Google will begin deleting inactive Google accounts and all their contents, including Gmail messages, Photos, Calendar appointments, Contacts records, YouTube videos, and Drive documents starting December 1.
The move is aimed at reducing the risk of compromised accounts that rely on old or re-used passwords and lack two-factor authentication. If an account hasn’t been used or signed into for at least two years, Google may delete the account and its contents. Users can prevent their Google accounts from being deleted by signing in at least once every two years.
Activities such as reading or sending an email, using Google Drive, watching a YouTube video, downloading an app on the Google Play Store, using Google search, or using Google to sign in to a third-party app or service will count as account activity. Subscription payments made through Google accounts also count as activity.
Google will send reminder emails to both primary and recovery email addresses eight months before deleting an inactive account. It is important to note that the account deletion only applies to personal Google accounts and not business or school accounts.
Users who have forgotten their Google account username or password can recover it using Google’s password recovery tool. Users will need to answer security questions to confirm their identity. If the email address is forgotten, users can recover it using Google’s account recovery tool requiring a phone number or recovery email address associated with the account. Google has provided guidance for users who encounter difficulties in recovering their accounts.