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In an effort to preserve space and maintain security, Google has confirmed it will begin deleting inactive accounts on its network.
Which Google Accounts Will Get Deleted?
Initially proposed in 2020, Google outlined its plans to remove content from abandoned accounts while keeping the accounts accessible. The updated inactive account policy, shared in a recent blog post, states that Google will begin purging accounts that have remained inactive for two years starting from December 2023.
If users fail to log in within the specified timeframe, their accounts, along with all associated personal information and data such as Gmail messages, Calendar events, Drive, Docs, Workspace files, and Google Photos backups, may be permanently erased.
What Can You Do To Keep Your Gmail?
To allow users sufficient time to take action, Google plans to send multiple warning emails to account holders and any backup email addresses on record. The account purging process will be carried out in stages, initially targeting accounts that were created but never used again. However, some accounts, such as those linked to YouTube channels, may be exempt from deletion if they remain inactive. The focus of this account cleanup is primarily on free Google Accounts rather than enterprise or educational accounts.
Google also outlined various steps that can be taken to keep an account active and prevent it from being flagged as inactive.
- Logging in periodically, being logged in, and performing basic tasks.
- 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.
- Using a signed-in Android device.
- Having a paid subscription such as Google One, a news publication, or an app.
Inactive accounts pose a security risk, as they are significantly less likely to have essential security measures like two-step verification. This makes them more vulnerable to unauthorized access, especially in an era where artificial intelligence is increasingly capable of cracking passwords within minutes or even seconds.
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