# Delete an Account or Organization

> [!WARNING] Danger Zone
> Deleting an account is permanent and cannot be undone or restored. To create a backup of your vault data to store in a safe location, [export your vault data](https://bitwarden.com/en-gb/help/export-your-data/).

Deleting a Bitwarden account or organization permanently deletes the account or organization and **all data that is associated with it**. Bitwarden does not "soft delete" any data.

Deleting an account or organization does not automatically cancel a subscription. [Learn how to cancel a subscription](https://bitwarden.com/en-gb/help/cancel-a-subscription/) before deleting an account.

If you are locked out of your vault and deleting your account so that you can create a new one, [contact us](https://bitwarden.com/en-gb/contact/) and we can help transfer your subscription to the new account. 

## Delete an individual account

To delete your individual account:

### Without logging in

To delete your account without needing to log in (for example, if you have lost your master password): 

1. Open [https://vault.bitwarden.com/#/recover-delete](https://vault.bitwarden.com/#/recover-delete) (or [https://vault.bitwarden.eu/#/recover-delete](https://vault.bitwarden.eu/#/recover-delete), or `https://your-server.com/#/recover-delete` if you're self-hosting) in a web browser.
2. Enter the **Email Address**associated with the account to issue a deletion confirmation email.
3. In your inbox, open the email and verify you want to delete this Bitwarden account.

If you are deleting your account to start a new one, here are a few next steps:

- If you delete a Bitwarden account that has a premium subscription associated with it, [contact us](https://bitwarden.com/en-gb/contact/) and we will reapply your existing subscription to the new account.
- If you were able to successfully export your vault data prior to deletion, you can easily [import it into the new account](https://bitwarden.com/en-gb/help/import-data/).

> [!NOTE] Deleting account as a sole owner
> If you are the sole owner of an [organization](https://bitwarden.com/en-gb/help/about-organizations/), you can't delete your account until you add a second owner to the organization or delete the organization itself. If you've forgotten your master password, [contact us](https://bitwarden.com/en-gb/contact/) from the email address that owns the organization.

The email address associated with your deleted account should be available to re-register with Bitwarden, should you wish to do so, immediately.

### Web app

To delete your Bitwarden account using the web app:

1. Go to **Settings** → **My account**.
2. Scroll down to **Danger Zone**and select **Delete account**.:

![My account settings](https://bitwarden.com/assets/74BqYDU6qE9evz6wEz8K7Y/2cd5b482c2dd160f47ec330464a43c11/My_account_settings.png)
*My account settings*

You will be prompted to enter your master password to confirm you have the authority to take this action.

### Mobile

To delete your Bitwarden account using the mobile app:

1. Select the **Settings**tab.
2. Select **Account security**.
3. Scroll to the bottom and select **Delete account**.
4. Confirm that you want to **Delete account**.

You will be prompted to enter your master password to confirm you have the authority to take this action.

### Desktop

To delete your Bitwarden account using the desktop app:

1. From the menu bar select **Account** → **Delete account**.
2. Enter your master password and select **Delete account**.

Organization owners, admins, and some custom role members may be able to [delete member accounts](https://bitwarden.com/en-gb/help/delete-member-accounts/).

## Delete an organization

Only [organization owners](https://bitwarden.com/en-gb/help/user-types-access-control/) can delete an organization. (If you are an organization member, you can instead [leave the organization](https://bitwarden.com/en-gb/help/org-faqs/#q-how-do-i-leave-an-organization/).) To delete an organization:

1. Open the Admin Console:

![Product switcher](https://bitwarden.com/assets/2uxBDdQa6lu0IgIEfcwMPP/e3de3361749b6496155e25edcfdcf08b/2024-12-02_11-19-56.png)
2. Select the Organization you want to delete. Then, go to **Settings** → **Organization info**.
3. Scroll down to the **Danger Zone** and select **Delete Organization**.
4. When prompted, enter your master password to confirm you have the authority to take this action.