Google set to delete inactive Gmail and YouTube accounts not used in two years

Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com 
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Visit Shots! now
The new policy won’t come into effect until December but will see unused Google accounts deleted

Google has announced an update to its policies for inactive accounts that have not been used in two years. The tech company has revealed that any accounts that have not been used in over 24 months will now be deleted.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The original policy, created in 2020, said that Google might wipe data from accounts that hadn’t been used for at least two years. However, an update given in a blog post by product manager Ruth Kricheli says that accounts will now be deleted.

Google’s new policy won’t come into effect until at least December at the earliest, giving users plenty of time to access their old accounts. It has also been reported by 9to5Google reports that deleted Gmail accounts will not have their addresses made available for reuse.

Kricheli said that the new policy will go through a phased roll out, with accounts that were created and never touched being deleted first. The blog post also said that Google will send “multiple notifications over the months leading up to deletion” to Gmail addresses and any attached recovery emails.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Account activity is measured on actions such as sending emails, watching a YouTube video or using Google Search. Google has mentioned that users could purchase a subscription to a product like Google One to maintain activity on accounts that aren’t used as frequently.

How to keep your Google account active

The easiest way to ensure your account isn’t deleted due to Google’s new policy is to sign-into your account at least once every 2 years. If your Google Account has been signed into recently then Google will consider the account active and will not delete it.

Google is set to delete inactive accountsGoogle is set to delete inactive accounts
Google is set to delete inactive accounts | Thaspol - stock.adobe.com

Activity on your account can be done with a variety of actions, including signing in or use whilst signed into your Google Account. Ruth Kricheli  suggests which good ways to use your Google account, including:

  • Reading or sending an email
  • Using Google Drive
  • Watching a YouTube video
  • Downloading an app on the Google Play Store
  • Using Google Search
  • Using Sign in with Google to sign in to a third-party app or service
Related topics:

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.