Google will start deleting inactive accounts from December

If you have a Google account that you haven't used in a while, it's best to log in and activate it before the end of the week to prevent it from being deleted.

According to Google's official announcement in May, accounts that have not been used for at least two years will be deleted. Inactive accounts will be deleted from Friday.

In the May announcement, Google attributed the removal of inactive accounts to security issues. Accounts that haven't been used for a long time are more at risk, the company said, noting that "forgotten accounts" typically have old passwords, often lack two-factor authentication, and have poor security. As a result, these accounts can be hijacked and used for spam or other malicious content as well as identity theft.

The easiest way to keep your Google account active and thus prevent it from being deleted is to log in at least once every two years.

Only personal Google accounts that have not been used for two years or more will be deactivated. Google says accounts created for organizations, such as schools or companies, will not be affected.

A Google spokesperson told The Associated Press on Monday that there are currently no plans to remove YouTube video accounts.

Apart from logging in regularly, users can perform various activities to keep their accounts active and prevent them from being deleted.

Some of these activities include: using Google Drive, watching YouTube videos, downloading phone apps from the Google Play Store, searching on Google, using the Sign in with Google service for various programs or services.

After deleting an account, all related data including emails, Google Drive files, documents, meetings and any other files will be deleted forever. This process is irreversible and users will not be able to recover their data.

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