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How To Delete An Xbox Account

These steps will help you navigate this less than simple process
Andrew Kirkcaldy
Last Updated on
How To Delete An Xbox Account
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Table of Contents

If you have owned an Xbox you have had an Xbox account, and quite a few of the PC users who game using Microsoft games have an Xbox account as well. They make things more streamlined when a user is looking to archive their gaming accomplishments. 

However, Xbox accounts exist in a weird limbo. They are not actually their own accounts and are tied directly to a Microsoft account, which makes deleting them a bit of a tightrope walk. Since nobody wants that, in this guide we’ll show you how to delete your Xbox account.

How To Delete An Xbox Account – Step-By-Step

Unfortunately, the steps required to delete your Xbox account normally require you to delete the entire Microsoft account with it.

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However, since you can make multiple Microsoft accounts this is not the biggest issue in the world, as you can always create a burner one for your Xbox account.

With that out of the way, let’s take you through how to go about this process:

Step

1

Go To The Microsoft Website

Go to the Microsoft website and sign in to the account you wish to delete.

Step

2

Click On ‘Security’

Once there, click on ‘Security’. This will come with the customizable and mandatory security options that are placed on your account.

Step

3

Click On More Security Options

Click on more security options. This clickable option is actually in a sentence below the three main boxes of security options.

Step

4

Then Microsoft Will Probably Ask You To Type In Your Password again

If you have added security on this account, then Microsoft will probably ask you to type in your password again and may also send a security code to apply here. This will be sent to either your e-mail or your phone.

Step

5

Click On More Security Settings

Once past this point, click on more security settings.

Step

6

Click On ‘Close My Account’

At the very bottom of the page is the option ‘Close my account’. Scroll down to the bottom and click on it.

Step

7

Once Everything Is In Order, Click ‘Next’

Microsoft will begin recommending things you need to do before closing this account. Look through these and make sure everything is to your standard. Once everything is in order, click ‘Next’.

Step

8

Click On The Ones You Wish To Occur

The next page will also have some necessary reading, as it will have more recommendations and options. Click on the ones you wish to occur and make sure you have understood everything before moving on.

Step

9

There Is A Button Called ‘Mark Account For Closure’

At the end of this, there is a button called ‘Mark account for closure’. This will place the account on a close list that has a 60-day hold.

Over the course of that 60-day period, you may reopen the account if you so choose. However, once that period has ended, your account will be closed permanently.

Once the Microsoft account is closed, then the Xbox account will go with it, permanently closing it as well.

Can I Close My Xbox Account Without Closing My Microsoft One?

Unfortunately, as of this time, this is not possible. While people will try to find workarounds – and those may well work – the current situation is that an Xbox account will remain open until the Microsoft account it is attached to closes as well. 

However, there are a couple of things you can do to get around this system. One thing many people do is to create a burner Microsoft account.

This is an account that is only used for the Xbox rather than the PC as well. As such, it literally only functions as an Xbox account, and so deleting it will have no impact on any other electronics you use. 

Another is to simply cancel the subscriptions to the Xbox Live service, but not the account itself.

This way you are not still paying for a service you don’t want, but the account stays up. It won’t do anything, but its existence is not going to negatively impact you in any way. 

Conclusion

Closing your Xbox account should not be a hassle, but it just is. Hopefully with the reading of this guide, though, you should have no problem getting rid of and dealing with this account, so you can enjoy your time without worrying about its continued presence.

About the Author

Andrew Kirkcaldy

Andrew is one of three co-founders of BGFG, the parent company of PC Guide. A keen gamer and PC enthusiast, Andrew dabbles in a bit of writing sometimes - when he gets the chance to!