Does Canceling Xbox Live Gold Delete Your Account? No—Here's What Actually Happens

No. Canceling your Xbox Live Gold (now Xbox Game Pass Core) subscription does not delete your Microsoft/Xbox account.

Account vs. Subscription

Xbox Account (Free)	Xbox Game Pass Core (Paid)
Gamertag, profile, achievements	Online multiplayer (non-F2P)
Friends list, messages	Monthly free games (keep if re-sub)
Game saves (cloud + local)	Member discounts
Purchased games/DLC	Party chat / Looking for Group
Settings, preferences

You lose Gold/Core benefits at the end of the billing period.
You keep your account, gamertag, achievements, saves, purchased games, and free-to-play online access (Fortnite, Apex, Warzone no longer require Gold).
Claimed Games with Gold titles become unplayable until you resubscribe.

Microsoft may close accounts after 2+ years of total inactivity (no sign-in anywhere), but this is unrelated to subscription cancellation.

Safe to cancel anytime—your account stays.

Xbox Live