Atlanta, GA | November 27, 2023 – Do you have a dormant Google account? To prevent it from being deleted, make sure to sign in before the week ends.
According to Google’s updated policy for inactive accounts announced in May, those untouched for at least two years might be removed. The deletion process kicks off this Friday in stages.
If you have an account at risk, Google will send multiple notifications to the linked email and recovery address (if available). But if you’re catching up on this policy change and want to secure your content on Drive, Docs, Gmail, and more, here’s what you should know.
Google’s decision to update inactive accounts was prompted by security concerns. Dormant accounts are more vulnerable to breaches due to outdated passwords, lack of two-factor authentication, and fewer security checks. This makes them targets for spam, identity theft, and other malicious activities.
The simplest way to keep your Google account active and avoid deletion is to sign in at least once every two years. Other activities like checking emails, using Google search, watching YouTube videos (since YouTube is owned by Google), and managing subscriptions also count as account activity.
For Google Photos, signing in regularly is crucial to prevent the deletion of images after two years of inactivity, as previously mentioned by Google.
This update only affects personal Google accounts left inactive for two years or more. Organizational accounts like those for schools or companies won’t be impacted.
Exceptions to the deletion policy include accounts managing active minor accounts, those with a gift card balance, or accounts used for ongoing purchases of Google products, apps, or subscriptions.
Google confirmed there are no current plans to delete accounts with YouTube videos.
Apart from keeping your account active, Google offers tools like Takeout for downloading and exporting account data and the Inactive Account Manager, which allows users to decide what happens to their data if the account becomes inactive.
Additionally, Google encourages users to provide and update a recovery email for their account, helpful for receiving inactive account notices and other communications.
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