Removing an email address from our business account

Hello @Colin Brown,

I hope you're having a nice day.

If your company uses Microsoft 365 for Business, the recommended approach is usually to remove the former employee's access through the Microsoft 365 admin center rather than simply removing the email address. Microsoft recommends blocking sign-in, securing any business data, and then deciding whether to keep or remove the mailbox.

You can consider following these steps:

• Find your Microsoft 365 admin for assistance: If you don't know who the admin is in your organization, you can find guidance here: How can I find my Microsoft 365 admin? - Microsoft Support    
• Sign in to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center.
• Go to Users > Active users.
• Select the former employee's account.
• Block sign-in to prevent access immediately.

• If the mailbox needs to be kept for business purposes, consider:
  • Forwarding email to another employee.
  • Converting the mailbox to a shared mailbox: Convert a user mailbox to a shared mailbox - Microsoft 365 admin | Microsoft Learn
• Once any required data has been retained, the account can be deleted: Delete a user from your organization - Microsoft 365 admin | Microsoft Learn

Microsoft notes that deleted user accounts can generally be restored for up to 30 days if needed.

Before deleting the account, you may want to confirm whether the user’s emails, OneDrive files, or other company data need to be preserved for another employee. Microsoft's document specifically advises against deleting the account immediately if email forwarding or a shared mailbox will be used.

I hope this suggestion helps. Please feel free to let me know if you need any further assistance.

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