Google today announced an updated inactive account policy. As per the new policy, Google will delete Google Accounts that have not been used or signed into for at least 2 years. As part of this process, Google will delete the account and its contents – including content within Google Workspace (Gmail, Docs, Drive, Meet, Calendar), YouTube and Google Photos. This change is applicable only for Google personal accounts and will not affect accounts for schools or businesses.
Here’s the roll out plan of this new Google inactive account policy:
- While the policy takes effect today, it will not immediately impact users with an inactive account — the earliest Google will begin deleting accounts is December 2023.
- Google will take a phased approach, starting with accounts that were created and never used again.
- Before deleting an account, Google will send multiple notifications over the months leading up to deletion, to both the account email address and the recovery email (if one has been provided).
If you want to keep your Google Account, you have to sign-in at least once every 2 years. If you have an existing subscription set up through your Google Account, Google will consider this account activity and your account will not be deleted.
Here’s why Google is updating its inactive account policy:
Google’s internal analysis shows abandoned accounts are at least 10x less likely than active accounts to have 2-step-verification set up. Meaning, these accounts are often vulnerable, and once an account is compromised, it can be used for anything from identity theft to a vector for unwanted or even malicious content, like spam.
