Do you want to maintain your Google account even though you haven’t used it in a while? You must log in quickly to avoid it being purged. Google will start removing accounts that haven’t been used for at least two years on Friday, December 1, 2023. Not only is it clearing out a significant amount of space on its servers, but the corporation claims to be doing this for privacy concerns.
Google stated in May 2023 that “an account that hasn’t been used for a long time is 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.” “At least 10 times less likely than active accounts to have 2-step-verification setup,” it said, is the statement made about abandoned accounts.
Google will email the inactive account owner and another email address, if one has been set up, to alert individuals before deleting their account. Google stated that the restriction solely pertains to personal accounts—business or educational accounts are exempt. Certain accounts—such as those with posted YouTube videos, those with current paid subscriptions, and those holding gift cards—will not be deleted. It stated in May that accounts that have never been used will be the first to be deleted.
You will need to access some of the services (read or write emails, use Google Drive, watch YouTube videos, etc.) and sign into the dormant account in order to prevent deletion. You should access any content you have saved in Google Photos particularly since Google has a different policy for that service. “If you’re inactive in Google Photos for two years or more, all of your content may be deleted,” it reads.
This approach is not exclusive to Google; since 2019, Microsoft has eliminated Outlook (and associated Hotmail) accounts that have not been used for two years. Regardless, it’s a good idea to regularly backup your Google accounts utilising the Takeout tool of the firm, and to maintain a backup email for any accounts that are particularly critical.