At the end of the year, Google is starting a major cleanup. This affects all private Google accounts that have been inactive for at least 2 years. Whether your account is affected and how to prevent deletion can be found at MeinMMO.
Google and its services like YouTube are used daily by many people. And yet, there seems to be a number of users who either forgo the products of the US company or have forgotten that they have a Google account. For everyone with such a forgotten account, it is now time to act quickly. In a few weeks, Google will start deleting accounts that have not been actively used for over 24 months.
Google will soon delete your inactive accounts
What will happen in December? Google will begin removing longer unused Google accounts from its system starting on 01.12.2023.
- Users will then lose access to their account, associated activities, and all data.
- This applies to all Google services connected to your account.
Your emails, photos, and files stored in Google Drive will then be irrevocably lost. Recently, the publisher Ubisoft faced criticism for wanting to take action against inactive accounts as well.
Particularly frustrating could be the additional loss of other accounts that rely on the data of your Google account for login. If you have registered your Google email address with another provider and then need to reset your password, the rescue email will go into oblivion.
How can I protect my account from deletion? Google lists several activities in its guidelines that are considered to keep an account active. As long as you use it normally, there is no threat of deletion. This includes reading emails, watching YouTube videos, or using Google Search regularly. If you are logged in with your account during these and other activities, you don’t have to worry about anything else. You can also find corresponding guidelines in the support section of the Google Account Help.
It looks different if you truly have not used Google services with your account for two years or more. For these accounts, complete deletion is imminent. However, the US company does not put you in front of a done deal. These accounts marked as inactive will be informed about the impending deletion via email. However, if the warning ends up only in your unused Google inbox, it could soon be too late.
Provided you use another email address as a recovery account, you are safe. Once another login with your Google account has occurred, the timer for deletion resets to the remaining 24 months.
Why is Google deleting private accounts at all? The US company is not primarily trying to save storage space on its own servers with this. Rather, it is about removing insecure accounts that are no longer on anyone’s radar. Accounts with easily chosen passwords and without two-factor authentication pose a security risk.
Hackers with malicious intent specifically seek out such accounts, gain access, and can cause significant damage with the acquired data. According to Google, such accounts are up to ten times less protected against attacks by additional security measures.
