As we approach the end of 2023, Google has made an announcement that may just force users to get off their beds and access their computers. In an announcement that is sure to cause a flurry of activity, Google has confirmed that it will start deleting inactive Gmail accounts soon. This is something that was expect and also something that many service providers have done in the past. Maintaining an email account costs precious resources and if it is not in use, the best thing to do is to delete it and release that memory for maybe a new active account.
According to the announcement, Gmail accounts that have been inactive for two years or more will be deleted, along with all related files, and emails. Once gone, there will be no way to retrieve it again. The services that will be affected by the deletion include Gmail, Drive, Docs, Meet, Calendar, and Photos.
Another reason for this announcement is that Google want so prevent unnecessary cyber attacks, and according to them, inactive accounts are more susceptible to cyber attacks and once hackers gain access of such accounts, there is no saying what they will end up doing. Now, the deletion of accounts will happen in stages. First, Google will delete accounts that were created but never used once. After this, accounts that have not been logged into for more than two years will be deleted.
If you happen to have a dormant Gmail account that you do not want to lose, all you have to do is login to your dormant account and then use that account to access any of the attached services like Google Docs or Youtube. As far as Google Photos are concerned, users will have to head to the Google Photos app and log in using the dormant account credentials in order to keep it alive.
Google has recommended that users access their accounts at least once every two years, and while most of us access it on a daily basis, there are some who ignore it and move on. The company has also announced that prior to the deletion, that is scheduled for December 2023, multiple reminder emails will be sent to identified accounts.
