Google will soon start deleting these Gmail accounts; here’s how to keep yours safe

Google has announced that it will delete inactive Google accounts globally starting December 1. The company will also delete contents associated with such accounts including Gmail, Photos, Drive documents, Contacts and so on. Back in May, Google revealed that old or inactive accounts are more likely to be compromised and to avoid that, the company is updating its inactive account policy.

Google’s new policy states, “if a Google Account has not been used or signed into for at least 2 years, we may delete the account and its contents – including content within Google Workspace (Gmail, Docs, Drive, Meet, Calendar) and Google Photos.”

Notably, this will not apply to accounts for organizations like schools or businesses. Additionally, Google will send out multiple notifications to the users before deleting their accounts.

How to keep your Google account active 

If your Google account is inactive from the past 2 years, and you do not want to delete it, there are a few things that you can do to keep it active.

• 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

In case of Google Photos, you will need to specifically login to Google Photos account every 2 years to keep the account active.

What if you forgot the password or email address of your old Google account? 

If you have forgotten the password of your old Google account, all you need to do is follow these simple steps:

• Go to https://accounts.google.com/
• Enter your Gmail address
• Click on Forgot password
• Google will send a notification to your Android device if you already have the account set up
• Tap on ‘Yes, it’s me’
• You will then be asked to create a new password and you are good to go

If you forgot the email address of your Google account:              

• Go to the Google login page and tap on “forgot email”
• You will be asked for your recovery email or phone number
• Enter one of them and then enter your full name on the following page
• You will then see the accounts that belong to the details you have entered
• Just tap on the account and then login as you normally do

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