Google will start deleting millions of inactive Gmail accounts next month

Beware if you haven’t used any of your Gmail accounts for a while, it will be permanently deleted in a few weeks. Previously, Google announced that it would purge all unused accounts and content associated with them if users have not logged in or used the affected services in the past two years or more.

In May, Google announced that it would delete Gmail accounts that are inactive and unused for two years or more. With this policy in mind, you should ensure that any content you may have saved to these accounts will also be deleted. The search engine giant is taking this step to purge unused accounts that are highly susceptible to compromise.

Older accounts are much less likely to have two-factor authentication (2FA) of any kind, meaning they can be easily hacked. Older, unused accounts may contain reused or weak passwords, which is another red flag that further credits these accounts as “highly susceptible to compromise.”

The policy will come into action in December 2023 (three weeks from today). Google has clarified that all accounts that have not been used for two years or more will be phased out. Note that Google will not purge Gmail accounts containing YouTube videos, at least as part of this process.

If you are not using Gmail for email, but using the Gmail account for other services like YouTube, Google search, logging into third-party apps, Google Drive, etc., these are exempt since these activities modify your account. status from inactive to active every time you use them. Other exemptions include Gmail accounts associated with schools, businesses, and organizations, since this policy only applies to personal accounts.

Google maintained that it sent multiple emails to users months before purging their accounts to notify them to be active. It even sends emails to alternate and associated email addresses and doesn’t just delete an account out of thin air.

Pro tip! If you have a Gmail account available that hasn’t been used for a while but you want to keep it, the best option is to log in every now and then. This changes its status to active, which means Google won’t purge it. Additionally, change the password every two years or once a year to protect it from prying eyes and intruders.

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