How to Remove Old Work or School Accounts from Windows

Windows can sometimes keep an old work or school account after an account change, a Microsoft 365 migration, or a transition to another organization.

An old account stored on the computer may cause:

• Repeated Microsoft 365 sign-in prompts
• The wrong account appearing in Microsoft 365 applications
• Microsoft Edge showing an old work profile
• OneDrive or Teams asking you to sign in again
• Multiple accounts appearing when signing in
• Authentication problems after a password or account change

This guide explains how to safely identify and remove an old work or school account from Windows 10 or Windows 11.

In this article

• 1. Check Access Work or School
• 2. Check Email & Accounts
• 3. Check Credential Manager
• 4. Sign Out of Microsoft 365 Apps
• 5. Check Microsoft Edge Profiles
• 6. Restart the Computer
• The Old Account Still Appears
• Information to Provide to BEMO Support
• Related Microsoft Resources

1. Check Access Work or School

First, check the work or school accounts connected directly to Windows.

1. Click Start and open Settings.
2. Select Accounts.
3. Select Access work or school.
4. Review the accounts listed.
5. Locate the old account that is no longer in use.
6. Select the account.
7. Click Disconnect.
8. Follow the prompts to complete the removal.

2. Check Email & Accounts

An old account may also be saved for use by Windows applications.

1. Open Settings.
2. Select Accounts.
3. Select Email & accounts.
4. Review the accounts under:
   • Accounts used by email, calendar, and contacts
   • Accounts used by other apps
5. If the old account appears and an option to remove it is available, select the account and remove it.

Make sure you are removing only the account that is no longer needed.

3. Check Credential Manager

Windows Credential Manager stores credentials used by applications, websites, and network resources.

1. Open the Start menu.
2. Search for Credential Manager.
3. Open Credential Manager.
4. Select Windows Credentials.
5. Review the saved credentials.
6. Look for entries clearly associated with the old Microsoft 365 account or organization.
7. Select the applicable entry and click Remove.

4. Sign Out of Microsoft 365 Apps

The old account may still be stored inside Microsoft 365 applications even after it has been removed from Windows.

Open Word, Excel, or PowerPoint, and complete the following steps:

1. Click your profile picture or account name.
2. Review the accounts currently signed in.
3. Sign out of the old account.
4. Close all Microsoft 365 applications.
5. Reopen the application.
6. Sign in with your current work or school account.

If necessary, also check Outlook, Teams, OneDrive, and Microsoft Edge for the old account.

5. Check Microsoft Edge Profiles

If the old account appears specifically in Microsoft Edge:

1. Open Microsoft Edge.
2. Click the profile icon in the upper-right corner.
3. Select Manage profile settings.
4. Identify the profile associated with the old account.
5. Sign out or remove the old profile if it is no longer required.
6. Restart Microsoft Edge.

6. Restart the Computer

After removing the old account:

1. Close all applications.
2. Restart the computer.
3. Open the application where the old account previously appeared.
4. Sign in using your current work or school account if prompted.

Confirm that:

• The old account no longer appears.
• Your current work account is connected.
• Microsoft 365 applications open normally.
• Outlook and Teams are using the correct account.
• OneDrive is syncing.
• Microsoft Edge uses the correct work profile.

The Old Account Still Appears

If the old account continues to appear after completing the previous steps, do not delete Microsoft authentication folders or modify the Windows Registry.

Microsoft applications maintain additional cached authentication information. Removing the wrong information can sign you out of applications or cause additional authentication prompts.

At this point, contact BEMO Support for assistance.

Information to Provide to BEMO Support

Please provide the following information:

• Your current work email address
• The old email address that continues to appear
• A screenshot of the account or error
• The affected application, such as Outlook, Teams, OneDrive, Edge, Word, or Excel
• Your Windows device name
• A brief description of when the old account appears

This information will help BEMO Support determine where the old account is stored and identify the safest way to remove it.

Related Microsoft Resources

• Credential Manager in Windows 
• Manage User Accounts in Windows