4 things you could lose if Google deletes your account

Google updated its inactive accounts policy in May 2023 and will start removing accounts that haven't had any activity in the past two years. This is making many Internet users feel worried.

That's because many people use their Google account to access multiple accounts - not just Google. So what data can you lose if Google deletes an inactive account?

1. You may lose photos in Google Photos

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Google Photos is a useful tool for many users, especially because it automatically backs up your photos and videos. Google even updated Google Photos to make it easier to organize photos.

However, if that's the only place you store your photos, especially photos from a phone with an old Google account that you no longer use, you risk losing all your photos when Google deletes your account. your account.

So, to avoid that, you should log in to your old Google account and download all the content in it. This way, even if Google deletes that account, you'll still have a copy of the memories stored in your current account or computer.

2. Publicly available Google Drive files may disappear forever

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Another thing that can happen is that files stored on the Google Drive of an unused Google account will disappear forever. After all, you can share Google Drive files with non-Gmail accounts, and many people are taking advantage of this.

However, if they upload files they are sharing through an account that is no longer in use, there is a risk that Google will delete that account. And when Google did so, all of Google's associated services - Google Photos, Gmail, YouTube, Google Drive, etc. - disappeared.

So, if you regularly download a file from a certain Google Drive account and want to ensure that the file will remain even if Google deactivates that particular account, you should download and upload that file. your own Google account. From there, you can share it with others to ensure future access to the file.

3. You may lose access to other accounts

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This is another worrying side effect of deleting a Google account, especially in the age of Single Sign-On and using a Google account as a username. Imagine this - you signed up for Spotify with your old account. However, since you don't lose access to your Spotify account, you don't know.

For example, if Google deletes your old account, you'll likely also lose access to your Spotify account. That's because if you need to recover your account, you'll realize that you no longer have access to your original email.

This issue doesn't just affect Spotify - it can affect any service that uses your old email address as a username.

4. You can no longer send emails to the deleted account

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Most people use their active Google account to send and receive emails. However, some emails are automatically forwarded to multiple addresses in Gmail. Some do this because they changed their name but don't want to inform everyone, while others do this to maintain anonymity.

In some cases, some people email their deceased loved ones as a way to preserve memories. But regardless of the reason, if Google removes that address because it's no longer in use, you won't be able to send emails to that address anymore.

If you forward emails from that old address to your new Google account, you risk losing important emails. The sender will receive a 550 Error: User Unknown response instead of seeing the mail in the active inbox. And if you use that old Google account to remember someone, losing it can be heartbreaking, especially if it's your last remaining connection to them.

David Pac

Update 22 May 2024