To remove a work account from Windows 11, open Settings > Accounts > Access work or school, expand the account, and select Disconnect. This removes your PC’s connection without deleting the organization’s account itself. The steps below use Windows 11 menus.
Before confirming, check whether you also use the work account to sign into Windows, because an organization-joined PC needs extra preparation. Sign in only through Microsoft’s own app or website, and never share a code, password, or remote access with someone who contacts you.
The short version
- Main method: Disconnect the account under Settings > Accounts > Access work or school.
- Windows sign-in: An Entra-joined PC needs a working offline local administrator account before disconnection.
- Managed PCs: Contact IT if organizational restrictions block removal.
- App connections: Teams, Office, OneDrive, and Outlook have separate sign-out or removal controls.
- Future sign-ins: Select No, this app only at the account-registration prompt to keep a work app sign-in within that app.
| Method | When to use it | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| Windows Settings | Work account connected to your Windows user | Removes the PC’s work connection |
| Settings shortcut | Open the disconnection page directly | Reaches the same Windows controls |
| Entra disconnection | PC joined to the organization | Removes the join and Entra Windows sign-in |
| Intune unenrollment | Managed PC with removal permitted | Removes management and can remove resource access |
| Company Portal website | Eligible personally owned managed PC | Removes the device from management |
| Administrator-assisted retirement | IT needs to remove Intune management | Retires the device and ends Entra sign-in on joined PCs |
| Teams sign-out | End your Teams session | Signs out of Teams |
| Office sign-out | Disconnect the Office app identity | Signs out and can affect activation |
| OneDrive unlinking | Disconnect work file syncing | Removes the OneDrive sync connection |
| New Outlook removal | Remove a mailbox from new Outlook | Removes the mailbox connection and offline cache |
| Classic Outlook removal | Remove a mailbox from classic Outlook | Removes the mailbox connection and offline cache |
| App-only sign-in | Sign back into a work app after disconnecting | Avoids connecting Windows through that prompt |
Check how you sign into Windows
A work account connected for app access is different from a PC joined to Microsoft Entra, your organization’s device identity system. If your PC is Entra joined, disconnecting it means your Entra credentials will no longer sign you into Windows. Before proceeding, ensure you have a working offline local administrator account and its credentials.
For an Intune-managed PC, disconnection removes management and can remove access to organizational resources. Your organization must permit user-initiated removal. If you are unsure how your PC is connected or lack the required local administrator access, contact your organization’s IT team before disconnecting it.
Disconnect the account in Settings
Disconnecting removes this PC’s connection to the work account without deleting the organization’s account. Open Settings, select Accounts, then choose Access work or school. Expand the work account you want to remove, select Disconnect, and select Yes.
On an Entra-joined PC, disconnection also ends your ability to sign into Windows with Entra credentials, so have the working local administrator account ready. Select the organizational connection and choose Disconnect. Supply the local administrator credentials when requested, then restart the PC. Sign into Windows with the local account afterward.
For an Intune-managed device, this action removes management and can remove access to organizational resources. If your organization permits unenrollment, select the managed connection on Access work or school, choose Disconnect, and select Yes. If removal is blocked, use the managed-device options below.
Open the disconnection page directly
You can reach the same page with a Settings shortcut. Press Windows + R and enter this command:
ms-settings:workplacePress Enter to open Access work or school. Continue with the disconnection steps above, including the preparation required for an Entra-joined or managed PC. This shortcut has the same permission requirements as opening the page through Settings.
Resolve a blocked managed account removal
Organizational policy can prevent you from removing a managed connection yourself. Contact IT when the removal controls are blocked so an administrator can review the restriction or arrange removal. Opening the Settings shortcut does not change those permissions.
For an eligible personally owned Intune-managed PC, you can also use the Company Portal website. Only the device’s primary user can perform these remote actions. Self-service retirement is blocked for Entra-joined Windows devices and Device Enrollment Manager enrollments, so contact IT if either applies.
Removing the device from management can remove access to organizational resources. Sign into Company Portal with the work account, open Devices, and select your PC. Select Remove; if that action is hidden, open More (…) first and then select Remove. Select Remove again to confirm.
If your device is ineligible for self-service removal, ask IT to arrange Intune retirement. Retirement removes management, and Entra credentials will no longer sign you into Windows on a retired Entra-joined PC. Before IT proceeds, back up the BitLocker recovery key and ensure local administrator credentials are available.
Sign out of work apps and unlink OneDrive
Windows disconnection, app sign-out, and file-sync disconnection are separate actions. Use each app’s controls for the connections you also want to remove. Signing out of Teams, for example, can leave other applications connected to the account.
Signing out of Teams ends your account session in that app. In Teams for Windows, select your profile picture at the top of the app, then select Sign out.
Signing out of Microsoft 365 or Office can affect Office activation. In an Office desktop app, open File > Account and select Sign out; for Outlook’s Office identity, open File > Office Account and select Sign out. Close all Microsoft 365 or Office apps afterward. Signing out of an Office app does not affect the OneDrive sync app.
Unlinking OneDrive removes the work account’s sync connection without changing Windows organization membership. Select the OneDrive cloud in the notification area, then select the Help and Settings icon and open Settings > Account. Select Unlink this PC, then select Unlink account.
Remove the work mailbox from Outlook
Removing a mailbox from new Outlook removes its cached offline content without deleting the mailbox account itself. Open View > View settings or File > Account info, then select Accounts > Your accounts. Under Email accounts, select Manage beside the work account. Under Account details, select Remove.
Removing an account from classic Outlook deletes its offline cached content from the computer. Open File > Account Settings > Account Settings. Select the work mailbox, select Remove, then select Yes. If it is the last or only account in classic Outlook, Outlook warns that you must create a new location for your data before removing it, so create an Outlook Data File when prompted.
Keep a future work sign-in limited to the app
After disconnecting Windows, sign back into the work app you still need, such as Outlook or Edge. At the account-registration prompt, select No, this app only. This keeps the sign-in within the app and avoids activating device management through that flow. The choice does not remove an existing Windows connection, so complete the Access work or school disconnection first.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you disconnect a work account from a PC you can no longer access?
You can block the PC’s organizational access remotely, but this does not locally remove the Windows account or its files. Sign in at https://myaccount.microsoft.com/device-list, expand the PC’s details, and select Disable lost device.
Is removing a separate Windows user the same as disconnecting a work account?
Removing a separate Windows user deletes that user’s local sign-in information and data. That is a different action from disconnecting the organizational account inside your current Windows profile.
Does leaving an organization disconnect this PC?
Leaving an external organization removes your guest membership and associated data rather than disconnecting a particular PC. You cannot leave your home organization through that account-management option.
Should you follow older Windows Mail account-removal instructions?
Use the current new Outlook removal controls instead. Microsoft ended support for Windows Mail, Calendar, and People on December 31, 2024.