Google Is Deleting Old Gmail Accounts In December: 5 Things To Know

ACROSS AMERICA — Google may be coming for your email.

If you haven’t logged into your account for two years, your email and more will be gone, poof — for good, Google said in May, citing security concerns.

Google is deleting inactive accounts starting Friday, including Gmail, Docs, Drive, Meet, Calendar, YouTube and Google Photos. The policy applies to personal accounts only and does not affect school and business accounts.

Here are five things to know:

1. How Can I Save My Account?

Log into your account to read or send email, use Google Drive, watch a YouTube video, use Google search or download an app on the Google Play Store.

Any of those activities protects the account from deletion. Also, Ruth Kricheli, vice president of product management at the Mountain View, California, company wrote in the May blog post, “If you have an existing subscription set up through your Google Account, for example to Google One, a news publication or an app, we also consider this account activity and your account will not be impacted.”

2. Why Is Google Doing This?

Idle accounts are more likely to be compromised by spam, phishing scams and account hijacking, Google said.

“This is because forgotten or unattended accounts often rely on old or re-used passwords that may have been compromised, haven't had two-factor authentication set up, and receive fewer security checks by the user,” Kricheli said.

Google said an internal analysis showed abandoned accounts are 10 times less likely than active accounts to have two-step verification set up, leaving them vulnerable.

“Once an account is compromised, it can be used for anything from identify theft to a vector for unwanted or even malicious content, like spam,” Kricheli said.

3. What If I’ve Forgotten Everything?

Even if you’ve forgotten your password, you can recover your Google account. You’ll be prompted to answer some questions to confirm it’s your account. Answer as many as you can, Google, advises. If that doesn’t work, Google offers additional account recovery tips.

You’ll be prompted to reset the password. Google recommends a strong password that has never been used with the account. It can’t be a weak password — for example, “password123,” or one that starts or ends with a blank space.

If you've forgotten your username, you may be able to retrieve the email address used to create the account. You’ll need to know a phone number or recovery email address associated with the account, as well as the full name on the account. From there, you’ll get instructions to confirm it’s your account and will find a list of usernames that match that account.

If you discover the account has been taken over by someone else, follow these steps to recover a hacked or hijacked Google Account or Gmail.

4. What Accounts Get Axed First?

Google said it is taking a “phased approach,” starting Friday with accounts that were created and never used again.

Users whose accounts are flagged for deletion should have already received multiple emails, both to the Gmail address and recovery email address if one was provided.

5. What Should I Do Moving Forward?

Google users are encouraged to provide a recovery email address when they establish their accounts, but it’s important to check account settings to make sure they are up to date.

You can also download and export data and documents to other platforms through Google’s Takeout feature. Similarly, Inactive Account Manager allows users to decide what happens to their account and data when it becomes inactive for a period of up to 18 months. Options users can select at enrollment include:

• Sending specific files to trusted contacts of their choosing,
• Applying a Gmail autoresponder, and
• Deleting their account entirely.