Act now if you want to keep your old Google accounts. Starting this week (12/1), Google will start deleting inactive Google accounts, it said, and all their contents, including Gmail messages, Photos, Calendar appointments, Contacts records, YouTube videos and Drive documents.
If an account hasn’t been used or signed into for at least two years, it may delete the account and its contents. That means if you’ve not logged into an account since 2021, Google may get rid of it.
The reason? If an account hasn’t been used for awhile, Google said, it’s more likely to be compromised: “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,” Google said.
If you’re worried about someone grabbing your old, deleted account, Google said if it deletes an inactive account, the Gmail address for the deleted account cannot be used again when creating a new Google account.
If you haven’t signed into a Google account for a long time, now is the time to do so. Forgot your email address? You may be able to recover it using this Google account recovery tool. You’ll need a phone number or the recovery email address for the account. If you run into trouble, Google has advice on what to do.
Forgot your password? Try recovering it using this Google password recovery tool. You’ll need to answer questions to confirm it’s your account.
