Have you ever wondered how to stop paying for Microsoft 365, the thing that lets you use apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint on your computer? Well, here’s how you can do it!
Step 1: Go to Microsoft’s Website The first thing you need to do is go to the Microsoft website. You can do this on your computer, whether it’s a Windows or Mac, or even on your iPhone or Android phone.
Step 2: Sign In Once you’re on the website, you’ll need to sign in with your Microsoft account. That’s the same account you use when you log into your computer or use Microsoft apps.
Step 3: Find Your Subscription Info After you sign in, you’ll see some information about your Microsoft subscription. This includes things like when your subscription will run out, when they’ll charge you next, how you’re paying for it, and how much it costs for a year or a month.
Step 4: Cancel Your Subscription Now, here’s the important part. Look for a button that says “Cancel subscription.” Click on it, and follow the instructions on the screen. This will stop your subscription from continuing.
Option 2: Turn Off Auto-Renew If you don’t want to cancel your subscription but you don’t want them to keep charging you automatically, you can choose this option. Look for a button that says “Turn off recurring billing” and click it. This means they won’t charge you again when your subscription period ends.
Note: If you can’t find a “Cancel subscription” button, check for a button that says “Turn on recurring billing” instead. If you see this button, it means your subscription won’t renew by itself, so you don’t need to worry about canceling it.
That’s it! Now you know how to stop your Microsoft 365 subscription. It’s as easy as 1-2-3!
How to Stop Microsoft 365 for Business
If you have Microsoft 365 for your business and you want to stop it, the process is a bit different from regular subscriptions. Here’s how you can do it, but remember, you might need to do some extra things first.
Step 1: Prepare in Advance Before you say goodbye to Microsoft 365 for your business, you might need to do a few things. Make sure to start this process a few days before your subscription is set to renew. This way, you won’t get charged again when you don’t want to.
Also, check if your Microsoft account has special powers like global admin or billing admin privileges. You’ll need one of these types of accounts to cancel a paid subscription.
Step 2: Check for a Billing Profile First, see if you have a billing profile in your Microsoft account. You can do this in the Microsoft 365 admin center. Go to “Billing” and then “Billing & payments.” Look for the “Billing profiles” tab to see if you have one.
Step 3: Cancel the Subscription If you do have a billing profile, go to “Billing” and then “Your products” in the Microsoft admin center. Find the subscription you want to get rid of.
Click on it to see the subscription details. Under “Subscription and payment settings,” click “Edit recurring billing.” Now, you can choose “Turn off” to stop the subscription from renewing automatically. While you’re doing this, make sure to remind everyone in your organization to save their important stuff before the renewal date.
Alternative Step 3: If you don’t see a billing profile, you can still cancel if your organization has 25 or fewer licenses. Just follow the same steps we talked about earlier.
Step 4: Tell Them Why When you’re canceling, they might want to know why. So, if you want, you can provide a reason for the cancellation. Then, click “Save” to finish the process.
Extra Note for Big Organizations: If your organization has more than 25 licenses, you’ll need to go to the admin center and reduce them to 25 or fewer first. After that, follow the steps we talked about to cancel the paid subscription.
And that’s how you stop Microsoft 365 for your business. It’s a little trickier than the regular version, but with these steps, you can do it!
What Happens After You Cancel Your Microsoft 365 for Business Subscription
Okay, so you’ve canceled your Microsoft 365 for business subscription. Now, let’s talk about what comes next.
Account Goes Inactive: After you cancel, your account kind of goes to sleep. This means you can’t use OneDrive for business anymore, and the Office apps like Word, Excel, and OneNote will work, but with fewer features.
Notifications Pop Up: You’ll start seeing messages that say your Office isn’t licensed. This happens because the activation for Microsoft Office doesn’t work anymore.
Data Stays for a Bit: Your data doesn’t disappear right away. Admin accounts in your organization can still access and back up your data for about 90 days after you cancel.
Data Eventually Gets Deleted: But, you should know that Microsoft will delete everything in your Microsoft 365 account between 90 and 180 days after you canceled. So, make sure to save anything important!
Looking for Alternatives: If you canceled because Microsoft 365 is too pricey, there are some other options to think about. You could see if you can use it for free somehow. There are also free alternatives to Microsoft Office that you can check out.
LibreOffice vs. Microsoft Office: If you want a free and open-source alternative, you can compare LibreOffice with Microsoft Office. We have a handy guide to help you figure out if LibreOffice is right for you.
Transferring Your Office License: And if you had Office with a product key, you can think about moving your license to another computer if that’s something you need to do.
So, that’s what happens after you cancel your Microsoft 365 for business subscription. Your account takes a little nap, you’ll see some notifications, and your data sticks around for a while before it goes away. And remember, there are other options out there if you decide Microsoft 365 isn’t for you!
