Your Free Guide to Signing Out of Outlook Desktop

Understanding Outlook Desktop and Account Sign-Out

Outlook Desktop is an email application that many people use to manage their email accounts, calendar appointments, and contacts on their computer. Unlike Outlook on the web (which you access through a browser), Outlook Desktop is a program that installs directly on your Windows or Mac computer. Once you set up your email account in Outlook Desktop, the program stores your login information so you don't have to enter your password every time you want to check email.

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Signing out of Outlook Desktop means disconnecting your email account from the application. This removes your account information from the program, though it doesn't delete your emails or affect your actual email account online. You might want to sign out for several reasons: if you're sharing your computer with others and want privacy, if you're selling or giving away your computer, if you're experiencing technical problems, or if you're simply no longer using that email account on this particular device.

According to Microsoft's 2023 data, over 400 million people worldwide use Outlook for their email management. Many of these users work with the Desktop version rather than the web version because it offers offline access to emails and better integration with their computer's operating system. Understanding how to properly sign out is an important part of managing your account security and your computer's settings.

The sign-out process differs slightly depending on whether you're using Outlook on Windows or Mac, and it also varies by which version of Outlook you have installed (Outlook 2016, 2019, 2021, or Microsoft 365 Outlook). This guide walks you through the main methods for each scenario so you can choose the one that matches your situation.

Practical Takeaway: Before you begin the sign-out process, make a note of which version of Outlook you're using and whether you're on a Windows or Mac computer. You can find your version by opening Outlook, clicking "File," and looking for version information in the menu.

How to Sign Out on Windows Outlook Desktop

The most straightforward way to sign out of Outlook on a Windows computer involves using the File menu. Start by opening your Outlook application on your Windows computer. Once Outlook is open and you can see your inbox, look for the word "File" in the top-left corner of the window. Click on "File" to open a dropdown menu with various options.

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In the File menu, you'll see several choices listed vertically. Look for an option that says "Account Settings" or "Office Account Settings." Click on this option, and a new window or dialog box will appear. This window shows all the email accounts currently connected to your Outlook application. You should see your email address listed here, possibly along with other accounts if you've set up multiple emails in Outlook.

Find the email account you want to remove and click on it to select it. Once selected, look for a button labeled "Remove" or "Delete." Click this button. Outlook will ask you to confirm that you want to remove this account from Outlook Desktop. Confirm your choice by clicking "Yes" or "OK" in the confirmation dialog. The account will then be removed from Outlook, and you'll be signed out. You can close the Account Settings window.

If you want to sign back in later on the same computer with the same account, you can simply add the account again by going to File > Account Settings > New, then entering your email address and password. The process takes about two minutes. Your emails won't be permanently deleted from Microsoft's servers—they'll still exist in your actual email account online.

Some versions of Outlook for Windows also allow you to sign out by clicking your profile icon or name in the top-right corner of the window and selecting "Sign out" from the dropdown menu that appears. The exact location and wording may vary depending on your specific Outlook version.

Practical Takeaway: Write down your email address and password in a secure location before signing out, especially if you think you might need to sign back in later. If you forget your password, you can reset it through your email provider's website, but having it noted beforehand saves time and frustration.

How to Sign Out on Mac Outlook Desktop

Signing out of Outlook on a Mac computer follows a similar process but with slightly different menu locations. Open Outlook on your Mac and look at the top of your screen where the menu bar appears. You should see "Outlook" as the first item in the menu bar (this is different from Windows, where you'd look for "File"). Click on "Outlook" in the menu bar to reveal a dropdown menu.

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In the Outlook menu, you're looking for an option that says "Preferences" or "Settings." Click on this option to open the Preferences window. This window contains various settings for how Outlook operates on your Mac. Look for a section or icon labeled "Accounts" or "Email Accounts." Click on this section. You'll now see a list of all the email accounts currently connected to Outlook on your Mac.

Select the email account you want to sign out from by clicking on it. Once it's selected, you should see a button or option to remove the account—this might be labeled "Remove," "Delete," or shown as a minus sign (-) button. Click this button or icon. Mac Outlook will prompt you to confirm that you want to remove this account. Confirm by clicking "Remove" or "OK" in the dialog that appears.

After confirming, Outlook will sign you out of that account on your Mac. Close the Preferences window by clicking the red circle in the top-left corner of the window. Your account has now been removed from Outlook on your Mac. As with Windows, your actual emails remain safe on Microsoft's servers and won't be deleted. If you need to sign in again later, you can add the account back through the same Preferences window.

If you're using a very recent version of Mac Outlook (such as the newer Outlook for Mac available through Microsoft 365), the menu locations might be slightly different. In these newer versions, you might find account settings under "Outlook" > "Preferences" > "Accounts," or there might be a separate settings icon in the main window.

Practical Takeaway: On Mac computers, you can also sign out by clicking the account name in the top-right area of the Outlook window if it's displayed there, then selecting "Sign Out" from the menu. This method is faster than going through Preferences if your version of Outlook includes this option.

Understanding What Happens When You Sign Out

When you sign out of Outlook Desktop, several things happen that are important to understand. First, your account information is removed from the Outlook application on that specific computer. This means the next time someone (including you) opens Outlook on that computer, your email won't automatically load. Instead, the program will be empty or will only show other accounts that are still signed in.

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Your actual emails are not deleted or lost. All the messages you received are still stored on Microsoft's email servers. If you sign back into Outlook on any computer or access your email through Outlook on the web (by visiting Outlook.com or your company's email portal), all your emails will still be there exactly as you left them. Signing out of Outlook Desktop only removes the local connection to your account—it doesn't affect your email account itself.

However, if Outlook was syncing your calendar and contacts to your computer for offline use, you may no longer be able to access those items offline after you sign out. If you sign back in later, Outlook will re-download your calendar and contacts, but there may be a delay of several minutes while this happens. This is normal and expected behavior.

Another important thing to know: signing out of Outlook Desktop does not sign you out of other Microsoft services. If you use Microsoft Word, Excel, OneDrive, or Teams on the same computer, you'll remain signed into those programs with your Microsoft account unless you specifically sign out of those applications separately. Each Microsoft application manages its own sign-in status independently.

From a security perspective, signing out of Outlook on a shared computer is a good practice. It prevents other people who use that computer from reading your personal emails or seeing sensitive information. If your computer is stolen or lost, signing out beforehand means the thief would need your password to access your email through Outlook on that device.

Practical Takeaway: Before you sign out, consider which items (emails, calendar, contacts) you might need access to offline. If you rely on having your calendar available without an