Google is deleting inactive Gmail accounts from 20 September. How to save yours…

From 20 September, Google is deleting Gmail accounts, along with any Gmail, Photos and Docs content. 

Not every Gmail user will be at risk because only inactive accounts are being targeted. 

What's an inactive account?

An inactive Google account is now defined as one that has not been used within two years if the user is inactive across Google for at least that period.

“Google reserves the right to delete an inactive Google Account,” the policy makes clear. "We may delete the account and its contents – including content within Google Workspace (Gmail, Docs, Drive, Meet, Calendar) and Google Photos.”

Google has invested a lot of time and money into making Gmail as safe and secure as possible for its users, whether in terms of anti-spam measures, phishing scam protection or account hijacking defence. 

Google's Vice President Ruth Kricheli said, “If an account hasn’t been used for an extended period of time, it is more likely to be compromised.”

If you only have one Google account, your Gmail is perfectly safe from deletion, assuming you have used it within the last two years.

The problem is purely with those users who have multiple accounts or maybe ones set up purely to store photos or data that have not been accessed in a long while or forgotten about altogether. 

To save your Google account, here are three steps to take: 

1. Read or send an email.
2. Share a photo or watch a YouTube video while signed into the relevant Google account.
3. Use Google Drive or Search.