Google Will Erase Your Gmail and Youtube Accounts Soon: Check Why

Google announced a big revision to its inactive account regulations a few weeks ago. Google said it would begin erasing accounts that have not been used or signed into for at least two years. According to reports, Google is now alerting users to this change so they can stop their accounts from being automatically deleted.

The goal of Google's new policy is to prioritize user security and lessen the dangers connected with holding on to inactive accounts. Google stated in one of the blog entries that the new policy will go into effect on December 1, 2023. Starting eight months in advance, the corporation will send out warning emails to users whose accounts are at risk of deletion. Notably, the removal will affect all material as well.

Starting eight months in advance, the corporation will send out warning emails to users whose accounts are at risk of deletion. It should be noted that the deletion will also affect all content kept in dormant accounts, including Gmail, Docs, Drive, Meet, Calendar, YouTube, and Google Photos.

"We'll proceed in stages, beginning with accounts that were created but never utilized. We will send many alerts to both the account email address and the recovery email (if one has been provided) in the months before we delete an account, according to Google.

The reasons why Google is deleting inactive acc.

In order to increase security, Google intends to deactivate accounts that have not been used for two years. According to the business, abandoned accounts are at least 10 times more likely to lack two-factor authentication than active accounts, making them more susceptible to hackers.

Once a user's account has been compromised, it can be exploited for everything from spamming to identity theft. According to Google, eliminating dormant accounts will aid in lowering the danger of these kinds of assaults. This is due to the fact that forgotten or unattended accounts frequently employ outdated or frequently used passwords that may have been hacked, aren't protected by two-factor authentication, and are subject to less user security checks.

Notably, Google guarantees that the new policy will not affect accounts for organizations like corporations or schools and would only apply to personal Google Accounts. "This update aligns our policy with industry standards around retention and account deletion and also limits the amount of time Google retains your unused personal information," the company noted.

How you can keep an active Google account

If you also have a Google account that has not been used for months, this is how you can stop it from being deleted. Google will be issuing warning emails to customers to revive their accounts. Log in to the account you've been ignoring for around two years first. The following activities will assist you in maintaining the activity of your accounts.

These consist of:

Emailing someone or reading one

Google Drive use

watching a video on YouTube

installing a program from the Google Play Store

Google Searching

Using To access a service or program from a third party, sign in using Google. If you already have a subscription set up through your account, Google won't delete it.