This privacy statement applies to Microsoft.com and Microsoft websites, services and products that collect data and display these terms, as well as their offline product support services. It does not apply to Microsoft sites, services and products that do not display or link to this statement or that have their own privacy statements.
Please read the summaries below and click on "Learn More" for more details on a particular topic. You may also select from the products listed above to view that product's privacy statement. Some products, services or features mentioned in this statement may not be available in all markets. You can find more information on Microsoft's commitment to protecting your privacy at http://www.microsoft.com/privacy.
Most Microsoft websites use "cookies," which are small text files stored on your device, to help operate the sites and collect information about online activity. For instance, we use cookies to store your preferences and settings; help with sign-in; provide targeted ads; combat fraud; and analyze site operations.
We also use web beacons to help deliver cookies and compile analytics. These may include web beacons from third-party service providers.
You have a variety of tools to control cookies and similar technologies, including:
Most Microsoft websites use "cookies," which are small text files stored on your device, to help operate the sites and collect information about online activity. The text in a cookie often consists of a string of numbers and letters that uniquely identifies your computer, but it may contain other information as well. Here is an example of a unique ID number stored in a cookie that we might place on your device when you visit one of our websites: E3732CA7E319442F97EA48A170C99801. Our websites may also contain web beacons or other similar technologies. Microsoft uses cookies and similar technologies for a variety of purposes, described in more detail below.
How to Control Cookies and Similar Technologies
Microsoft provides browser controls to help you manage cookies. You can also accept cookies but opt out of their use to behaviorally target advertisements. For instance, Microsoft’s advertising preference and opt-out controls are available at http://choice.live.com/advertisementchoice/.
Browser Controls to Block Cookies.
Most web browsers automatically accept cookies but allow you to modify your browser setting to block cookies. For example, in Internet Explorer 11, you can block cookies by taking the following steps:
Instructions for blocking cookies in other browsers are available at each browser’s privacy statement.
Please be aware that if you choose to block cookies, you may not be able to sign in or use other interactive features of Microsoft sites and services that depend on cookies, and any advertising preferences that are dependent on cookies may be lost.
Browser Controls to Delete Cookies.
If you accept cookies, you can delete them later. For example, in Internet Explorer 11, you can delete cookies by taking the following steps:
Instructions for deleting cookies in other browsers are available at each browser’s privacy statement.
Please be aware that if you choose to delete cookies, any settings and preferences controlled by those cookies, including advertising preferences, will be deleted and will need to be recreated.
Browser Controls for “Do Not Track” and Tracking Protection.
Some newer browsers have incorporated “Do Not Track” features. Most of these features, when turned on, send a signal or preference to the websites you visit indicating that you do not wish to be tracked. Those sites (or the third-party content on those sites) may continue to engage in activities you might view as tracking even though you have expressed this preference, depending on the sites’ privacy practices. Because there is not yet a common understanding of how to interpret the DNT signal, Microsoft does not currently respond to the browser DNT signals on its own websites or online services, or on third-party websites or online services where Microsoft provides advertisements, content or is otherwise able to collect information. We continue to work with the online industry to define a common understanding of how to treat DNT signals. In the meantime, users may continue to opt out of targeted ads from Microsoft as set forth below.
Internet Explorer (versions 9 and up) have a feature called Tracking Protection that helps prevent the websites you go to from automatically sending details about your visit to third-party content providers. When you add a Tracking Protection List, Internet Explorer will block third-party content, including cookies, from any site that is listed as a site to be blocked. By limiting calls to these sites, Internet Explorer will limit the information these third-party sites can collect about you. For more information about Tracking Protection Lists and Do Not Track, please see the Internet Explorer Privacy Statement or Internet Explorer Help.
Advertising Opt-Out Controls.
Because cookies can be used for many purposes, users who do not want to receive behaviorally targeted advertising can choose to accept cookies but opt out from that particular use. Companies in the online advertising industry have developed guidelines and programs to help protect users’ privacy, and these industry programs include web pages you can visit to opt out from receiving behaviorally targeted advertisements from all participating companies (including Microsoft). These pages include:
Individual advertising companies may also offer their own opt-out capabilities plus more advanced advertising choices. For instance, Microsoft’s advertising preference and opt-out controls are available at http://choice.live.com/advertisementchoice/. Please note that opting out does not mean that you will stop getting ads or see fewer ads; however, if you do opt out, the ads that you receive will no longer be behaviorally targeted. In addition, opting out does not stop information from going to our servers, but it does stop our creation or updating of profiles that might be used for behavioral advertising.
Third-Party Analytics Controls.
As described in more detail below, many websites and online services from Microsoft and other companies use third-party analytic services, which use cookies and web beacons to compile aggregated statistics regarding the effectiveness of promotional campaigns or other website operations. You can opt out of data collection or use by some of these analytics providers by clicking the following links:
Our Use of Cookies
Microsoft websites use cookies for several purposes, including:
Some of the cookies we commonly use are listed in the following chart. This list is not exhaustive, but it is intended to illustrate the main reasons we typically set cookies. If you visit one of our websites, the site may set some or all of the following cookies:
Cookie name
Description
MUID
Identifies unique browsers visiting Microsoft sites. It is used for advertising, site analytics and other operational purposes.
ANON
Contains the ANID, a unique identifier used to help identify which ads a customer may like. It is also used to preserve your choice to opt out of behaviorally targeted ads from Microsoft, if you have chosen to associate the opt-out with your Microsoft account.
CC
Contains a country code as determined by reverse IP address lookup.
Microsoft account authentication
Authentication cookies (e.g., RPSTAuth, MSNRPSAuth, KievRPSAuth) used when you sign in with your Microsoft account.
NAP
Contains an encrypted version of your country, postal code, age, gender, language and occupation, if known, based on your Microsoft account profile.
MH
Appears on co-branded sites where Microsoft is partnering with an advertiser. This cookie identifies the advertiser so the right ad is selected.
ACH01
Maintains information about which ads you clicked on and where you clicked on the ad.
TOptOut
Records your decision not to receive behaviorally targeted ads delivered by Microsoft.
In addition to the cookies Microsoft may set when you visit our websites, third parties may also set cookies when you visit Microsoft sites. In some cases, that is because we have hired the third party to provide services on our behalf, such as site analytics. In other cases, it is because our web pages contain content or ads from third parties, such as videos, news content or ads delivered by other ad networks. Because your browser connects to those third parties’ web servers to retrieve that content, those third parties are able to set or read their own cookies on your device and may collect information about your online activities across websites or online services.
Our Use of Web Beacons
Microsoft web pages may contain electronic images known as web beacons - sometimes called single-pixel gifs - that may be used to help deliver cookies on our sites, count users who have visited those pages and deliver co-branded services. Sometimes we include web beacons in our promotional email messages or newsletters to determine whether messages have been opened and acted upon.
We sometimes work with other companies that advertise on Microsoft sites to place web beacons on their sites or in their advertisements to let us develop statistics on how often clicking on an advertisement on a Microsoft site results in a purchase or other action on the advertiser's site.
Finally, Microsoft sites may contain web beacons from third parties to help us compile aggregated statistics regarding the effectiveness of our promotional campaigns or other web site operations. These web beacons may allow the third parties to set or read a cookie on your computer. These companies may collect information about your online activities across websites or online servers, however, we prohibit third parties from using web beacons on our sites to collect or access information that directly identifies you (such as your name or email address). You may be able to opt out from data collection or use by these third-party analytics companies as described under “Third-Party Analytics Controls” above.
Other Similar Technologies
In addition to standard cookies and web beacons, websites can use other technologies to store and read data files on your computer. This may be done to maintain your preferences or to improve speed and performance by storing certain files locally. But, like standard cookies, these technologies can also be used to store a unique identifier for your computer, which can then be used to track online activity. These technologies include Local Shared Objects (or "Flash cookies"), HTML5 Local Storage and Silverlight Application Storage.
Local Shared Objects or "Flash cookies." Websites that use Adobe Flash technologies may use Local Shared Objects or "Flash cookies" to store data on your computer. To manage or block Flash cookies when using Windows, go to the Control Panel and select Flash Player. For other operating systems, learn more at http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/settings_manager.html.
Silverlight Application Storage. Websites or applications that use Microsoft Silverlight technology can store data on your device using Silverlight Application Storage. To learn how to manage or block such storage, visit the Silverlight Privacy Statement.
Microsoft collects many kinds of information in order to operate effectively and provide you the best products, services and experiences we can.
We collect information when you register, sign in and use our sites and services. We also may get information from other companies.
We collect this information in a variety of ways, including from web forms, technologies like cookies, web logging and software on your computer or other device.
Microsoft collects many kinds of information in order to operate effectively and provide you the best products, services and experiences we can. Some of this information you provide directly to us. Some of it we get by observing how you interact with our products and services. Some of it is available from other sources that we may combine with the data we collect directly. Regardless of the source, we believe it's important to treat that information with care and to help you maintain your privacy.
What we collect:
When you are asked to provide personal information, you may decline. But if you choose not to provide the information, you may not be able to use some features or services.
How we collect:
We use a number of methods and technologies to gather information about how you use our sites and services, such as:
Microsoft uses the information we collect to operate, improve and personalize the products and services we offer.
We also may use the information to communicate with you, for example, informing you about your account and security updates.
And we may use the information to help make the ads you see on our ad-supported services more relevant.
Microsoft uses the information we collect to operate, improve and personalize the products and services we offer. Information collected through one Microsoft service may be combined with information collected through other Microsoft services to give you a more consistent and personalized experience in your interactions with us. We may also supplement this with information from other companies. For example, we may use services from other companies to help us derive a general geographic area based on your IP address in order to customize certain services to your geographic area.
We also may use the information to communicate with you, for example, informing you when a subscription is ending, letting you know when security updates are available or letting you know when you need to take action to keep your account active.
Microsoft provides many of our sites and services free of charge because they are supported by advertising. In order to make these services widely available, the information we collect may be used to help improve the advertisements you see by making them more relevant to you.
We will share your personal information with your consent. For example, we share your content with third parties when you tell us to do so, such as when you send an email to a friend, share photos and documents on OneDrive or link accounts with another service.
We may share or disclose personal information with other Microsoft controlled subsidiaries and affiliates, and with vendors or agents working on our behalf. For example, companies we've hired to provide customer service support or assist in protecting and securing our systems and services may need access to personal information in order to provide those functions. In such cases, these companies must abide by our data privacy requirements and are not allowed to use the information for any other purpose. We may also disclose personal information as part of a corporate transaction such as a merger or sale of assets.
Finally, we may access, disclose and preserve your personal information, including your private content (such as the content of your emails, other private communications or files in private folders), when we have a good faith belief that doing so is necessary to:
Please note that some of our sites and services include links to sites or services of third parties that have privacy practices different from those of Microsoft. If you submit personal information to any of those sites or services, your information is governed by the privacy statements of those third parties.
Some Microsoft services give you the ability to view or edit your personal information online. To help prevent others from viewing your personal information, you first will be required to sign in. How you can access your personal information will depend on which sites or services you have used.
Some Microsoft services give you the ability to view or edit your personal information online. To help prevent your personal information from being viewed by others, you first will be required to sign in. The method(s) for accessing your personal information will depend on which sites or services you have used.
Microsoft.com - You can access and update your profile on microsoft.com by visiting the Microsoft.com Profile Center.
Microsoft Billing and Account Services - If you have a Microsoft Billing account, you can update your information at the Microsoft Billing website by clicking on the "Personal Information" or "Billing Information" links.
Microsoft Connect - If you are a registered user of Microsoft Connect, you can access and edit your personal information by clicking Manage Your Connect Profile at the Microsoft Connect website.
Microsoft account - If you wish to update the profile information on your Microsoft account, change your password, add security information, view the unique ID associated with your credentials or close your account, you can do so by visiting Microsoft account services.
Public Profile - If you have created a public profile with your Microsoft account, you may edit or delete information in your public profile by going to your profile.
Search Advertising - If you buy search advertising through Bing Ads, you can review and edit your personal information at the Bing Ads website.
Microsoft Partner Programs - If you are registered with Microsoft Partner Programs, you can review and edit your profile by clicking Manage Your Account on the Partner Program website.
Xbox - If you use Xbox LIVE or Xbox.com, you can view or edit your personal information, including billing and account information, privacy settings, online safety and data sharing preferences by accessing My Xbox on the Xbox console or on the Xbox.com website. For account information select My Xbox, Accounts. For other personal information settings, select My Xbox, then Profile, then Online Safety Settings.
If you cannot access personal data collected by Microsoft sites or services via the links above, these sites and services may provide you with other ways to access to your data. You can contact Microsoft by using the web form. We will respond to requests to access or delete your personal information within 30 days.
When a Microsoft site or service collects age information, it will block users under 13 or obtain consent from a parent or guardian before their child can use it.
When consent is granted, the child's account is treated much like any other account, including letting the account holder communicate with other users.
Parents can change or revoke consent as described in this privacy statement.
When a Microsoft site or service collects age information, it will either block users under 13 or will ask them to provide consent from a parent or guardian before they can use it. We will not knowingly ask children under 13 to provide more information than is necessary to provide the service.
When consent is granted, the child's account is treated much like any other account. The child may have access to communication services like email, instant messaging and online message boards and may be able to communicate freely with other users of all ages.
Parents can change or revoke the consent choices previously made, and review, edit or request the deletion of their children's personal information. For example, parents can visit their Microsoft account and click on "Permissions".
Most of the online advertisements on Microsoft sites and services are displayed by Microsoft Advertising. When we display online advertisements to you, we will place one or more cookies in order to recognize your computer when we display an ad to you. Over time, we may gather information from the sites where we serve ads and use the information to help provide more relevant ads.
You may opt out of receiving targeted ads from Microsoft Advertising by visiting our opt-out page.
Many of our sites and services are supported by advertising.
Most of the online advertisements on Microsoft sites and services are displayed by Microsoft Advertising. When we display online advertisements to you, we will place one or more cookies on your computer in order to recognize your computer each time we display an ad to you. Because we serve advertisements on our own websites as well as those of our advertising and publisher partners, we are able to compile information over time about the types of pages, content and ads you, or others who are using your computer, visited or viewed. This information helps us select the ads we show you. For example, it helps us try to ensure that you do not see the same advertisements repeatedly. It also helps us select and display targeted advertisements that we believe may be of interest to you.
You may opt out of receiving targeted ads from Microsoft Advertising by visiting our opt-out page. For more information about how Microsoft Advertising collects and uses information, please see the Microsoft Advertising Privacy Statement.
We also allow third-party ad companies, including other ad networks, to display advertisements on our sites. In some cases, these third parties may also place cookies on your computer, and may collect information about your online activities across websites or online services. These companies currently include, but are not limited to: 24/7 Real Media, adblade, AdConion, AdFusion, Advertising.com, AppNexus, Atlas, Bane Media, Brand.net, CasaleMedia, Collective Media, InMobi, Interclick, Jumptap, Millennial Media, nugg.adAG, Mobclix, Mojiva, SpecificMedia, Tribal Fusion, ValueClick, Where.com, Yahoo!, YuMe, Zumobi. These companies may offer you a way to opt out of ad targeting based on their cookies. You may find more information by clicking on the company names above and following the links to the websites of each company. Many of them are also members of the Network Advertising Initiative or the Digital Advertising Alliance, which each provide a simple way to opt out of ad targeting from participating companies.
You should also be aware that some browsers have incorporated “Do Not Track” (DNT) features that, when turned on, send a signal in the browser header to websites and online services indicating that you do not wish to be tracked. It is up to the website or online service you visit (and any third parties providing advertising, content, or other functionality on the website or online service) to decide how it will interpret and treat the signal. However, there is not yet a common understanding of how to interpret the DNT signal. As a result, Microsoft does not currently respond to the browser DNT signals on its own websites or online services, or on third-party websites or online services where Microsoft provides advertisements, content or is otherwise able to collect information. We continue to work with the online industry to define a common understanding of how to treat DNT signals. In the meantime, users may continue to opt-out of targeted ads from Microsoft as set forth above.
If you receive promotional email messages from us and would like to stop getting them in the future, you can do so by following the directions in that message.
Depending on the respective service, you may also have the option of proactively making choices about the receipt of promotional email, telephone calls, and postal mail from particular Microsoft sites or services by visiting and signing into the following pages:
These choices do not apply to the display of online advertising: please refer to the section "Display of Advertising (Opt-out)" for information on this matter. Nor do they apply to the receipt of mandatory service communications that are considered part of certain Microsoft services, which you may receive periodically unless you cancel the service.
When you use a location based service or feature, available cell tower data, Wi-Fi data and Global Position System (GPS) data may be sent to Microsoft. Microsoft uses location information to provide the services you request, personalize your experience and improve Microsoft products and services.
Certain services may allow you to control when location information is sent to Microsoft or made available to others. In some cases, location information is essential to the service and may require uninstalling the feature or discontinuing the service to stop the sending of location information. Refer to the documentation that came with your device for information about how to turn off location features.
Support Data is the information we collect when you submit a support request or run an automated troubleshooter, including information about hardware, software, and other details related to the support incident, such as: contact or authentication information, chat session personalization, information about the condition of the machine and the application from when the fault occurred and during diagnostics, system and registry data about software installations and hardware configurations, and error-tracking files. We use Support Data as described in this privacy statement, and additionally use it to resolve your support incident and for training purposes.
Support may be provided through phone, email, or online chat. We may use Remote Access (RA), with your permission, to temporarily navigate your desktop. Phone conversations, online chat sessions, or Remote Access sessions with support professionals may be recorded and/or monitored. For RA, you may also access the recording after your session For Online Chat or RA, you may end a session at any time of your choosing.
Following a support incident, we may send you a survey about your experience and offerings. You must opt-out of support surveys separately from other communications provided by Microsoft, by contacting Support or through the email footer.
To review and edit your personal information collected through our support services, please contact us by using our Web form.
Some business customers may purchase enhanced support offerings (e.g. Premier etc.). These offerings are covered by their own contract terms and notices
Payment Data is the information that you provide when you make online purchases. This may include your payment instrument number (e.g., credit card, PayPal), your name and billing address, and the security code associated with your payment instrument (e.g., the CSV or CVV). This section provides additional information regarding the collection and use of your payment information.
Payment Data is used to complete your transaction, as well as for the detection and prevention of fraud. In support of these uses, Microsoft may share your Payment Data with banks and other entities that process payment transactions or other financial services, and for fraud prevention and credit risk reduction.
When you provide Payment Data while logged in with your Microsoft or organizational account we will store some of that data to help you complete future transactions.
You may update or remove the payment instrument information associated with your Microsoft account by logging in at https://commerce.microsoft.com. You may remove the payment instrument information associated with your organizational account by contacting Customer Support. After you close your account or remove a payment instrument, however, Microsoft may retain your payment instrument data for as long as reasonably necessary to complete your existing transaction, to comply with Microsoft’s legal and reporting requirements, and for the detection and prevention of fraud.
Microsoft account is a service that lets you sign in to Microsoft products, web sites and services, as well as those of select Microsoft partners. When you create a Microsoft account, we ask you to provide certain information. When you sign in to a site or service using your Microsoft account, we collect certain information in order to verify your identity on behalf of the site or service, to protect you from malicious account usage and to protect the efficiency and security of the Microsoft account service. We also send some of this information to sites and services that you sign in to with your Microsoft account.
We use demographic information – gender, country, age and postal code but not your name or contact information – from your Microsoft account to provide personalized ads to you. You may opt out of receiving targeted ads from Microsoft Advertising by visiting our opt-out page.
To view additional details about Microsoft account, including how to create and use a Microsoft account, how to edit account information, and how we collect and use information relating to a Microsoft account, please click on Learn More.
Microsoft account (formerly known as Windows Live ID and Microsoft Passport) is a service that allows you to sign in to Microsoft products, web sites and services, as well as those of select Microsoft partners.
Creating a Microsoft account
You can create a Microsoft account here by providing an email address, a password and other security information, such as an alternate email address and a phone number. We will use your security information for security purposes only - for instance, to verify your identity or to reset your password if you cannot access your Microsoft account. Some services may require added security, and in those cases, you may be asked to provide additional information. The email address and password that you use to sign up for your Microsoft account are your "credentials" that you will use to authenticate with our network. We assign a unique ID number to your credentials to identify your credentials and associated information.
You can use an email address provided by Microsoft (such as those ending in outlook.com, live.com, hotmail.com or msn.com) or an email address provided by a third party (such as those ending in gmail.com or yahoo.com) when signing up for your Microsoft account. You must use an email address that you own on an email service that you have access to.
When you create a Microsoft account, we will also ask you to provide the following demographic information: gender, country, birthdate and postal code. We may use birthdate to verify that children obtain appropriate consent from a parent or guardian to use a Microsoft account, as required by local law. We use this demographic information for market research. This demographic information also is used by our online advertising systems to provide you with personalized advertisements about products and services you might find useful, but our advertising systems do not receive or use any information that can personally and directly identify you (such as your name, email address or phone number). If you prefer not to receive personalized ads, you may register your preference with your Microsoft account by visiting our opt-out page so that whenever you sign in to web sites or services with your Microsoft account, our advertising systems will not serve you personalized ads. For more information about how Microsoft uses information for advertising, please see the Microsoft Advertising Privacy Statement.
Upon creating a Microsoft account using an email address provided by a third party, we will send you an email asking you to verify that you are the owner of the email address associated with your Microsoft account. This is designed to verify the validity of the email address and help prevent email addresses from being used without the permission of their owners.
We will use the email address you used to create your Microsoft account to send you communications relating to your use of Microsoft products and services and to the security of your account. We may also send you promotional emails about Microsoft products and services as permitted by local law. For information about managing your receipt of promotional communications, please visit Communications.
Signing into software, sites or services with your Microsoft account
When you sign in to a site or service using your Microsoft account, we collect certain information in order to verify your identity on behalf of the site or service, to protect you from malicious account usage and to protect the efficiency and security of the Microsoft account service. For instance, when you sign in, the Microsoft account service receives your credentials and logs your sign-in name and other information, such as the unique number assigned to your credentials, your IP address, your operating system and web browser version and a time and date. If you use a Microsoft account to sign in to a device or software that is installed on a device, a random unique ID is assigned to the device; this random unique ID will be sent as part of your credentials to the Microsoft account service when you sign in to a site or service with your Microsoft account and will be used to help protect your account. The Microsoft account service sends the following limited verification information to the site or service that you have signed in to: the unique ID number assigned to your credentials that permits the site or service to determine whether you are the same person from one sign-in session to the next; the version number assigned to your account (a new number is assigned each time you change your sign-in information); whether your email address has been confirmed; and whether your account has been deactivated.
When you sign in to Windows with a Microsoft account, Windows will send standard computer information to Microsoft as well as your device’s manufacturer, model name and version. We may use this to personalize certain communications to you, such as emails intended to help you get started with your device. If you sign in to your Windows 8.1 device with your Microsoft account, Windows uses your Microsoft account information to sign you in to Microsoft applications, web sites and services. To learn more about signing in to Windows with a Microsoft account, please see the Windows 8.1 Privacy Statement.
Some third-party sites and services that permit you to sign in with your Microsoft account require your email address in order to provide you with their services. In those cases, when you sign in, Microsoft will provide your email address but not your password to the site or service. If you created your Microsoft account credentials with the site or service, it may have limited access to information associated with your credentials and profile as noted during account creation.
If you received your account from a third party, like a school, a business, an internet service provider or the administrator of a managed domain, that third party may have rights with respect to your account, including the ability to reset your password, view your account usage or profile information, read or store content in your account, and suspend or cancel your account. In these cases, you are subject to the Microsoft Services Agreement and to any additional terms of use from that third party. If you are the administrator of a managed domain and have provided your users with Microsoft accounts, you are responsible for all activity that takes place within those accounts.
Please note that sites and services that permit you to sign in with your Microsoft account can use or share your email address or other personal information that you provide to them as described in their privacy statements. They can share the unique ID number the Microsoft account service provides them only in order to fulfill a service or transaction that you may have requested. All sites or services that use the Microsoft account are required to have a posted privacy statement, but we do not control or monitor the privacy practices of those sites, and their privacy practices will vary. You should carefully review the privacy statement for each site you sign in to in order to determine how each site or service will use the information it collects.
Connecting your Microsoft account to your social network accounts
You may connect your Microsoft account to your account on a social network such as Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn in order to access information from that social network in your Microsoft account. For example, connecting your Microsoft account to your social network account lets you see status updates or messages from people you have friended or are following on the social network in your Outlook.com inbox; include them in your Microsoft account address book; and view their birthdays in your Microsoft account calendar. If you choose to connect your Microsoft account to your account on a social network, we will cache certain information about your social network account on our servers so that we can display updated information from your social network account.
You can see a list of the social networks that offer accounts to which you can connect your Microsoft account, as well as the social network accounts that you’ve actually connected to your Microsoft account, by signing in and going to profile.live.com/services. You can disconnect a social network account from your Microsoft account at any time at profile.live.com/services. If you disconnect a social network account, we will no longer cache information from that account.
Microsoft is not responsible for content originating from non-Microsoft services or for information you share with or send to those services. If you use a third-party service, its use of your information is subject to its privacy practices. You should carefully review the privacy statement for each social network account you connect to your Microsoft account to determine how it will use the information it collects.
Accessing your personal information and closing your account
You can access the personal information in your Microsoft account by going to the Microsoft account summary page. You can change your username if your Microsoft account does not belong to a managed domain. And you can change your password, alternate email address and phone number. You may also close your Microsoft account by going to account and then "Close your account." If your Microsoft account is within a managed domain, there may be a special process for closing your Microsoft account. Please note that if you are an Outlook.com user or have a billing account with Microsoft, if you go to account, you may be redirected to your account page for those services.
If you use an email address provided by Microsoft (such as those ending in outlook.com, live.com, hotmail.com or msn.com) when signing up for your Microsoft account, that email address will be unique to you for as long as your Microsoft account is active. If you or Microsoft close your Microsoft account as provided in the Microsoft Services Agreement, that email address or username (but not the Microsoft account itself) may be recycled into our system and assigned to another user. More information about Microsoft account is available at the Microsoft account web site.
Learn more about
How to Contact Us
Microsoft Ireland Operations Limited is our data protection representative for the European Economic Area and Switzerland. The data protection officer of Microsoft Ireland Operations Limited can be reached at the following address:
Microsoft Ireland Operations, Ltd. Attn: Data Protection Carmenhall Road Sandyford, Dublin 18, Ireland
Below you will find additional privacy information you may find important. Much of this describes practices that are common across the industry, but we want make sure you are aware of them. Please keep in mind that this information is not a complete description of our practices - this is all in addition to the other, more specific information contained elsewhere in this privacy statement.
On this page:
Protecting the Security of Personal Information
Microsoft is committed to protecting the security of your personal information. We use a variety of security technologies and procedures to help protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use or disclosure. For example, we store the personal information you provide on computer systems that have limited access and are in controlled facilities. When we transmit highly confidential information (such as a credit card number or password) over the Internet, we protect it through the use of encryption, such as the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol.
If a password is used to help protect your accounts and personal information, it is your responsibility to keep your password confidential. Do not share it. If you are sharing a computer, you should always log out before leaving a site or service to protect access to your information from subsequent users.
Where Information is Stored and Processed
Personal information collected on Microsoft sites and services may be stored and processed in the United States or any other country where Microsoft or its affiliates, subsidiaries or service providers maintain facilities. Microsoft abides by the U.S.-EU Safe Harbor Framework and the U.S.-Swiss Safe Harbor Framework as set forth by the U.S. Department of Commerce regarding the collection, use and retention of data from the European Economic Area and Switzerland. To learn more about the Safe Harbor program, and to view our certification, please visit http://www.export.gov/safeharbor/.
Microsoft may retain your personal information for a variety of reasons, such as to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, enforce our agreements, and as long as necessary to provide services. To learn how to access your personal information, visit Accessing Your Information.
Changes to Our Privacy Statements
We will occasionally update our privacy statements to reflect customer feedback and changes in our services. When we post changes to a statement, we will revise the "last updated" date at the top of the statement. If there are material changes to the statement or in how Microsoft will use your personal information, we will notify you either by prominently posting a notice of such changes before they take effect or by directly sending you a notification. We encourage you to periodically review the privacy statements for the products and services you use to learn how Microsoft is protecting your information.
Privacy at Microsoft
Controlling your online privacy
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FTC Privacy Initiatives
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