
Google has announced that it will begin deleting abandoned Gmail accounts starting in December 2023. The company defines an abandoned account as one that has not been used or signed into for at least two years.
Google says that it is taking this step to reduce the risk of account compromises and to free up resources for active users. The company also notes that abandoned accounts are more likely to be used for spam and phishing attacks.
Google will send multiple notifications to users before deleting their accounts. The first notification will be sent to the account’s email address, and the second notification will be sent to the account’s recovery email address. If the user does not respond to either notification within six months, their account will be deleted.
Google says that it is committed to protecting user privacy and that it will not delete any content from abandoned accounts without first notifying the user. However, the company does note that if an account is deleted, the user will lose access to all of the content stored in that account.
What to do if you have an abandoned Gmail account
If you have an abandoned Gmail account, you can reactivate it by signing in to the account before it is deleted. You can also download a copy of your data from the account before it is deleted.
To download a copy of your Gmail data, follow these steps:
- Go to the Google Takeout website.
- Select Gmail from the list of data sources.
- Click Next.
- Choose how you want to receive your data and click Create Export.
Your data will be downloaded as a ZIP file. You can then extract the ZIP file and open the files to view your data.
Conclusion
Google’s decision to delete abandoned Gmail accounts is a good thing for both users and the company. It will help to reduce the risk of account compromises and free up resources for active users.
If you have an abandoned Gmail account, be sure to reactivate it or download a copy of your data before it is deleted.