In December 2023, Google plans to finish a massive purge of its Gmail service, during which it expects to delete millions of user accounts. The primary reasons for this move were “inactivity” and the need to make Gmail a more secure and safe option. If you’re worried your account may be deleted, here’s how to keep it active.

Google To Delete Inactive Gmail Accounts

Starting next week, if you haven’t used or logged in to a Google account for at least two years, Google may delete the account and all of its contents. That includes content within Gmail, Docs, Drive, Meet, Calendar, YouTube, and Google Photos.

As Google explains, accounts that haven’t been accessed for an extended period of time are far more likely to be compromised. Older accounts are more likely to use compromised passwords, lack two-factor authentication, and receive fewer security checkups.

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To reduce this risk, we are updating our inactivity policy for Google Accounts to 2 years across our products. Starting later this year, if a Google Account has not been used or signed into for at least 2 years, we may delete the account and its contents – including content within Google Workspace (Gmail, Docs, Drive, Meet, Calendar) and Google Photos.

Ruth Kricheli, Google’s vice president of product management, wrote in a post.G

Google notes that some accounts that are forgotten or left unattended frequently use outdated or frequently used passwords. These could be compromised, lack two-factor authentication, and undergo fewer security checks from the user.

How The Process Will Work

The policy only applies to personal Google accounts. It will not affect accounts for organizations like schools or businesses.

• The earliest Google will begin deleting accounts is December 2023.
• They will start with accounts that were created and never used again.
• Before deleting an account, Google will send multiple notifications over the months leading up to the deletion. This will be to both the account email address and the recovery email. Only if one is available.

It looks like the storage over at Google is getting a little thin, and they’ve got to “Free Up Some Space.”