Microsoft to deactivate accounts dormant for two years or more

FILE PHOTO: An advertisement is played on a set of large screens at the Microsoft office in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S., on January 25, 2017. REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File Photo

If you have an inactive Microsoft account, take note. The company has quietly amended its account activity policy, whereby it will delete accounts that have been inactive for two years.

That is a reduction from the previous five-year period, and the new policy will kick off starting Aug 30, 2019. 

On the company’s official website, it is stated that users are required to sign in to their Microsoft account “at least once in a two-year period” to keep the account active. 

“If you don’t sign in during this time, Microsoft will consider your account to be inactive,” it states. 

However, there are exceptions where Microsoft will extend the account’s active status even though the user did not sign in to their account within a two-year period. 

The exceptions include accounts that have been used to purchase Microsoft products or services, those with active subscriptions associated with the account, those used to publish apps or games on the Microsoft Store, or family accounts that are linked to minors.

Visit the website for the complete list as well as other legal exemptions. 

You can review the activity status of your Microsoft account at the account management website, where you can find out how frequently you need to sign in to your account to stop them from being deactivated.