Access to files after cancelling Microsoft Personal 365 subscription

RT 20 Reputation points
2026-08-19T11:54:11.55+00:00

Microsoft Personal 365 subscription has renewed automatically. I want to cancel and install Lifetime Microsoft Office 2024. Should I install the new software before I cancel Personal 365? Will the new software give me access to all my Word and Excel files?

Microsoft 365 and Office | Other
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DaveM121 930.3K Reputation points Independent Advisor
2026-08-19T12:31:54.97+00:00

1

You can only install one version of Office on your PC at a time, so you would need to uninstall Microsoft 365 before you install Office 2024.

2

Before you do that, if you store your files on OneDrive online, if you cancel the Microsoft 365 subscription, you will loose access to the 1TB of OneDrive storage that comes with the Microsoft 365 subscription and only have the free 5Gb of storage.

So if you have more than 5GB of data used on your One Drive online, you risk loosing access to your files, you first need to ensure you have a safe copy of all your files downloaded to your PC in a folder not synced to OneDrive, by default OneDrive syncs the Desktop, Documents and Pictures folders.

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  1. AI answer

    2026-08-19T11:54:26.7966667+00:00

    Yes. Installing Office 2024 will still let access to existing Word and Excel files.

    Key points:

    1. Existing files are not removed by uninstalling Microsoft 365 or switching to Office 2024. Files stored on the device or in the chosen storage location remain there.
    2. Office 2024 uses the same file formats as Microsoft 365, so existing Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents should open normally.
    3. If files are stored in OneDrive, they remain accessible after a Microsoft 365 Personal subscription is canceled, but storage benefits change. The storage allowance reverts to 5 GB of cloud storage, which includes OneDrive and Outlook.com attachments, plus 15 GB of Outlook.com storage.
    4. If current OneDrive usage is above the free allowance after cancellation, files remain intact, but storage-related limitations can apply.
    5. Internet access is required initially to install and activate Office 2024.

    Recommended order:

    1. Confirm where files are stored: local device, OneDrive, or another location.
    2. If OneDrive is being used, make sure storage usage is within the free limit or back up important files locally before canceling.
    3. Install and activate Office 2024.
    4. After Office 2024 is working, cancel Microsoft 365 Personal.

    That order helps avoid any gap in app access and gives a chance to verify files and save locations before the subscription benefits change.

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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