Google has warned that inactive Google accounts – including Gmail, Photos, and more – will be deleted sometime in December. If you want to keep that account, this guide will show you how you can do that.
According to Google, any account that has not been signed into or used for at least two years will be subject to deletion. For those with a Google Account, whether that comes in the form of a Gmail account or not, that will affect your ability to log into any of Google’s apps across its ecosystem.
Essentially, deleted accounts will lose access to apps like Gmail, Google Photos, Drive, and any other Google-owned site or program.
When will Google start deleting inactive accounts?
The news that inactive accounts will be trashed broke in mid-2023. That has given all users seven whole months to ensure their accounts are marked as active in Google’s backend.
The soonest that Google would start deleting inactive accounts is sometime in December. The company hasn’t stipulated when in December that might be, but it should be treated as though this will start happening on December 1.
It looks like Google will implement a wave of account deletions starting in December and moving into 2024. Google has also noted that inactive accounts will receive multiple warning notifications about upcoming deletions, including to the recovery email linked to the account. The wave will first address accounts that were created and then never used again.
What counts as “inactive?”
Any Google account that hasn’t been used in any way in the past two years will be deleted. To be considered “active,” an account needs to undergo some small action. Even something as simple as using Google Search just once in the last two years will ensure your account remains active.
In the event that you’re unsure if an account is active, you should do what you can to make sure it’s marked as such, as long as you want to keep that account open.
Another important thing to note is that Google will not be deleting any accounts with previously uploaded YouTube videos. Doing so would breed its own historical relevance issues. Google will also forego deleting any Workspace or Business accounts.
How to re-activate your Google Account
It takes very little to get an account marked as “active” again. According to Google, there are a few ways you can do that.
Note: If you created an account over two years ago and don’t ever use it or have little care about it, consider letting it get deleted. Doing so frees up usernames and server space, which could potentially keep Google subscription costs down. It also poses a security concern, which Google notes in its original release.
Here’s a list of basic actions you can perform to have your account read as active:
- Reading or sending an email
- Using Google Drive, Docs, or Sheets
- Watching a YouTube video
- Downloading an app from the Google Play Store
- Using Google Search
- Using Sign in with Google to sign into a third-party app or service
- Using an Android device signed into that account
Starting in December, accounts that haven’t seen the above actions will be deleted forever. Keeping your Google Account active will preserve your account and keep it from being deleted – at least for another two years.
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