[Fix] Can't remove Work or School account from Windows

A work or school account sits in Settings > Accounts > Access work or school, and on your own PC an administrator can normally remove it with Disconnect. When the button is missing, greyed out or shows This work or school account cannot be removed by system policy, the organisation's management policy decides. Check whose PC it is first, then use the matching fix.

Facts checked on 15 October 2026. Steps written for Windows 11 (25H2 and 26H2) and Windows 10 22H2.

What "This work or school account cannot be removed by system policy" means

A work or school account is a Microsoft Entra ID account (formerly Azure AD) that an employer, university or school gives you. Connecting it to Windows can do three different things: let apps sign in, register the PC with the organisation, or enroll the PC in its management, often Microsoft Intune.

The message This work or school account cannot be removed by system policy appears when you select Disconnect on a PC that is enrolled in management and the organisation forbids manual unenrollment. Microsoft documents this as the policy Experience/AllowManualMDMUnenrollment: value 1 (the default) allows it, value 0 means "Not allowed".

Why you can't remove the work or school account: causes ranked

The ranking follows Microsoft's policy documentation and the reports on Microsoft Q&A, where readers describe connecting the account from Excel or Teams and finding their PC managed afterwards.

How to fix can't remove work or school account in Windows

Fix 1 is the normal removal, and most readers only miss administrator rights. Fix 2 covers the system policy message, which no setting on the PC can override. Fixes 3 to 5 are for your own PC only.

Fix 1. Disconnect the account from Access work or school as an administrator

5 minutesRead the warningYour own PC, and the account is listed under Access work or school with a Disconnect button, even a greyed out one.

Removing a work or school account changes device settings, so Windows needs an administrator. On a standard account the button does nothing or asks for credentials you may not have.

1. Press Win + I, open Accounts and check under your name that it says Administrator.
2. If it says Standard user, sign out and sign in with an administrator account, or ask the person who owns that account to make yours an administrator under Other users > Change account type.
3. Open Access work or school. The shortcut works on Windows 11 and Windows 10:

   ms-settings:workplace

4. Select the work or school account to expand it.
5. Select Disconnect and confirm with Yes.
6. Restart the PC and open Access work or school again.

Fix 2. Ask the organisation to remove the device when the system policy blocks you

10 minutes, plus waiting for ITLow riskWindows says This work or school account cannot be removed by system policy, or the PC belongs to your employer or school.

The block is a management policy the organisation set on purpose. Microsoft documents that the management server can always remove the account remotely, so the reliable route goes through the organisation, not through Windows settings.

1. Note your device name: open Settings > System > About and copy the Device name.
2. If the organisation uses Intune, open its Company Portal website, sign in with the work or school account and open Devices.
3. Select this PC. If the organisation allows it, choose Remove and confirm.
4. If there is no Remove option, contact the IT or help desk. Give them the device name and ask them to retire or remove the device from management.
5. When IT confirms, restart the PC and open Access work or school. Select Disconnect again if the account is still listed.

Microsoft's policy page adds one detail: on a PC that is joined to the organisation and enrolled automatically, the unenrollment policy has no effect at all. Such a PC is almost always the organisation's own, so IT is the only route.

Fix 3. Create a local administrator before you leave a joined organisation

20 to 60 minutesRead the warningYour own PC, where you sign in to Windows itself with the work or school email, and Access work or school says Connected to the organisation.

Windows cannot remove the account you are signed in with, and after leaving the organisation that account can no longer sign in. A local administrator gives you a way in and the rights to disconnect.

1. Create a new local account: Settings > Accounts > Other users > Add account > I don't have this person's sign-in information > Add a user without a Microsoft account.
2. Select the new account, choose Change account type, pick Administrator and select OK.
3. Sign out and sign in to the new local administrator account.
4. Open Access work or school, select the organisation's entry and choose Disconnect.
5. Confirm, enter the local administrator's password when asked, and restart.
6. Copy your files from the old profile, then remove the old account under Other users.

Full steps with screenshots: Create a new user account to test a problem. More on why Windows hides the local account switch on work accounts: Sign in with a local account instead is missing.

Fix 4. Remove the account from Email & accounts and sign out of Office apps

10 minutesLow riskNothing is listed under Access work or school, or the account is gone there, but Office, Teams or Outlook still sign in with it.

Windows keeps accounts used by apps on a separate page. An account can stay there after the device link is gone, and Office apps keep their own sign-in.

1. Open Settings > Accounts > Email & accounts (Windows 10: Email & app accounts).
2. Under Accounts used by other apps, select the work or school account.
3. Choose Remove and confirm. If only Manage shows, the account is still connected under Access work or school: go back to Fix 1.
4. Open Word or Excel, select your name at the top and choose Sign out.
5. Sign out of Teams and Outlook the same way, then restart the PC.

Fix 5. Reset your own PC when the organisation cannot release it

1 to 2 hoursRead the warningYour own PC only, the organisation has closed or cannot find the device, and Fixes 1 to 4 failed.

A reset reinstalls Windows and clears its settings. It is the last option for a leftover connection on a PC you own when nobody can remove it from the other side.

1. Open Settings > System > Recovery (Windows 10: Update & Security > Recovery).
2. Next to Reset this PC, select Reset PC (Windows 10: Get started).
3. Choose Keep my files first, then Cloud download, and finish the reset.
4. After setup, open Access work or school. If the account is still there, repeat with Remove everything.

We could not confirm whether Keep my files always clears the connection. One user on Microsoft Q&A reports the school account still there after a reset. Step by step: Reinstall Windows without losing files.

Still can't disconnect the work or school account: what to check

Windows keeps a management log for this page. Collect it with the facts below before you contact IT or ask on Microsoft Q&A.

• In Access work or school, select Export your management log files. Windows saves a report you can send to IT.
• Select the account and then Info, if shown: it names the organisation and the management server.
• Your Windows edition and version from winver, such as Windows 11 Pro 25H2.
• The exact message you get, and whether you are signed in as an administrator.
• Who bought the PC and whether it came with the organisation's sign-in during setup.

How to avoid an unwanted work or school account

• When Office or Teams asks to stay signed in to all your apps, clear Allow my organization to manage my device and choose to sign in to that app only.
• Use a separate Windows account for work on a personal PC, so your own profile is never managed.
• Before you connect a work account in Settings, read what the organisation asks to manage.
• When you leave a job or school, ask IT to remove your personal devices before your account is closed.
• Keep one local administrator account on your PC, so you can always disconnect.

Windows 10 left support on 14 October 2025. The removal steps work the same, but a PC that no longer gets security updates is a weaker home for work data.

Frequently asked questions

What does "This work or school account cannot be removed by system policy" mean?

It means the organisation that manages your PC has turned off manual removal. Microsoft documents the setting as AllowManualMDMUnenrollment in the Experience policy: 1 allows removal and is the default, 0 is "Not allowed". It is not an error in Windows, so repairs do not help. Microsoft also says the management server can always remove the account remotely. Ask the organisation's IT to retire the device, or remove it yourself in their Company Portal if they allow it.

Why can't I disconnect my work or school account in Windows 11?

Usually for one of three reasons. You are signed in as a standard user, so Windows will not change device settings. The organisation set a policy that blocks removal, which shows the system policy message. Or you sign in to Windows with that account itself, and Windows cannot remove the account in use. Check your account type, read the message, then follow Fix 1, Fix 2 or Fix 3.

Why is there no Disconnect button?

On Windows 11 the button appears only after you select the account to expand it. If it is still missing, the account may be in Email & accounts rather than Access work or school, so use Fix 4 there. Users also report the button missing on managed PCs where the organisation hides it. In that case the organisation decides, and Fix 2 applies. On a PC your employer or school owns, leave the account in place.

How do I delete the account from my PC?

On your own PC, sign in as an administrator, open Settings > Accounts > Access work or school, select the account and choose Disconnect. Restart, then check Email & accounts for any copy left for apps and remove it there. If Windows shows the system policy message, only the organisation can lift it. Contact their IT with your device name, or remove the device in their Company Portal website if they allow it.

Can I remove a school account from a school laptop?

No, and you should not try. A laptop owned or issued by a school stays under the school's management by design, so it can protect its data and enforce exam and safety rules. Microsoft documents that such PCs can block removal entirely. If the laptop is now yours, for example bought at the end of a course, ask the school's IT to release it from management. They can do it remotely.

Will removing the work account delete my files?

Disconnecting removes the account and anything the organisation protected: work apps, work email and managed files may stop opening. Your personal files in your own profile stay. If you sign in to Windows with the work account, its profile cannot sign in after the disconnect, so copy your files out first. A reset with Remove everything deletes all files. Back up before Fix 3 and Fix 5.

Does updating Windows fix it?

No source ties this problem to an update, so we removed that advice from the earlier version of this page. The system policy message comes from the organisation's management settings, and an update does not change them. Keeping Windows updated is still good practice, but it will not make the Disconnect button work. Use the fix that matches what Access work or school shows.

Does enabling the hidden Administrator account help?

We dropped that method. Any administrator account can disconnect an account that the policy allows to be removed, so a normal local administrator is enough and safer than the built-in one. Against the system policy message, no administrator account helps, because the block comes from the organisation. Create a local administrator through Other users as shown in Fix 3.

No me deja, nie mam takiej opcji: can you show it with pictures?

Yes. This page is in English, and each fix has screenshots of the Settings pages it uses, plus a chart that picks the right fix. The steps are the same in every Windows language: Settings > Accounts > Access work or school, select the account, then Disconnect. If the option is missing or Windows refuses, read the message and go to the fix the chart names.