Gmail users are approaching a deadline, and Google is preparing to take action next month, including terminating accounts. Google has publicly said that account removals will begin in the coming month unless users follow simple criteria.
This new policy was first announced earlier this year, with Google setting December 2023 as the earliest timeframe for account deletion. Gmail, Docs, Calendar, and Photos users should not be concerned because their accounts will be unaffected.
Google has confirmed that only accounts that have been inactive for 2 years will be deleted.
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.
Even if your account has been inactive for more than two years, Google will send notifications to your email address as well as your recovery email months before deletion. According to Google, this is being done for security reasons, as old and inactive accounts are more likely to be targeted by scammers.
Google says:
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.
According to Google’s own findings, inactive accounts are shown to be at least ten times less likely to have 2-step verification enabled compared to active accounts.
