In this guide
Before you start.
- Identify the subscription first. Copilot Pro and Microsoft 365 are separate subscriptions with separate cancellation flows, and cancelling one leaves the other billing.
- Check the buy channel. Microsoft states that if you bought a Microsoft 365 subscription from Google Play or the Apple App Store you should contact their customer support for cancellation or refund, and that a purchase from a third-party retailer such as Amazon has to be managed with that retailer.
- Understand what the missing button means. Microsoft states that if you do not see an option to cancel but see a link saying Turn on recurring billing, the subscription is already set to expire on the date shown, you will not be charged after that date, and no further action is required.
- Read the storage warning before cancelling Microsoft 365. Microsoft states that your storage allowance reverts to 5GB of cloud storage covering OneDrive and Outlook.com attachments, plus 15GB of Outlook.com storage, and that on a Family or Premium plan everyone you shared with has their allowance reduced too.
- A work or school Copilot licence is not yours to cancel. Those are bought by an organisation's administrator under a separate business flow, so the request goes to your IT administrator rather than to your personal Microsoft account.
FOLLOW THE RIGHT BILLING ROUTE
Cancel Microsoft Copilot, step by step.
Cancel a Microsoft 365 plan that includes Copilot
This is the flow Microsoft documents in detail, and the one most consumer Copilot access now runs through. The final buttons are worded so that stopping halfway leaves the subscription alive.
- Go to account.microsoft.com/services/microsoft365 and, if prompted, sign in with the same Microsoft account used to buy the subscription.
- Select Cancel subscription. Microsoft notes it might say Upgrade or Cancel instead.
- Read the Please review section at the top of the cancel page.
- At the bottom, select I want to keep my benefits if you decide to stay, or I don't want my subscription to go ahead with the cancellation.
- Check the services page afterwards to confirm the subscription shows an expiry date rather than a renewal date.
Microsoft states that not all cancellations result in a refund, and that to check refund eligibility on a Microsoft 365 subscription bought from Microsoft you have to cancel it first. If you bought the subscription in Germany, Microsoft states you can cancel without signing in to your Microsoft account.
Cancel a standalone Copilot subscription
A standalone Copilot subscription is one of the other subscriptions on your Microsoft account, listed separately from Microsoft 365.
- Go to account.microsoft.com/services and sign in with the Microsoft account that was charged.
- Find the Copilot subscription in the list of services and subscriptions on that page.
- Open its management options and choose to cancel, or to turn off recurring billing, depending on what the page offers.
- Confirm, then check that the entry shows an expiry date.
Microsoft treats cancelling and turning recurring billing off as two ways to reach the same outcome, and states that a subscription with recurring billing already off is set to expire on the date shown with no further action required.
Cancel a subscription bought through Google Play
If you subscribed inside the Microsoft app on Android, Google Play holds the billing, and account.microsoft.com will not stop it.
- Open the Google Play Store app.
- Tap your profile icon in the top right.
- Select Payments & subscriptions, then Subscriptions.
- Select the Microsoft subscription in the list.
- Tap Cancel subscription and follow the prompts to confirm.
Microsoft states that if you purchased a Microsoft 365 subscription from Google Play you should contact their customer support for cancellation or refund, and points at Google Play's own refund policies.
A Copilot licence provided by your employer
A Microsoft 365 Copilot licence bought by an organisation is billed to that organisation, usually on an annual commitment, and an individual employee has no control over it.
- Confirm whether the account is a work or school account rather than a personal Microsoft account.
- Ask your IT or Microsoft 365 administrator, since business subscriptions are cancelled through a separate admin flow rather than at account.microsoft.com.
- Ask for the licence to be removed from your account if the organisation is keeping the plan, since that is the per-user change.
- Do not expect a personal cancellation to reduce the organisation's bill: the licence count is set on the business subscription.
What happens next?
- Microsoft states that cancelling a Microsoft 365 subscription reverts your storage allowance to 5GB of cloud storage, covering OneDrive and Outlook.com attachments, plus 15GB of Outlook.com storage.
- Microsoft states that if you or the people you shared with have used more than the free allowance, you will not be able to upload, edit or sync new files to OneDrive, and you will not be able to send or receive email in Outlook.com.
- Microsoft states that after 6 months it may delete your OneDrive and all files within it. Export what you need before that window closes.
- Cancelling a Family or Premium plan reaches other people. Microsoft states that everyone you shared the subscription with will also have their storage allowances reduced.
- Microsoft states that not all cancellations result in a refund, and that you have to cancel before refund eligibility can be checked.
WHEN IT DOES NOT WORK
If you get stuck.
There is no cancel option, only Turn on recurring billing
Microsoft answers this directly: if you see that link rather than a cancel option, your subscription is already set to expire on the date shown, you will not be charged after that date, and no further action is required. You can keep using the subscription until it expires.
I cancelled at account.microsoft.com and I am still being charged
The charge is probably not Microsoft's to stop. Microsoft states that a subscription bought from Google Play or the Apple App Store has to be cancelled or refunded through that store's customer support, and that a purchase from a third-party retailer such as Amazon has to be managed with that retailer.
I cancelled Copilot but Microsoft is still billing me
Check whether you cancelled the right product. Copilot Pro and Microsoft 365, which bundles Copilot, are separate subscriptions with separate cancellation flows on the same account page, so cancelling one leaves the other running. Look at the full list at account.microsoft.com/services rather than at the one entry you opened.
My files and email stopped working after cancelling
That is the documented consequence rather than a fault. Microsoft states that cancelling reverts you to 5GB of cloud storage and 15GB of Outlook.com storage, and that over-quota accounts cannot upload, edit or sync new OneDrive files or send and receive email in Outlook.com. It also states it may delete your OneDrive and all files within it after 6 months.
I cannot cancel my work Copilot licence
You are not meant to be able to. A Microsoft 365 Copilot licence bought by an organisation runs through the business subscription flow that only an administrator can reach, so the request goes to your IT administrator. Removing the licence from your account and cancelling the organisation's plan are two different asks.
GOOD TO KNOW
Questions, answered.
How do I cancel Microsoft Copilot?
For a Microsoft 365 plan that includes Copilot, go to account.microsoft.com/services/microsoft365, select Cancel subscription, read the Please review section, and choose I don't want my subscription. For a standalone Copilot subscription, find it in the list at account.microsoft.com/services and cancel it there.
Is Copilot part of my Microsoft 365 subscription?
It can be. Microsoft 365 Personal, Family and Premium bundle Copilot, which means cancelling that subscription is what removes it, and doing so has separate consequences for your OneDrive and Outlook.com storage.
What does Turn on recurring billing mean?
Microsoft states it means recurring billing is already off: the subscription is set to expire on the date shown, you will not be charged after that date, and no further action is required. It is the opposite of a broken cancel button.
Will I get a refund?
Microsoft states that not all cancellations result in a refund, and that to check refund eligibility on a Microsoft 365 subscription bought from Microsoft you have to cancel it first. It points to its refund policy and to the Microsoft Store Terms of Sale for the full cancellation policy.
What happens to my OneDrive files?
Microsoft states that storage reverts to 5GB of cloud storage plus 15GB of Outlook.com storage, that an over-quota account cannot upload, edit or sync new files or send and receive email, and that after 6 months it may delete your OneDrive and all files within it.
Provider resources
- Microsoft: cancel a Microsoft 365 subscription
- Microsoft account: services and subscriptions
- Google Play: cancel, pause, or change a subscription
Instructions reviewed .
Subex is independent of Microsoft Copilot. Availability and cancellation terms can vary by plan, billing provider and country.
