Google will start deleting millions of inactive Gmail accounts next month

Beware if you haven’t been using any of your Gmail accounts for a while so it will be deleted permanently in a few weeks. Previously, Google announced it would be purging all unused accounts and the content associated with them if the users haven’t logged in or used relevant services for the last two years or longer.

In May, Google announced it would be deleting Gmail accounts that have been inactive and unused for two years or longer. With the policy in mind, you need to ensure that any content that you might have saved on these accounts will be deleted as well. The search engine giant is taking this step to purge unused accounts that are highly susceptible to being compromised.

Older accounts are a lot less likely to have any two-factor authentication (2FA) of any kind meaning they can be easily hacked. Older and unused accounts may carry reused or weak passwords which is another red flag further crediting these accounts as ‘highly susceptible to be compromised’.

The policy swings into action in December 2023 (three weeks from today). Google clarified that any accounts that haven’t been used for two years or longer will be up for deletion in a phased manner. Note that Google won’t purge Gmail accounts with YouTube videos at least as a part of this process.

If you aren’t using Gmail for emails but have been using the Gmail account for other services such as YouTube, Google Search, sign-in on third-party apps, Google Drive, etc., these are exempt since these activities alter your account status from inactive to active whenever you are using them. Other exemptions are Gmail accounts associated with schools, businesses, and organizations since this policy applies to personal accounts only.

Google has maintained that it sends out multiple emails to users months before purging their accounts notifiying them to be active. It even sends out emails to alternative and associated email addresses and not simply purges an account into thin air.

Pro Tip! If you have a spare Gmail account that hasn’t been used for a while but you want to retain it, the best option is to login once in a while. Doing so changes its state to active meaning Google won’t purge it. Additionally, change the password biyearly or annually to keep it protected against prying eyes and instruders.

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