Google has announced that it will delete inactive Gmail accounts on December 1st, 2023. The move was revealed back in May and the deletion will also erase the content linked to that account.
Google will kill old Gmail accounts that have been inactive for two years. If you haven’t logged in to any Gmail account, it will be gone on December 1st but also will be gone things associated with those accounts.
What will also go when Google deletes your Gmail account?
When Google strikes your old and unused Gmail account, it will also delete content from Google Drive, Google Photos, Google Docs, etc. One Gmail account or let’s say a Google account can be used for a number of Google services. If the account is wiped, there is a high possibility that those services that you opened with the concerned Gmail account will also be badly affected.
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Why is Google deleting inactive Gmail accounts?
This has to do with security as per Google because Gmail accounts that have not been logged into could have been the victim of infiltration. Google’s Vice President of Product Management, Ruth Kricheli, explained the rationale behind the move:
“If an account hasn’t been used for an extended period of time, it 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.
“Our internal analysis shows abandoned accounts are at least 10x less likely than active accounts to have 2-step verification set up. Meaning, these accounts are often vulnerable, and once an account is compromised, it can be used for anything from identity theft to a vector for unwanted or even malicious content, like spam.”
Gmail is the world’s most popular electronic mail service with 1.5 billion active users as of 2019. However, its ease of use and accessibility have also made it a favorite for hackers and scammers. So, it does look sensible that Google is wiping old accounts off its servers. Google has not revealed how many Gmail accounts it considers inactive to be executed given how widely used it could be massive and, in the millions, at least.
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How to save your Gmail account
There are certain conditions in which an account may keep its life. Gmail accounts that have been used to buy a Google product or any Google subscription will be exempt from the axe. Also, organizational accounts will keep their life.
Google will start deleting accounts on December 1st but it will proceed in phases. The company has also said that it will send a warning to the concerned accounts’ email and recovery address prior to deletion. The move applies only to the personal Gmail accounts.