Microsoft Reduces Period After Which Old User Accounts Get Deleted

Microsoft account activity policy will be updated soon. Until now, the regulations provided for the permanent removal of the user's account after five years. Now the period has been reduced to two years. However, there is a number of exceptions.

Microsoft has updated its user account activity policy. Shortly, the period after which a user account will be permanently removed will be reduced from five to two years. The new regulations will come into force on August 30. The new policy will be valid in all services offered by Microsoft, including Xbox Live.

In accordance with the Terms of Use, you must use your Microsoft account for it to remain active. Otherwise, after a period of two years from the last login, it will be deemed inactive and Microsoft will have full right to delete it.

Microsoft reserves the right to close all “inactive” Microsoft accounts. (...) Except as provided below, you must sign in to your Microsoft account at least once in a two-year period to keep your account active. If you don’t sign in during this time, Microsoft will consider your account to be inactive.

However, there are a few exceptions that can help us avoid a terrible fate. Among them, it is worth mentioning situations in which:

We will purchase any Microsoft service or product through our account,
We have an active Microsoft subscription associated with our account,
We will publish an application or game in the Microsoft Store through our account,
We will have any funds in our Microsoft account.

We should also remember that we can check the current status of our Microsoft account at any time. All you need to do is visit the address provided.

Microsoft will remove user accounts after just two years of inactivity.

Probably most of the users will not be at risk of having their account deleted, but you should be aware of such changes in the rules.