# Microsoft Account Closed or Inactive? How to Reopen It > Closed your Microsoft account, or worried it was closed for inactivity? Learn the 30 or 60 day reopen window, the two-year rule and how to reopen it in time. - URL: https://www.awarexone.com/research/microsoft-account-closed-inactivity-reopen - Author: Md Shariar Shanaz Shuvon, Founder & CEO, AwareXone - Published: 2026-10-20 - Topics: Microsoft, Account recovery - Related service: Account security: https://www.awarexone.com/services/account-security ## Short answer If you closed your Microsoft account within the last 30 or 60 days, sign in at account.microsoft.com and enter the security code Microsoft sends. The account reopens with its subscriptions, profiles and content. Microsoft says that once the window has passed, or if you have not signed in for over two years, the account cannot be reopened. ## Summary - When you close a Microsoft account, you choose a 30 or 60 day window to change your mind. - To reopen within that window, sign in at account.microsoft.com and enter a security code. - Microsoft says you must sign in at least once every two years to keep an account active. - Some activity, such as active subscriptions or an unspent balance, keeps an account active. - After the reopen window, or after more than two years without signing in, it cannot be reopened. A Microsoft account covers Outlook.com email, OneDrive files, Xbox profiles, Microsoft 365 subscriptions and more, so losing one has wide effects. Accounts can be closed in two ways: you close it yourself, or Microsoft closes it under its activity policy because nobody signed in for two years. Both have a point after which the account cannot come back. This guide explains the reopen window, the two-year rule and its exceptions, and the steps to reopen an account while you still can. Last checked: 20 October 2026 against Microsoft Support. ## How does closing a Microsoft account work? Microsoft says closing an account starts from a signed-in session. You confirm the account, tick a checklist of what you will lose, choose a reopen window of 30 or 60 days and pick a reason before selecting Mark account for closure. If you cannot sign in, Microsoft points you to its Sign-in helper. It also says that if you have reset all your sign-in verification details, you must wait 60 days before closing the account ([Microsoft Support](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/accounts-billing/manage/how-to-close-your-microsoft-account)). Until the window ends, the account is pending closure rather than deleted. That is the period in which you can reopen it. ## How do I reopen a closed Microsoft account? 1. Go to account.microsoft.com and sign in. 2. Microsoft asks you to receive and enter a security code. 3. Enter the code. Microsoft says the account is then reopened. Microsoft says subscriptions, profiles and content that were on the account before closing become available again, including rewards points, Xbox profile gamertag, Gamerscore and purchased content ([Microsoft Support](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/accounts-billing/manage/reopen-your-microsoft-account)). > Note: **Subscription time.** Microsoft says any time remaining on a subscription comes back, but not the time that passed while the account was pending closure. Subscriptions you cancelled outright, or that ran out, need to be bought again. ## What is the two-year activity rule? Microsoft's activity policy says that, apart from listed exceptions, you must sign in to your Microsoft account at least once in a two-year period to keep it active. If you do not, Microsoft considers the account inactive. Any account that has been locked for more than two years is also treated as inactive and will be closed ([Microsoft Support](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/accounts-billing/manage/microsoft-account-activity-policy)). ## Which activities keep an account active? | Exception | What Microsoft says | | --- | --- | | Purchases | Using the account to buy, redeem or access a current Microsoft product or service keeps it active. This does not apply to gift cards, certifications or subscription purchases. | | Subscriptions | The account stays active while an active Microsoft subscription is attached. After it ends, the two-year sign-in rule applies again. | | Microsoft Store publishing | Publishing apps or games, or registering for Partner Center, keeps it active. | | Certifications | Earning a Microsoft certification with the account keeps it active. | | Account balance | An unspent balance, such as from a gift card, keeps it active. | | Accounts payable | An amount owed to you by Microsoft keeps it active. | | Family accounts | An inactive account that consented for an active child account stays open until the child account changes status. | Microsoft also reserves the right to keep an account active where law requires it or as it otherwise tells you. ## When can an account not be reopened? Microsoft lists the cases ([Microsoft Support](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/accounts-billing/manage/reopen-your-microsoft-account)): - You closed the account and the 30 or 60 day grace period has passed. - You have not signed in for more than two years, so the account may have been deleted. - Your username has stopped working, which Microsoft covers in a separate help article. ## A short checklist if you think your account is closed 1. Work out whether you closed it, and roughly when, so you know if you are inside the window. 2. Try signing in at account.microsoft.com and look for the security code prompt. 3. Make sure you can receive the code at the email or phone on the account. 4. If you cannot sign in at all, use Microsoft's Sign-in helper or recovery form. 5. Once reopened, check subscriptions you rely on and renew any that lapsed. ## How do I stop an account closing for inactivity? The simplest step is to sign in at least once every two years, as Microsoft's policy requires. For accounts you rarely use, such as an old Outlook.com address that still receives password resets for other services, set a reminder to sign in. Keep the recovery email and phone current, so that any notice or security code reaches you. If you hold an account for a family member, remember that Microsoft's family exception applies only while a linked child account remains active. If you are not sure whether an account is pending closure or already deleted, the sign-in attempt itself tells you. A pending account offers the security code step to reopen. A deleted account will not, and Microsoft's guidance is that it cannot be brought back. Acting early in the window gives you time to sort out access to the email or phone that receives the code. ## Common mistakes - Waiting until after the 30 or 60 day window to try reopening. - Assuming a paid subscription keeps an account active after it has ended. - Forgetting a little-used account that other services use for password resets. - Closing an account soon after resetting all verification details, which Microsoft says requires a 60-day wait. ## Watch out for recovery scams Microsoft's own settings, help pages and forms are the official routes. Anyone who messages you offering to restore or unlock your account, or who asks for your password, codes or recovery details, is not part of that process. Never share them. Our guide on [spotting fake recovery services](https://www.awarexone.com/research/account-recovery-scams-how-to-spot-fake-recovery-services) lists the warning signs. ## What are the realistic limits? Microsoft decides account closures under its Services Agreement and activity policy. Once the reopen window has passed, or an account has been deleted after more than two years of inactivity, Microsoft says it cannot be reopened. If you cannot sign in because of a lock or hack rather than closure, see [Outlook or Microsoft account locked](https://www.awarexone.com/research/outlook-microsoft-account-locked) and [Microsoft account hacked](https://www.awarexone.com/research/microsoft-account-hacked-recovery). AwareXone helps people review account access and security through official platform routes. We are independent and not affiliated with Microsoft, the work is best-effort, and Microsoft makes the final decision. Read more about our [account security](https://www.awarexone.com/services/account-security). ### How long do I have to reopen a closed Microsoft account? You choose 30 or 60 days when you close it. Microsoft says the account can be reopened only within that window. ### Does Microsoft close inactive accounts? Yes. Microsoft's policy says you must sign in at least once every two years, unless an exception such as an active subscription applies. ### Will my files and purchases come back if I reopen? Microsoft says subscriptions, profiles and content that were on the account before closing are available again, including purchased content. ### Can I reopen an account deleted for inactivity? No. Microsoft says if you have not signed in for more than two years, it may have been deleted and cannot be reopened. ## Official sources - [Microsoft Support, Reopen your Microsoft account](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/accounts-billing/manage/reopen-your-microsoft-account) - [Microsoft Support, Microsoft account activity policy](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/accounts-billing/manage/microsoft-account-activity-policy) - [Microsoft Support, How to close your Microsoft account](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/accounts-billing/manage/how-to-close-your-microsoft-account) --- AwareXone is an independent Malaysia-based provider, not affiliated with any platform. The platform makes the final decision on every account. AwareXone never asks for passwords, OTP codes, backup codes or session cookies.