4 Things You Could Lose If Google Deletes Your Account

Google has updated its inactive account policy in May 2023 and will start deleting accounts that have not had any activity in the past two years . This is causing concern for many Internet users.

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

1. You can lose photos in Google Photos

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

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

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

2. Publicly available Google Drive files may disappear forever

Another thing that can happen is that files stored on 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 the file they're sharing through an account they no longer use, there's a risk that Google will delete that account. And when Google does, all of Google's associated services—Google Photos, Gmail, YouTube, Google Drive, etc.—disappear.

So, if you regularly download a file from a particular Google Drive account and want to ensure that the file will remain even if Google deactivates that particular account, you should download and upload the file to 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

This is another troubling side effect of deleting your Google account, especially in the age of Single Sign-On and using your Google account as your username. Imagine this – you signed up for Spotify using your old account. However, since you didn’t lose access to your Spotify account, you didn’t notice.

For example, if Google deletes your old account, you'll likely lose access to your Spotify account as well. That's because if you ever need to recover your account, you'll find 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.

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

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

If you forward emails from that old address to your new Google account, you run the risk of losing important emails. The sender will receive a 550 Error: User Unknown response instead of seeing the mail in an 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.