Is it safe to delete Outlook for Mac profiles?
Outlook's local copy of your mail, attachments, calendars and contacts, in a folder for each profile.
Review first
It's your own data, or hard to recreate. Decide item by item.
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What it is
Outlook for Mac is a locally cached mail client: it keeps a copy of each account's mail, attachments, calendars and contacts in its profile here. Mail in Microsoft 365, Exchange and IMAP accounts also stays on the server, but items you keep in On My Computer folders are stored only on this Mac. The profile grows with every account and message Outlook downloads.
If it's removed
Removing an account deletes its local copy from this Mac; mail on the server isn't affected. Items stored only on this Mac are gone once you delete them.
What to do instead
In Outlook, delete mail you no longer need and empty Deleted Items. To remove an account you no longer use, choose Tools > Accounts, select it, and choose Manage > Remove Account (in legacy Outlook, click the minus button).
The free analyzer finds it and explains it, with these steps. The app doesn't remove it for you.
Sources
- learn.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/outlook/installation/outlook-for-mac-is-a-locally-cached-email-client
- support.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/sign-out-of-an-email-account-in-outlook-for-mac
Last checked on 26 Sep 2026. Every entry is written and checked by hand; the app and the command-line tool use the same words.