• Outlook User
  • New Outlook app
  • Outlook.com
  • Outlook Mac
  • Outlook & iCloud
  • Developer
  • Microsoft 365 Admin
    • Common Problems
    • Microsoft 365
    • Outlook BCM
    • Utilities & Addins

How to Remove the Primary Account from Outlook

Slipstick Systems

› Exchange Server › How to Remove the Primary Account from Outlook

Last reviewed on August 15, 2023     187 Comments

Applies to: Exchange Server, Outlook (classic), Outlook 2010, Outlook 365 (Win)

When you move from one Microsoft Exchange service to another, such as from an internal Exchange server to Office365, and want to retain the current profile, you cannot remove the original Exchange account from your profile.

The primary account cannot be removed unless it is the only account in the profile. You must remove all other Exchange accounts before removing the primary account account.

Logically, making the new email account and its data file the default should work, but changing the defaults doesn't change the primary or principal account.
Primary account warning dialog

Primary Exchange Account

The primary Exchange account is the first account added to the profile. The primary account cannot be removed from a profile until all other Exchange accounts are removed from the profile (when the primary is removed, the next Exchange account added is considered the primary).

All other Exchange accounts added to a profile are considered secondary accounts.

The recommended method to change the primary account is to recreate the user’s profile and add the appropriate account first. However, there are two other options: edit the registry then remove the primary Exchange account from your profile or add a pst file to the profile, set it as default then remove the Exchange accounts.

Removing the Primary Account

You have three choices when you need to remove a primary account from your profile. You can make a new profile (recommended), remove all Exchange accounts from your profile then add the new account back, or remove a key from the registry so you can delete the primary account from the registry.

While making a new profile might be faster (and is the recommended method), there is a convoluted method you can use to change the primary account and keep the profile, retaining profile-specific settings.

Go to Control Panel, Mail and remove all of the Exchange accounts from the profile, removing the primary account last. You'll need to add a pst to the profile and set it as the default data file, then restart Outlook.

Close Outlook and return to the Control Panel, Mail applet and add the new account. (In my experience, the new account may not be listed in until you restart Outlook.)

Remember: the first account added to the profile is the primary account

Restart Outlook. Go to account settings and set the *.ost as default. You'll need to restart Outlook one more time to remove the *.pst from your profile.

I said it was convoluted, although it's not bad if you only have a couple of Exchange accounts... if you have a lot of Exchange accounts or the mailboxes you are keeping in the profile are huge, you can edit the registry to remove the 'primary' flag then delete the account. Editing the registry is generally the better option when the mailboxes will take a long time to re-sync (or you are on a metered connection) or if you have a lot of Exchange accounts in your profile.

Remove the primary account by editing the registry

You can edit the registry to remove the primary assignment, however it is not supported and not recommended by Microsoft. If you mess up, you will need to make a new profile, restore the profile key you exported, or use System Restore to go back to a previous restore point.

Close Outlook and open the registry editor.

Press Windows key + R to open the Run command then type regedit in the Run field and press Enter.

Tip: Export the profile key before editing, so you can recover your profile if you make a mistake.

In Outlook 2016, the profile key is at:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Outlook\Profiles\profile-name

In Outlook 2013, the profile key is at:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Outlook\Profiles\profile-name

To remove the Outlook 2010 primary account from the registry, go to the profile key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\Current Version\Windows Messaging SubSystem\Profile\profile-name

Export the profile key then search for and remove one (or both) of the registry keys related to primary account.

I searched the profile for 001f662b (or 001f6641 in Outlook 2016) as this value is used by each account. You'll find two keys containing this value for each account and you need to delete the second key that belongs to the primary account (you can delete both keys). Once I did this, I could delete the primary account from the profile.

To verify it's the correct account, either look at the alias in 001e660b (the alias is at the end of the data: /o=ExchangeLabs/​ou=Exchange Administrative Group (FYDIBOHF23SPDLT)/​cn=Recipients/​cn=74479d8714d3414c8502650cc962e1c6-maryc) or double click on other keys and look for the address. For example, in the screenshot below, the address is in 001f6641.

identify primary account

Note: you need to delete the entire key (on the left side), not just the registry value. The value helps you find the right key to delete.

Reminder from Jack in comments:
After you find and delete the two registry keys, go to Control Panel and click "Mail (Microsoft Outlook)".
From there go to "Email Accounts...", and set the account you want as Default.

In current versions of Outlook 2016/2019/Outlook 365 (subscription) you will not have the visual clues to identify the account. Search for 001f6641 and delete the first entry found, after verifying the key belongs to the primary account. Try removing the account from the profile (in Control Panel, Mail), if it fails, find the next key for the address and try again. (There are at least 3 keys for each Exchange account in the newer builds.)
delete the registry entry for the primary account

How to Remove the Primary Account from Outlook was last modified: August 15th, 2023 by Diane Poremsky

Related Posts:

  • Maximum number of Exchange accounts in an Outlook profile
  • Outlook.com Accounts Stopped Syncing
  • Delete Ghost .OST Files from Outlook Profiles
  • Set Another Data File as Default When Using an Exchange Account

About Diane Poremsky

A Microsoft Outlook Most Valuable Professional (MVP) since 1999, Diane is the author of several books, including Outlook 2013 Absolute Beginners Book. She also created video training CDs and online training classes for Microsoft Outlook. You can find her helping people online in Outlook Forums as well as in the Microsoft Answers and TechNet forums.

Subscribe
Notify of
187 Comments
newest
oldest most voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Elida (@guest_221580)
January 17, 2025 6:48 pm
#221580

Thanks a million. This worked for me! You're a lifesaver!

0
0
Reply
Fritz Wuethrich (@guest_221573)
January 8, 2025 12:40 pm
#221573

It worked like a charm ... had to research a bit at which exact level I had to delete the key ... but once that was done .... uiiishhhh done!
Thanks a tone for sharing your expertise and have a great year ahead!

Greetings from Switzerland, Zurich

0
0
Reply
Bruce Morris (@guest_221479)
September 25, 2024 8:52 pm
#221479

As usual, you are a life saver. Why does Microsoft make things difficult? I changed my default account, and also re-ordered the appearance of the accounts, but that still didn't get me where I needed to go. Deleting the registry keys worked (I hope - I haven't added the account I deleted back yet.) I'm "retired" now, but over the course of my career, this blog has helped me countless times and probably saved me hundreds of hours. It is so generous of you to share your time this way. Can I send you flowers? A Starbucks card?

0
0
Reply
Diane Poremsky(@diane-poremsky)
Author
Reply to  Bruce Morris
September 25, 2024 10:02 pm
#221480

>>
Can I send you flowers? A Starbucks card?
>>
You can... but it is not necessary. :) Just glad to be of assistance.

0
0
Reply
Harry (@guest_221327)
July 23, 2024 11:02 am
#221327

Thanks for this. Deleting the reg keys worked!

0
0
Reply
Rob W (@guest_221318)
July 22, 2024 9:55 am
#221318

Diane, I cannot thank you enough for this. I had put up with this headache for years after committing the cardinal sin of setting up our company joint calendar account before setting up my personal account. I have been cursed ever since, as we moved away from the joint calendar account and I've been unable to delete it. Until now! Thank you for helping us all navigate around the nightmare corridors of horrible programming Microsoft seems to find everlasting joy in cursing us to navigate. I can't wait until we can all stop using their garbage and let their tower of atrocities crumble into the earth.

Anyways, bless you.

0
0
Reply
Tess (@guest_221204)
June 25, 2024 2:14 pm
#221204

Sorry, novice here...If I remove all exchange accounts, then re-add the accounts, adding the one I want as primary first, will my folders and emails show up as/where they currently are?

0
0
Reply
Diane Poremsky(@diane-poremsky)
Author
Reply to  Tess
June 26, 2024 12:25 pm
#221208

The folders will sync back down. The Favorites list - iof you use it - may need to be recreated as those settings are stored in the default mailbox.

1
0
Reply
Tess (@guest_221209)
Reply to  Diane Poremsky
June 26, 2024 5:11 pm
#221209

Thanks so much Diane!

0
0
Reply
Lauren (@guest_221014)
April 1, 2024 8:43 pm
#221014

Thank you thank you thank you! I had to find three keys, but once I found them all, I was able to delete the "primary" or old, outlook account. Thank you!

0
0
Reply
johann (@guest_220827)
January 8, 2024 5:35 am
#220827

king, baba, thank you

0
0
Reply

Visit Slipstick Forums.
What's New at Slipstick.com

Latest EMO: Vol. 30 Issue 15

Subscribe to Exchange Messaging Outlook






Support Services

Do you need help setting up Outlook, moving your email to a new computer, migrating or configuring Office 365, or just need some one-on-one assistance?

Our Sponsors

CompanionLink
ReliefJet
  • Popular
  • Latest
  • Week Month All
  • Use Classic Outlook, not New Outlook
  • How to Remove the Primary Account from Outlook
  • Disable "Always ask before opening" Dialog
  • Adjusting Outlook's Zoom Setting in Email
  • This operation has been cancelled due to restrictions
  • Remove a password from an Outlook *.pst File
  • Reset the New Outlook Profile
  • Maximum number of Exchange accounts in an Outlook profile
  • Save Attachments to the Hard Drive
  • How to Hide or Delete Outlook's Default Folders
  • Google Workspace and Outlook with POP Mail
  • Import EML Files into New Outlook
  • Opening PST files in New Outlook
  • New Outlook: Show To, CC, BCC in Replies
  • Insert Word Document into Email using VBA
  • Delete Empty Folders using PowerShell
  • Warn Before Deleting a Contact
  • Classic Outlook is NOT Going Away in 2026
  • Use PowerShell to Delete Attachments
  • Remove RE:, FWD:, and Other Prefixes from Subject Line
Ajax spinner

Recent Bugs List

Microsoft keeps a running list of issues affecting recently released updates at Fixes or workarounds for recent issues in classic Outlook (Windows).

For new Outlook for Windows: Fixes or workarounds for recent issues in new Outlook for Windows .

Outlook for Mac Recent issues: Fixes or workarounds for recent issues in Outlook for Mac

Outlook.com Recent issues: Fixes or workarounds for recent issues on Outlook.com

Office Update History

Update history for supported Office versions is at Update history for Office

Outlook Suggestions and Feedback

Outlook Feedback covers Outlook as an email client, including Outlook Android, iOS, Mac, and Windows clients, as well as the browser extension (PWA) and Outlook on the web.

Outlook (new) Feedback. Use this for feedback and suggestions for Outlook (new).

Use Outlook.com Feedback for suggestions or feedback about Outlook.com accounts.

Other Microsoft 365 applications and services




New Outlook Articles

Google Workspace and Outlook with POP Mail

Import EML Files into New Outlook

Opening PST files in New Outlook

New Outlook: Show To, CC, BCC in Replies

Insert Word Document into Email using VBA

Delete Empty Folders using PowerShell

Warn Before Deleting a Contact

Classic Outlook is NOT Going Away in 2026

Use PowerShell to Delete Attachments

Remove RE:, FWD:, and Other Prefixes from Subject Line

Newest Code Samples

Insert Word Document into Email using VBA

Warn Before Deleting a Contact

Use PowerShell to Delete Attachments

Remove RE:, FWD:, and Other Prefixes from Subject Line

Change the Mailing Address Using PowerShell

Categorize @Mentioned Messages

Send an Email When You Open Outlook

Delete Old Calendar Events using VBA

Use PowerShell or VBA to get Outlook folder creation date

Rename Outlook Attachments

Repair PST

Convert an OST to PST

Repair damaged PST file

Repair large PST File

Remove password from PST

Merge Two Data Files

Sync & Share Outlook Data

  • Share Calendar & Contacts
  • Synchronize two computers
  • Sync Calendar and Contacts Using Outlook.com
  • Sync Outlook & Android Devices
  • Sync Google Calendar with Outlook
  • Access Folders in Other Users Mailboxes

Diane Poremsky [Outlook MVP]

Make a donation

Mail Tools

Sending and Retrieval Tools

Mass Mail Tools

Compose Tools

Duplicate Remover Tools

Mail Tools for Outlook

Online Services

Calendar Tools

Schedule Management

Calendar Printing Tools

Calendar Reminder Tools

Calendar Dates & Data

Time and Billing Tools

Meeting Productivity Tools

Duplicate Remover Tools

Productivity

Productivity Tools

Automatic Message Processing Tools

Special Function Automatic Processing Tools

Housekeeping and Message Management

Task Tools

Project and Business Management Tools

Choosing the Folder to Save a Sent Message In

Run Rules on messages after reading

Help & Suggestions

Submit Outlook Feature Requests

Slipstick Support Services

Buy Microsoft 365 Office Software and Services

Visit Slipstick Forums.

What's New at Slipstick.com

Home | Outlook User | Exchange Administrator | Office 365 | Outlook.com | Outlook Developer
Outlook for Mac | Common Problems | Utilities & Addins | Tutorials
Outlook & iCloud Issues | Outlook Apps
EMO Archives | About Slipstick | Slipstick Forums
Submit New or Updated Outlook and Exchange Server Utilities

Send comments using our Feedback page
Copyright © 2025 Slipstick Systems. All rights reserved.
Slipstick Systems is not affiliated with Microsoft Corporation.

wpDiscuz

Sign up for Exchange Messaging Outlook

Our weekly Outlook & Exchange newsletter (bi-weekly during the summer)






Please note: If you subscribed to Exchange Messaging Outlook before August 2019, please re-subscribe.

Never see this message again.

You are going to send email to

Move Comment