How do I unlink my Xbox Live account from my Microsoft account?

Answer

To remove your account, go to the settings on your console. Select Apps, scroll to Xbox Live and click Uninstall.

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If you have an Xbox One, please go to the Settings and select Account > Sign-in, security & passkey then unlink your account. If you do not see “Sign-in, security & passkey” in your settings menu, this means that your console is already linked to the correct Microsoft account and there is nothing else that needs to be done. Please note: You may only link one Microsoft account per console; if you wish to use a different account on your device, please sign out of all accounts currently present before linking a new account.

If you are using an Xbox 360 or Xbox One without signing into online features for games such as Netflix or Skype, you don’t need to take any action – those accounts will not be affected.

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Please note: Unlinking your Microsoft account from your Xbox One or Xbox 360 will also unlink it from any other devices you have previously associated with that Microsoft account. For example, if you unlink a console from a specific Microsoft account, then you will need to re-link before playing games on that specific device. Please refer to the question below for linking information.

If you link an existing Xbox Live Gold membership to a new Microsoft account, the Gold membership will still expire based on when it is set to expire on your original Gamertag (i.e., nothing changes). If you want to extend an existing Gold membership using a different Microsoft account, please contact customer support for assistance.

If you used your Microsoft account to purchase an Xbox Live Gold membership but want to link a different Microsoft account, please contact customer support for further assistance. If you have an active paid Gold membership at the time of unlinking/re-linking your account, please be aware that any remaining days will not carry over. For example: if you have 12 days left on your current Gold Membership and unlink your accounts when you re-link the new account it will only show as having 0 balance; not 12 days from your initial purchase date. Please ensure that you earn additional free gameplay prior to unlinking/re-linking accounts.

Please refer to the following links if you experience issues:

NOTE: This is for account unlinking and re-linking only. For game title linking and unlinking, please see the following:

For new Xbox One console purchases: If you have purchased a new Xbox One console and link your Microsoft account to it, this will automatically link the device to your account. There is no need to perform an additional action (link) beyond setting up your device. If you elect not to link your Microsoft account during the initial setup of the console or if you choose to unlink from an existing Gamertag on that same console, you will be prompted with a message indicating that all games/applications associated with that specific Gamertag will also be unlinked from that console as well. You can then go to Settings > Account and then choose between sign in with your Xbox Gamertag or unlink the account to have no access to any content previously downloaded for that console.

If you link an existing Xbox Live Gold membership to a new Microsoft account, the Gold membership will still expire based on when it is set to expire on your original Gamertag (i.e., nothing changes). If you want to extend an existing Gold membership using a different Microsoft account, please contact customer support for assistance.

NOTE: For additional details about unlinking/re-linking accounts, see How do I unlink my Microsoft account from another device? below or if you experience issues, see What should I know about linking my Microsoft account

and Xbox Live account?

If you are prompted to link your Gamertag and a Microsoft account when signing in to the console for the first time, do the following: Navigate to Settings > All Settings. Choose Account, and then choose Sign-in, security & passkey. In the Sign-in options area, select Add new…. Enter your Microsoft account information (email address) and password. NOTE: If you use 2-step verification or multi-factor authentication with your Microsoft account and have not added a phone number associated with your device or an alternate email address to your profile, you will be prompted by an SMS message or email that you need to add a secondary method of verification before being granted access. Select Next after this verification is complete. Choose your Gamertag from the Gamertag list (this will link your Microsoft account to that specific Xbox Live profile). Select Next. If you are prompted with any additional message boxes and select OK, continue choosing Next until all screens are cleared and a welcome screen appears.

NOTE: If you want to sign in using a local profile on the console (if you haven’t already created one), select Sign in without a Microsoft account below your Gamertag sign-in option; if this option is not available at first, try again later since it may take up to 24 hours for this option to appear once an initial profile has been set up on the device.

If you have linked your Microsoft account to your Gamertag, then you can unlink your Microsoft account from your Gamertag by doing the following:

On the Xbox One console, navigate to Settings > Account. Scroll down and select Sign-in options. Under “Linked social accounts”, choose Linked social accounts to sign out of your connected accounts (the location may vary slightly depending on which version of the dashboard is being used). Select Unlink social accounts (again, this location varies slightly based on the version of console software currently installed). Confirm that you want to unlink these accounts in order to sign out. NOTE : If you use 2-step verification or multi-factor authentication with your Microsoft account and have not added a phone number associated with your device or an alternate email address to your profile, you will be prompted by an SMS message or email that you need to add a secondary method of verification before being granted access. NOTE: If you are signing out from a local profile on the console (if you haven’t already created one), select Sign in without a Microsoft account below your Gamertag sign-in option; if this option is not available at first, try again later since it may take up to 24 hours for this option to appear once an initial profile has been set up on the device.