Previously, Google announced that it would delete accounts that haven’t been signed into for two years, starting from December 1, 2023.

The move to delete these accounts comes from security concerns. An account that has been inactive for a long time is more susceptible to being breached by hackers, according to Google. This could expose personal information, increase the risk of identity theft, and make users vulnerable to being targeted in scams.

If someone has a Google account that they want to keep but it’s at risk of being deleted due to inactivity, they can follow certain steps to safeguard the account and its data.

The simplest way for them to keep their Google account is by logging into it or any associated Google services like YouTube or Gmail immediately.

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By signing in at least once every two years, they can ensure that their Google account remains active and is not subject to deletion.

Considering that security is a major concern for these policies, and with Google noting that unused accounts are far less likely to have 2-step verification, it’s advisable for individuals to enable 2-step verification on their Google accounts (and on all other accounts they possess) to significantly reduce the risk of hacking.