Google will delete inactive accounts faster in the future: here’s what you need to do to avoid it | Technique

Google writes in a blog post that it is amending the policy around inactive accounts. Previously, accounts were only deleted if they were inactive, but what exactly constitutes inactivity was determined by a number of different factors. Now there will be a strict two-year limit: if nothing is done on an account for a long time or if it is not logged in, Google can delete this account and the data associated with it.

This does not directly apply to all accounts. Google says it starts with accounts that are created once and then never used again. Accounts will also receive “multiple notifications over months” before their data is permanently deleted. That won’t happen until December of this year at the earliest.

When an account is logged in, it is considered active. Other forms of activity: sending emails in Gmail, using Google Drive, watching something on YouTube, downloading an app from the Play Store, searching for something on Google, logging into a website or app with a Google Account .

The policy only applies to personal Google Accounts. Accounts that fall into a workspace or education package will not be deleted. Paying Google One users will always keep their account.

When accounts are deleted, Google also deletes all associated data. The company specifically mentions data from Gmail, Drive, Meet, Calendar, YouTube, and Photos.