Google updated its inactive account policy in May 2023. It said that starting December 2023, it will delete accounts without activity in two years. While many people might not care about those accounts, you might be one of the few who use an inactive Google account for other important tasks.

So, here's what you should do to protect your data in case Google deletes your inactive account.

1. Check and Update All Connected Accounts

Whether you use your Google Account for Single Sign-On or just use it as a username for your other accounts, you should update all connected email accounts. That's because if Google deletes your inactive account, you can't recover accounts from other services that use that as your primary email.

That's why you should log into your inactive Google account and find all accounts linked to its email address. Doing so could ensure that all your accounts are connected to your active Google account. After all, you don't want to suddenly realize that you lost access to Spotify because Google deactivated the associated account.

2. Download Your Photos and Videos From Google Photos

Google Photos icon in 3D

If you have an Android phone, Google automatically backs up the images and videos you take via Google Photos. This is especially true if you have an old Pixel phone with unlimited backups.

But if you have a new phone now and a new account, your photos and videos might still be saved on that old Google account. So, to ensure that you don't lose them if Google deletes your inactive account, you should export your photos and videos from Google Photos.

3. Move the Contents of Your Google Drive to Your Active Account

Google Drive is a great way of sharing large files online. However, if your old Google account gets deleted, its Google Drive contents are gone forever. So, even if you share your Google Drive files with non-Gmail accounts, they will lose access to that, too.

That's why you should move your Google Drive files from the unused account to your active Google account. By doing so, you ensure that you don't lose any files. Furthermore, you can reshare these transferred files so that no one who relies on them loses access.

4. Download Your Gmail Inbox

An image of a person using a smartphone with the Gmail logo overlay in the middle

Many users use their Google inbox as a permanent archive of their life. But if Google deletes their inactive account, all the information stored in their inbox will also disappear. So, if you're one to keep old receipts, tickets, and reminders in your email, you should export them for safekeeping.

You can download your Gmail MBOX data and import it into another email service like Mozilla Thunderbird. Doing so ensures you can access your old messages, even if Google deletes its associated account. Just ensure you back up this MBOX file, as it's now stored locally on your PC. Because if your storage fails, your MBOX file will fail with it.

5. Transfer Your Contacts to Your Other Google Account

Before the smartphone, people typically kept their contacts in a notebook, saved them on their SIM cards, or stored it in their phones. However, the introduction of the smartphone allowed users to keep their contacts in their accounts.

This allowed users to carry over their address book, no matter what device they used. But if you haven't replaced your device in a while and have created a new Google account, you might have failed to sync your contacts to the new account.

So, if Google deletes your old account, you might be surprised to find all your contact details missing. To avoid inconveniences like this, you should transfer your contacts between Google accounts.

6. Back Up Your Google Calendar

Google Calendar Gaining Visuals Unsplash

For most people, this app is simply a forward-facing app that lets you manage your time in the future. However, some also use Google Calendar as a personal journal. So, if you used to journal on an old Google account, you should export its Google Calendar content to ensure you don't lose it.

By doing so, you can synchronize its contents to your current calendar journal app. Or you could even archive it, only to be opened in moments when you feel nostalgic.

Protect Your Data From Deletion

Google is deleting old, unused accounts to help protect most of its users against security breaches. However, it's also important that you protect yourself from losing any critical data.

By following the steps above, you can ensure that you lose nothing, even if Google deletes an old account you barely use. But if you're afraid you might encounter a situation where you won't be able to access your account for two years or more, you should set an inactive account manager to prevent Google from deleting it.