Cannot delete an Outlook account created but not used


  1. Posts : 22
    Windows 10 Technical Preview
       #1

    Cannot delete an Outlook account created but not used


    So I installed a new copy of Windows 10 to a new PC. As I had gotten a new MS Office license, I figured it might be good to create a new account for it (so that the old MS Office license I have wouldn't interfere) so I created an an Outlook (email) account. Things took another turn and I did not end up using that account to install MS Office although I did login to it via Edge (might have done so via MS Office installation page). I did not in any way add it to Windows.

    Well, right now I'm seeing that Outlook account when I go to Settings - Accounts, just under my administrator account with which I'm logged in (have done the netplwiz thing to get straight to desktop without having to give a password or PIN). When I try to delete it, it always re-appears the next time I open that submenu. The funny thing is that it doesn't seem to be appearing in anywhere else, including netplwiz (which seems to be the place to solve all of these phantom account issues) or when I check user accounts via Control Panel.

    Does anyone have a clue what I should do? It was asking me to activate Windows Hello the other day so I'd imagine it will not be the last I hear of it. I seem to remember once having a phantom account that interfered with the login procedures but that was taken care of with the netplwiz trick (where in properties you replace the user name is the Windows account name). I do have to mention that in the properties of my Windows account in netplwiz the user name does have my name as shortened but when I tried to add the account (email) address to Full Name, it said that the user cannot be renamed.
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 11,247
    Windows / Linux : Arch Linux
       #2

    Hi folks
    @Tigerman82

    start outlook from win+R (run command) with command outlook.exe /manageprofiles

    delete all the profiles

    now re-start and re-create your accounts.

    Note -- provided your mail is IMAP you won't lose any email -- if POP3 (recommend you don't use that method any more) save mail to a local folder before deleting the profiles.

    Cheers
    jimbo
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 22
    Windows 10 Technical Preview
    Thread Starter
       #3

    jimbo45 said:
    start outlook from win+R (run command) with command outlook.exe /manageprofiles
    Thank you for your suggestion. The thing is that I don't have Outlook e-mail installed. Perhaps I should've rephrased my topic as I don't want people thinking this is an issue where I have had Outlook e-mail app installed in Windows. I haven't even opened the mail box via browser connected to my account. The sole purpose of creating that account was to use it as a 'user name' to install apps that require an e-mail user name, such as MS Office.

    To put it in another way, to my knowledge, the account I cannot seem to get rid of from Settings - Accounts but that doesn't seem to appear as a user account in anywhere else, is not tied to any software or app. It looks to be like a phantom user account I created and maybe once logged into via browser to try to install MS Office which I did not end up doing.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 9,765
    Mac OS Catalina
       #4

    If you are not using a Local Login, the system will think that needs to be used to sync with your MS Live account.
      My Computer


 

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