How to Cancel Microsoft 365 (2026)
Quick answer
Cancel Microsoft 365 from your Microsoft account: account.microsoft.com → Services & subscriptions → Microsoft 365 → Manage → Cancel subscription (or Turn off recurring billing). If you bought directly from Microsoft, you can get a refund by cancelling within 30 days of your initial purchase or before your first recurring charge (whichever is sooner). After it ends, the Office apps switch to read-only mode.
How to cancel Microsoft 365, step by step
Online (Microsoft account)
- 1Go to account.microsoft.com/services/microsoft365Sign in with the Microsoft account your subscription is on. You can also start from account.microsoft.com and open 'Services & subscriptions', then find Microsoft 365.
- 2Select Manage → Cancel subscriptionChoose 'Manage', then 'Cancel subscription' (it may appear as 'Upgrade or Cancel'). If you only see a 'Turn on recurring billing' link instead, your subscription is already set to expire on the date shown and will not charge again — no action needed.
- 3Confirm the cancellationReview the details, then choose 'I don't want my subscription' (or turn off recurring billing) to finish. You keep access until the end of the current paid period.
Billed through Apple / Google
- 1Cancel in the storeIf you subscribed via the App Store or Google Play, cancel in that store's subscription settings.
⏰ Deadline
Turn off recurring billing before your renewal date. You keep access until the end of the current period.
💵 Fees
No cancellation fee.
↩️ Refunds
If you bought from Microsoft, you can get a refund of your most recent recurring charge by cancelling within 30 days after that payment — but only once per Microsoft account, per subscription product. The refund is issued automatically once cancellation succeeds and typically takes 3 to 5 business days. Prorated refunds for unused time aren't available in the U.S.; some countries (Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Israel, Korea, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Turkey) may offer a prorated refund. If you bought via Apple App Store or Google Play, request the refund from that store instead.
Retention traps to expect
- The cancel option can appear as 'Upgrade or Cancel', nudging you toward a bigger plan before you reach the actual cancel button.
- If you subscribed through the App Store or Google Play, cancelling in your Microsoft account does nothing — charges continue until you cancel in that store.
- After it ends, the Office apps go read-only and OneDrive drops to 5GB, so back up files before the period expires.
The bottom line on cancelling Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 is easy to cancel online, and for most people turning off recurring billing is enough — you keep access until the period ends and are not charged again. The trap is where you bought it: if you subscribed through the App Store or Google Play, cancel in that store, not your Microsoft account, or charges continue.
For money back, cancelling within 30 days of your most recent charge triggers an automatic refund of that payment (once per subscription). Remember the aftermath too: the Office apps go read-only and OneDrive drops to 5GB, so back up files first.
Ways to cancel Microsoft 365 at a glance
| Method | Available? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Online (Microsoft account) | ✓ Yes | 3 steps |
| Billed through Apple / Google | ✓ Yes | 1 step |
Cancelling Microsoft 365 vs Google One vs Adobe Creative Cloud
How the cancellation experience stacks up against similar services.
| Microsoft 365 | Google One | Adobe Creative Cloud | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cancel online? | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Ease of cancelling | 4 / 5 | 5 / 5 | 4 / 5 |
| Refund fairness | 4 / 5 | 3 / 5 | 2 / 5 |
| No dark patterns | 5 / 5 | 5 / 5 | 3 / 5 |
Microsoft 365 cancellation — FAQ
＋ − What happens to my files after cancelling Microsoft 365?
Your files stay safe, but the Office apps (Word, Excel, etc.) switch to read-only mode — you can view and print but not edit or create until you resubscribe.
＋ − What's the difference between cancelling and turning off recurring billing?
Turning off recurring billing keeps access until the period ends, then stops. Cancelling can end it sooner — and if you're within 30 days of your initial purchase (or before your first recurring charge), it can qualify you for a refund.
＋ − Will I lose my OneDrive storage?
Your storage reverts to 5GB of OneDrive/Outlook.com attachment storage (plus 15GB Outlook.com mailbox). If you're over those limits, uploads, edits and syncing stop and Outlook.com can't send or receive; after about 6 months over the limit, OneDrive files may be deleted, so back up or reduce usage in time.
What to use instead of Microsoft 365
Cancelling usually means you still need the thing. These are the alternatives worth looking at — with the honest downside of each.
Microsoft 365 for the web (free)
Free with a Microsoft accountBest for: Anyone who still needs real Word and Excel but only lightly
- Same file formats, same account, zero compatibility risk — and it fixes the read-only problem without paying again.
- Browser only, no offline editing, and advanced Excel features and add-ins are missing.
Google Docs, Sheets and Drive
Free with 15GB; storage upgrades from about $2/moBest for: People who mainly share and co-edit documents with others
- Best-in-class real-time collaboration, and the free storage tier is three times what OneDrive drops you to.
- Complex Word and Excel files can lose formatting or break macros on import, and heavy Excel users will feel Sheets' limits.
LibreOffice
Free (open source)Best for: Offline work on documents you want to keep entirely on your own machine
- A full desktop office suite that opens and saves .docx / .xlsx / .pptx, with nothing to renew ever.
- Dated interface, imperfect formatting fidelity on complex files, and no built-in cloud sync.
Office 2024 (one-time purchase)
One-time purchase, around $150Best for: Anyone who wants the real desktop apps permanently and hates the annual renewal
- You own it — Word, Excel and PowerPoint keep working forever with no subscription and no read-only cliff.
- No OneDrive storage, no feature updates, single device, and no Outlook in the entry-level edition.
Some links are affiliate links — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes which alternatives we list or what we say about them.
Full Microsoft 365 alternatives guide →
Sources & official policy links
This guide is independently written and not affiliated with Microsoft 365. Cancellation terms can change at any time — always confirm the current policy on the official website before cancelling.