How to Cancel Microsoft 365 - Step by Step Guide

Q: Are there early cancellation fees for Microsoft 365?

For annual Microsoft 365 Business plans, early cancellation fees may apply if you cancel before the end of your commitment term. The exact fee depends on your specific plan and purchase channel. Monthly plans can be cancelled at any time with no fee. Check your subscription details in the admin center to see if a fee applies before confirming.

Q: Can I get a refund when I cancel Microsoft 365?

Microsoft offers a partial refund if you cancel within 30 days of your initial purchase or annual renewal. After 30 days, no refund is issued for the remaining subscription period. The refund is prorated based on the unused days in the billing period at the time of cancellation.

Q: What happens to OneDrive files when Microsoft 365 is cancelled?

After cancelling, your OneDrive files become read-only after 30 days. After 180 days, Microsoft deletes the files permanently. To avoid data loss, download everything you need from OneDrive before or immediately after cancellation. Local copies of Office files on your computer are not affected.

Before You Cancel Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365 manages a lot of critical business data. Check these three things before you cancel to avoid data loss.

Export your data immediately after cancelling - you have 30 days. For Business plans, Microsoft gives you a 30-day window after cancellation to download emails, SharePoint content, and OneDrive files. After 30 days the data becomes inaccessible. For personal plans, OneDrive files go read-only and are deleted after 180 days. Do not delay exporting.
Check whether you are on an annual commitment. Annual Microsoft 365 Business plans may carry early termination fees if you cancel before the renewal date. Monthly plans have no termination fee. Log into admin.microsoft.com and check your subscription details to see your commitment end date.
Make sure you are a global administrator. For Microsoft 365 Business, only global admins can cancel the subscription. Regular users and billing admins with limited roles may not see the cancel option. If you are a regular user, ask your IT administrator to complete the process.

How to Cancel Microsoft 365 - Step by Step

The cancellation path differs depending on whether you have a Business plan or a Personal/Family plan. Both are covered below.

Microsoft 365 Business (admin.microsoft.com)

1
Go to admin.microsoft.com
Open admin.microsoft.com in your browser and sign in with your global administrator credentials.
2
Go to Billing, then Your products
In the left-hand navigation, click "Billing," then click "Your products." This shows all active Microsoft subscriptions on your account.
3
Select your Microsoft 365 subscription
Click on your Microsoft 365 Business plan in the list. This opens the subscription details page showing your renewal date, user licenses, and billing information.
4
Click Cancel subscription
Click "Cancel subscription." Microsoft will display information about what will happen to your data and users, and whether any termination fee applies.
5
Confirm the cancellation
Confirm the cancellation. You will receive a confirmation email. Your 30-day data export window begins immediately. Assign users the task of downloading their files from OneDrive and exporting any emails they need to keep.

Microsoft 365 Personal or Family (account.microsoft.com)

1
Go to account.microsoft.com
Open account.microsoft.com and sign in with your Microsoft account (the one associated with your personal or family subscription).
2
Click Services and subscriptions
From the account overview, click the "Services and subscriptions" tab at the top of the page.
3
Find Microsoft 365 and click Cancel
Locate your Microsoft 365 Personal or Family subscription in the list and click "Cancel." Follow the prompts to confirm. Access continues until the end of your current billing period.

What About Your Other Subscriptions?

Cancelling Microsoft 365 is a good moment to review your full SaaS stack. Most teams discover 2-4 subscriptions they had forgotten about once they do a proper audit. CostLoop is a free subscription tracker that gives you one dashboard for every tool you pay for - renewal dates, costs, owners, and cancellation links all in one place. Free plan tracks up to 5 subscriptions, no credit card required.

Start tracking free

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens to my data after I cancel Microsoft 365?

For Microsoft 365 Business, you have 30 days after cancellation to export emails, SharePoint content, Teams data, and OneDrive files. After 30 days the data becomes inaccessible, and Microsoft begins permanent deletion. For personal plans, OneDrive storage drops and files go read-only. Do not wait - start exporting immediately after cancellation is confirmed.

Are there early cancellation fees for Microsoft 365?

Annual Microsoft 365 Business plans can carry early termination fees if you cancel before the end of your commitment period. The fee amount depends on the specific plan and whether it was purchased directly from Microsoft or through a partner. Monthly plans carry no termination fee. Check your subscription details in the admin center to see if a fee applies before you confirm the cancellation.

Can I get a refund when I cancel Microsoft 365?

Microsoft issues a partial refund if you cancel within 30 days of your most recent purchase or annual renewal. After 30 days, no refund is available for the remaining subscription period. The refund is prorated and covers the unused portion of the billing period at the time of cancellation.

What happens to OneDrive files when Microsoft 365 is cancelled?

OneDrive files become read-only approximately 30 days after cancellation and are permanently deleted 180 days after cancellation. If you are on a Microsoft 365 Family plan and family members have files stored in OneDrive, they face the same timeline. Download everything from OneDrive as soon as possible after cancelling - do not rely on the grace period being extended.

Keep Track of Every Subscription You Still Pay For

After cancelling Microsoft 365, make sure you know exactly what else is renewing and when. CostLoop shows you all your subscriptions, their costs, and upcoming renewal dates in one simple dashboard.

Start tracking free - no credit card needed

How to Cancel Your Microsoft 365 Subscription