How to Cancel a Microsoft 365 Subscription in 2026

To cancel Microsoft 365, sign in at account.microsoft.com, open Services & subscriptions, find your plan, and select Cancel subscription. The catch: if you bought the subscription through the Apple App Store or Google Play, Microsoft cannot cancel it for you. You have to cancel it in that store instead.

Short answer: Cancel direct plans at account.microsoft.com under Services & subscriptions. Cancel App Store or Google Play billing in your iPhone Settings or the Play Store. Cancelling stops the next charge but you keep access until the expiry date shown.

Last updated: June 2026

Where is the cancel button, really?

For a Microsoft 365 plan you bought straight from Microsoft (Basic, Personal, Family, or Premium), the cancel button lives inside your account, not inside Word or the Office app. Here is the exact path.

1. Go to account.microsoft.com and sign in with the same Microsoft account you used to buy the subscription. Use the right account. People get stuck here when they have two.
2. Open Services & subscriptions from the top menu. You can also go straight to account.microsoft.com/services/microsoft365.
3. Find your Microsoft 365 plan in the list and select Manage.
4. Select Cancel subscription. On some accounts this button reads Upgrade or Cancel. Same door.
5. Microsoft shows a retention page. Choose I don't want my subscription to keep going, or I want to keep my benefits to back out. Confirm to finish.

That is the whole flow. No phone call required for a direct plan.

What if I only see "Turn on recurring billing"?

If the page shows Turn on recurring billing instead of a cancel button, you are already done. That wording means auto-renew is off and your subscription is set to expire on the date shown. You will not be charged again. You do not need to do anything else. Leave it alone and it lapses on its own.

The App Store and Google Play gotcha

This is the part that traps people. If you subscribed to Microsoft 365 through the Apple App Store or Google Play, Apple or Google runs the billing, not Microsoft. Microsoft says plainly that it "cannot cancel or help turn on or off recurring billing for subscriptions purchased through a third-party retailer." Cancelling on the Microsoft website does nothing to that charge.

Cancel where the money actually leaves:

1. Apple (iPhone or iPad): Open Settings, tap your name at the top, tap Subscriptions, tap Microsoft 365, then tap Cancel Subscription.
2. Google Play: Open the Play Store app, tap your profile icon, go to Payments & subscriptions > Subscriptions, pick Microsoft 365, then tap Cancel subscription.
3. Bought it from a retailer or bundled with something else? Amazon, Best Buy, Harvey Norman, or a carrier or PC bundle means you manage or cancel through that seller. Microsoft did not take the payment, so Microsoft cannot stop it.

Not sure who charges you? Check the merchant name on your card or bank statement. "Apple.com/Bill" means Apple. "Google" means Google Play. A Microsoft line means it is direct.

Is there a retention offer or a hard deadline?

Microsoft shows a short "keep my benefits" screen before it lets you cancel, but there is no long retention call to survive. Click through it and you are out.

The deadline that matters is your renewal date. Cancel before the next billing date to avoid the upcoming charge. Cancel the day after it renews and that term is already paid. Find your renewal date on the same Services & subscriptions page.

Do I keep access after I cancel?

Yes. Cancelling turns off the next payment. You keep using Microsoft 365 until the expiry date shown on your account. After it lapses, the apps switch to read-only or free mode and your cloud storage drops back to 5GB on OneDrive plus 15GB on Outlook.com. If you are over that limit, move or download files before the date so nothing gets locked. Terms change, so confirm the current storage and access rules on Microsoft's page before you rely on them.

Can I get a refund after cancelling?

Sometimes. Microsoft does not publish a fixed number of refund days for a direct 365 plan, and it says you have to cancel first to see if you qualify. So cancel, then check the refund status shown on your account. If Apple or Google billed you, the refund request goes to them, not to Microsoft, because they took the payment. If a charge already hit your card and you believe it was not authorized or the cancel did not stick, you can also look at how to dispute a credit card charge.

How to cancel Microsoft 365: methods compared

Common questions

Where do I cancel a Microsoft 365 subscription?

For a plan bought from Microsoft, sign in at account.microsoft.com, open Services & subscriptions, select Manage on your plan, then Cancel subscription. If you bought it through the App Store or Google Play, cancel in that store instead.

Why can't I cancel Microsoft 365 on the website?

Because a third party is billing you. If you subscribed through the Apple App Store, Google Play, or a retailer, Microsoft cannot cancel or turn off recurring billing. Cancel with whoever actually charges your card.

Do I keep Microsoft 365 after I cancel?

Yes. You keep access until the expiry date shown on your account. After that, the apps go read-only or free and your OneDrive storage reverts to 5GB. Move large files off before the date.

Will I get a refund when I cancel Microsoft 365?

Maybe. Microsoft does not list a fixed refund window for direct plans and asks you to cancel first to check eligibility. If Apple or Google billed you, request the refund from them. Verify current terms before you count on one.

What does "Turn on recurring billing" mean?

It means auto-renew is already off and your subscription is set to expire on the date shown. You will not be charged again and you do not need to do anything else.