

Cancel Microsoft 365 at account.microsoft.com/services: Manage, then Turn off recurring billing or Cancel subscription. Either way the plan runs to its end date. If you use OneDrive, do one thing first. Anything over 5 GB turns read-only when the plan ends, and Microsoft can delete it six months later.

By the Subby team·Last updated October 17, 2026

Turn off recurring billing, or cancel

Microsoft gives you two buttons that sound different and mostly end the same way. Turn off recurring billing and "you won't be billed in the future". You keep the subscription until the expiry date shown in your account. Cancelling also leaves you the benefits until the end of the current billing period, and it is the route to a refund if you are still inside the window described below.

How to cancel Microsoft 365 when Microsoft bills you

1. Go to account.microsoft.com/services and sign in with the Microsoft account you bought the subscription with.
2. Find Microsoft 365 and select Manage.
3. Select Turn off recurring billing, or Cancel subscription if that is what the page offers.
4. Read the details, scroll down and choose I don't want my subscription.

The other button on that page, I want to keep my benefits, backs out without changing anything. Expect Microsoft to list what you are about to lose before it lets you finish.

If Apple, Google Play or a store bills you

Bought Microsoft 365 inside the iPhone app, from Google Play, or from a retailer such as Amazon? Then Microsoft isn't the biller, and its help page says it "cannot cancel, refund, or modify billing for these subscriptions". Cancel where you pay. On an iPhone that is Settings, your name, then Subscriptions, as in cancel subscriptions on iPhone. On Android it is the Play Store's subscription list, as in cancel subscriptions on Google Play. Refunds go through them as well.

Refunds: the 30-day rule

When Microsoft bills you, its refund policy covers two cases. You can get a refund within 30 days of your first purchase or before your first recurring billing date, whichever comes sooner. You can also get back the most recent renewal charge if you cancel within 30 days of that payment. The policy limits this to "one time per Microsoft account, per subscription product."

To find out whether you qualify, you have to cancel first, and Microsoft warns that "Not all cancellations will result in a refund." Some countries add a prorated refund on top, and Microsoft's refund page lists them. A free trial is simpler. Cancel within 30 days of signing up and you are not charged.

What happens to OneDrive, Outlook and Office

This part decides when you cancel. When the plan ends, OneDrive drops to the free 5 GB. If you are over it, your files turn read-only. You can still download or delete them, but uploads and syncing stop. After three months over the limit the account is frozen, and after six months, Microsoft says, it "might delete your OneDrive and all files in it. You can't recover these files after they're deleted."

Your Outlook.com mailbox drops back to the free allowance, and over quota, sending and receiving mail can stop. The desktop Office apps go into reduced functionality mode, which lets you open and print documents but not edit them or create new ones. The web versions stay free.

On a Family plan everyone loses the extra storage at the same time. In Microsoft's words, "all the people you shared your subscription with will also have their storage allowances reduced." Tell them before you cancel.

The mistake that costs the most

Cancelling first and thinking about files later. Before you confirm, check how much you keep in OneDrive. If it is more than 5 GB, move the excess to a drive you own while the plan is still running. And look at your receipt before you look for the button. If Apple or Google bills you, Microsoft's page can't cancel it. On an annual plan, get a reminder a week before the renewal, enough time to decide and to clear OneDrive before the charge.