Miscellaneous topics that do not fit into specific categories.
Deleting the Microsoft 365 Personal subscription or account is not required to save work documents to the correct place, and accounts cannot be merged.
Key points from the available information:
- Personal and work/school accounts are separate and cannot be merged Personal Microsoft accounts (like the one used for Microsoft 365 Personal) and Microsoft 365 work or school accounts (like the charity’s Copilot-enabled account) cannot be merged, but they can be used side by side. This means documents, purchases, and data in the personal account will not automatically move to the work account.
- Deleting the personal account will not move documents If the personal Microsoft account is closed, any data, purchases, and OneDrive files associated with that account remain tied to that account and are not transferred to the work account. The context explicitly notes that data and purchases under one Microsoft account cannot be brought over to another when dealing with multiple accounts. Therefore, deleting the personal account would not solve the saving-location issue and risks losing access to personal documents if they are stored only in that account’s OneDrive or associated services.
- Use multiple accounts side by side and choose the correct save location Microsoft 365 apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote) support signing in with multiple accounts. With multiple account access:
- Sign in to the apps with both the personal Microsoft account and the charity’s work/school account.
- Ensure the work/school account (the charity account) is added in the app’s account/profile menu.
- When saving, select the work/school OneDrive or SharePoint location associated with the charity account instead of the personal OneDrive.
- Copilot behavior with multiple accounts When multiple accounts are signed in, Copilot access can come from either a work/school Copilot license or a personal Microsoft 365 Personal/Family/Premium subscription. File access and storage locations remain tied to the account that owns the files (for example, the charity’s work account for work documents), even if Copilot access comes from a different account.
Summary:
- Do not delete the Microsoft 365 Personal account if there is a need to keep personal documents; deleting it will not move documents to the charity account and can result in loss of access to personal data.
- Instead, sign in with both accounts in the Office apps and explicitly choose the charity’s work/school OneDrive or SharePoint when saving work documents.
References:
- Why did I get a message saying my files will be erased?
- Use Microsoft 365 Personal, Family, or Premium at work
- How to use Copilot when signed in with one or more account
- Multiple account access to Microsoft 365 Copilot for work and school documents
- I realize I have 2 different accounts. How do I combine the 2? - Microsoft Q&A