How do you refund something on Microsoft store?

Sometimes you may purchase an app, game, movie, TV show or other content on the Microsoft store that you later decide you want to refund. Thankfully, Microsoft does allow refunds on Microsoft store purchases within certain limits. Here’s a quick overview of how the refund process works:

You have up to 14 days after purchase to request a refund.
Refunds can be requested for apps, games, movies, TV shows and other content purchased from the Microsoft store.

Most refunds are processed back to the original payment method used within 10 business days.
You can request up to 3 refunds per Microsoft account every 12 months.

Keep reading for more details on requirements and steps to request a Microsoft store refund for your purchase.

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Refund Requirements

Microsoft has a few requirements in order for a Microsoft store purchase to be eligible for a refund:

You must request the refund within 14 calendar days of purchase.
Content must have less than 2 hours of usage. For Xbox games, under 2 hours of gameplay. For movies/TV, if you have watched less than half of the content.

No refunds are allowed for consumable in-app purchases, like virtual currencies.
Can request up to 3 refunds per account every 12 months. The 12 month period starts after your first refund request.

As long as you meet those requirements, you can request a refund on apps, games, movies, TV shows and other content purchased from the Microsoft store on Windows, Xbox, Surface Hub and HoloLens devices.

Refunds are not allowed in certain situations, such as:

More than 2 hours of use of apps/games or content is viewed past the half-way point.
In-app purchases of virtual currencies or goods.

Purchases made more than 14 days ago.
Redemption of prepaid cards, gift cards or promotional codes.
Downloaded software or additional content for software.

So be aware of those limitations before requesting a Microsoft store refund. As long as your purchase meets the refund requirements, the process is quick and easy.

How To Request a Refund on Microsoft Store

Here are step-by-step instructions to request a refund for a Microsoft store purchase:

Request Refund via Microsoft Support

The easiest way to request a refund is to contact Microsoft Support directly:

Go to Microsoft Support online or open the Get Help app on Xbox.
Select the My Account, Orders & Subscriptions category.
Choose Xbox or Microsoft Store (Windows/Online) depending on your purchase.

Select Request a Refund.
Select the purchase you want to refund.
Choose a Refund Reason from the dropdown menu.

Select Request a Refund.

A Microsoft support agent will then review your refund request. If approved, the refund amount will be credited back to your original payment method within 10 business days typically.

Request Refund via Account.Microsoft.com

You can also request a Microsoft store refund directly from your Microsoft account:

Go to account.microsoft.com and sign in.
Click Payment & billing > Order history.
Find the order you want to refund.

Select Request a refund.
Choose a reason for the refund from the dropdown menu.
Select Request a refund.

Similar to going through Microsoft Support, this will submit the refund request for review and approval.

Request Xbox Refund via Console

For Xbox console purchases, you can request a refund directly on your Xbox:

From your Xbox dashboard, go to Settings > Account > Order history.

Select the purchase you want to refund.
Select Request refund.
Select a reason from the drop down menu.

Choose Confirm to submit the request.

Just like other refund methods, this will send your refund request to Microsoft’s support team for processing.

Refund Status & Timeframe

Once you’ve submitted your Microsoft store refund request, here’s what to expect on status and timing:

Refund Request Review – Microsoft will review your request to ensure it qualifies based on the refund requirements discussed earlier.
Refund Approval/Denial – If approved, the refund will be processed. If denied, you’ll receive an email explaining why.
Refund Processing – Approved refunds typically take up to 10 business days to process back to the original payment method.

Refund Confirmation – Once processed, you’ll receive a confirmation email that the refund transaction is complete.

Do keep in mind that refunds back to payment methods can take some time to post. And refunds back to Microsoft account balances may take up to 3 billing cycles to appear.

If it has been some time past 10 days and your Microsoft store refund still has not been processed, you may want to contact Microsoft Support for assistance investigating the status.

Troubleshooting Microsoft Store Refunds

In some cases, you may encounter issues with getting a Microsoft store refund approved or processed. Here are some tips on troubleshooting common problems:

Refund Request Denied

If your refund request gets denied, it’s likely because it did not meet one or more of Microsoft’s refund requirement policies, such as:

Requested more than 14 days after the purchase date

Content usage exceeded 2 hours (for apps, games, movies, etc.)
Attempting to refund ineligible purchases like gift cards or redeemed promotional codes
Already reached the limit of 3 refund requests in a 12 month period

Unfortunately if one or more of those policies was not met, you will not be able to get a refund approved even when contacting Microsoft Support.

Refund Taking Long Time

If your Microsoft store refund is taking longer than the typical 10 business days to process, there are a few possible reasons:

High support volume is causing delays in processing refund requests

Issues or errors in processing the refund back to your payment method
Mistakenly issued refund to an incorrect payment method

We recommend waiting at least 15-20 business days before contacting Microsoft Support about a late refund. This gives extra time for delays and errors to be resolved.

Accidental Purchase

If you requested a refund because the Microsoft store purchase was accidental or unauthorized, and the refund request gets denied, you still have options:

Contact your bank/credit card company to dispute the transaction if very recent.
Open a billing dispute with Microsoft Support to further investigate.

While Microsoft may deny a refund request in these cases based on policy, disputing the transaction as fraudulent or unauthorized with your bank or Microsoft billing support can still possibly lead to a reversal.

Contact Microsoft Support

If you encounter any trouble with getting a Microsoft store refund request approved or processed, make sure to contact Microsoft Support for assistance:

Online: https://support.microsoft.com

Phone: 1-800-642-7676
Chat: Support chat agent via Microsoft Support site
Xbox Support: Via Get Help app on Xbox console

Microsoft’s dedicated customer support team can investigate refund issues and let you know if there are any other options available.

Prevent Buyer’s Remorse

While Microsoft’s refund policies are very reasonable, you can also take some steps proactively to prevent needing a refund in the first place:

Research apps/games before downloading. Read reviews, check ratings, watch video trailers to ensure it’s something you really want.

Use prepaid gift cards for kids/teens to prevent unauthorized purchases.
Enable purchase approval controls if others use your devices.
Use password/PIN protection on devices to prevent accidental purchases.

Taking measures like those will minimize the chances of “buyer’s remorse” and needing to request refunds that could get denied due to policy limitations.

Conclusion

Getting a refund for Microsoft store purchases is straightforward, as long as the request meets their clear requirements. Submitting the refund request online or via customer support takes just minutes. Keep in mind limitations like no more than 2 hours of usage and requesting within 14 days if you want the best chance of approval.

With Microsoft’s standard refund policies, plus contacting their helpful support team for any issues, you can easily get refunds when desired for content, apps, and other purchases you make through the Microsoft store. Just be aware of the requirements and limitations to prevent refund requests from getting denied.