Cancel Minecraft Realms through your Microsoft account

To stop your Minecraft Realms subscription, you need to go into your Microsoft account settings, not the game itself. The cancellation happens in one of three places depending on what device you use: the Xbox app on Windows, the Microsoft Store on Windows, or your account page on the web. You cannot cancel from inside Minecraft Realms — the option simply does not exist there.

The fastest route is the web. Go to account.microsoft.com, sign in with the account that pays for Realms, and look for "Subscriptions" in the left menu. Find Minecraft Realms in the list, select it, and choose "Manage." From there you will see a "Cancel subscription" button. Click it, choose your reason (optional), and confirm. Your subscription stops at the end of your current billing period.

If you use the Xbox app on Windows, open it, go to your profile in the top right, select "Settings," then "Account," then "Subscriptions." Find Minecraft Realms and select "Manage." The cancellation button is in the same place. On the Microsoft Store app, the path is similar: go to your profile, "App settings," "Subscriptions," find Realms, and select "Manage."

What happens to your world when you cancel

Your Realms world does not disappear the moment you cancel. You have a grace period — usually 18 months from the date your subscription ends — to download your world data before it is deleted. This is important: if you want to keep playing on that world, you must download it before the grace period ends.

To download your world, open Minecraft, go to the Realms menu, find your realm in the list, and look for a download button (usually shown as a folder or download icon). The world file saves to your computer. After that, you can load it as a single-player world or upload it to a new Realms subscription later if you want.

If you do not download your world before the grace period expires, Microsoft deletes it permanently. There is no way to recover it after that point.

Key Takeaways

  • Cancel through your Microsoft account at account.microsoft.com, not through the Minecraft game itself.
  • Your subscription stops at the end of your current billing period, not immediately.
  • You have approximately 18 months after cancellation to download your world before it is permanently deleted.
  • Downloaded worlds can be played as single-player or uploaded to a new Realms subscription later.
  • Cancellation through the Xbox app or Microsoft Store follows the same steps as the web version.

Timing and billing after cancellation

When you cancel, you are not charged again after your current billing cycle ends. If you paid monthly, your last charge already happened, and you will not be billed next month. If you paid for a longer period (three months or a year), your subscription runs until that period is over, then stops.

Microsoft sends a confirmation email after you cancel. Keep that email in case you need to reference the cancellation date or billing end date. If you are charged after cancellation, contact Microsoft Support with your confirmation email and they can issue a refund.

Restarting Minecraft Realms later

You can restart your Realms subscription at any time by going back to your Microsoft account and purchasing it again. If you cancelled within the grace period and downloaded your world, you can upload that world file to your new Realms when you restart. The process is the same as uploading any world to Realms: open the game, go to Realms, select "Create New," and choose the option to upload a world file.

There is no penalty for cancelling and restarting. Your old realm name may not be available if someone else has claimed it, but your world data is yours to use whenever you want.

Troubleshooting cancellation problems

If the "Cancel subscription" button does not appear, make sure you are signed into the correct Microsoft account — the one that actually pays for Realms. If you share a Game Pass or Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription with family members, only the account holder can cancel Realms. Other accounts on the same subscription cannot cancel it.

If you still cannot find the cancellation option after checking the right account, try clearing your browser cache and signing in again. If that does not work, contact Microsoft Support directly through account.microsoft.com. They can cancel the subscription for you and confirm the cancellation in writing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I cancel Minecraft Realms from my phone or tablet?

Yes. Go to account.microsoft.com on your phone's web browser, sign in, and follow the same steps as on a computer. The mobile version of the website has the same Subscriptions menu and cancellation button.

Will I lose my world immediately after cancelling?

No. Your world stays on the Realms server for approximately 18 months after your subscription ends. You have that entire time to download it before it is deleted.

What if I cancel but want to keep playing with my friends?

Download your world before the grace period ends, then restart your Realms subscription and upload it. Your friends can join the new realm the same way they joined the old one. Alternatively, you can play the downloaded world as single-player or use a different hosting service.

Can I get a refund if I cancel mid-month?

Microsoft does not issue refunds for partial months. Your subscription runs until the end of your billing period, then stops. If you were charged incorrectly or believe you have a reason for a refund, contact Microsoft Support with your account details and they will review your case.

Do I need to cancel before switching to a different Realms world?

No. You can create a new Realms world while your current subscription is active. You are only charged once per subscription period, regardless of how many worlds you create or delete during that time.