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The account you are currently logged into doesn’t have Gmail as one of its services, so there’s nothing to delete. I recommend signing in to the account that needs deletion using a Private Browsing or Incognito window so that you can be sure it is correct.
To protect you from anyone else signing into your account, we need to verify it’s really you. We do this by requiring a second step in the deletion process – something only you have access to.
You might want to delete your account if:
It has been hacked or compromised (or you suspect it has).
You’re not using it and plan on actively using Google no longer (say, you’ve switched phones or services). If that’s the case, please read Reclaiming your old username. Note that once you reclaim a Google username, it becomes available for another user.
If none of these points apply to you, then don’t worry: deleting your Google account is easy and will not cause any problems with your Google products.
What happens when I delete my account?
You’ll no longer be able to use your Google Account (for example, you won’t be able to access your Gmail messages or docs in Drive). If you want to sign up for a new service after deleting your Google Account, you’ll need to create a new account. Note: if your name is taken, the system will suggest alternative spellings of your name while signing up for a new service. We strongly recommend that you download your info before deleting your account from My Accounts and make sure that all info has been downloaded into other services. You can do this by setting up an automatic backup.
My personal information is already available on the web. Will deleting my account make it go away?
If your personal information is already available publicly on the web, you can’t remove it from public view by deleting your Google Account. In order to submit a request to have content removed from our services or products, please visit Google’s Privacy Policy for further details. We may also be able to help remove content from third party sites and apps that use our APIs if those are involved in the violation of your privacy (for example, an app that uses Gmail without your permission). So if you think someone has shared something about you on another site or app, find out how to contact that site/app directly. Don’t forget: whether you’re concerned about a post online or a photo on someone’s phone, you can always delete it right away by using your account settings.
International users: please visit the Google online privacy site here to find out about any steps you need to take before deleting your account.
If I change my mind, is it possible to cancel the deletion process?
Once your deletion request has been submitted, it cannot be canceled. You must wait two weeks from submitting your request for verification before deleting your account permanently (the exact time needed varies depending on how busy our systems are). We’ll send a notification email every week with an update on where we are in the process and what happens next. These emails will come from [email protected] (if you have an @google.com email address) and will be titled “Google Account Cancellation Notice”. They’ll look like the following:
You also have the option to simply wait for your account to expire (after 10 years). After you delete your account, it’s permanently deleted within about 2-3 months. If you change your mind before then, you can recover your account by contacting us.
How much time do I have to cancel my request?
We need two weeks from when you started the deletion process in order to verify that it’s really you making the request. So if we don’t hear from you during this time period, we’ll proceed with deleting your account.
Why is there a fee for cancelling my account?
The fee is a way for us to ensure that no one can log into an account without the owner’s permission. This also helps us recover some of the costs associated with maintaining deleted accounts.
How do I cancel my account?
You can request deletion by following these steps: Sign in to your Google Account. If you don’t use Gmail, go here. In the top right corner of any Google page, click your photo. Click Settings. Scroll down to Personal info & privacy and click Manage your Google activity. Next to “Activity & notifications,” select Go to My Activity Check Delete all from the dropdown menu at the bottom left Select Continue when prompted Are there any alternate ways I can reclaim/delete information?
In addition to deleting your Google Account, you will also have the option of removing specific types of data (like Gmail messages) individually. This is known as the “Data Liberation” and can be done by selecting the Remove Datalink in My Activity. Note that some data may not be completely removed; for example, if it’s stored on someone else’s device or a backup somewhere else. If you wish to remove all of this kind of data from our systems entirely, you’ll need to delete your Google Account. Please note: removing a single item of the content doesn’t make it go away immediately; it just removes that “version” or view of the content from our services, so others may still have access to it. However, we will stop showing that content to you and others. So if you want to remove a specific version of your data from our services (for example, an email message), you’ll need to delete the entire conversation from My Activity.
If I cancel my account right now, when is it deleted?
As long as no one else currently has access to it either because they’ve logged in within the last 14 days or because they have a recovery email address associated with the account, your Google Account may be deleted immediately. If someone is accessing your account right now or if there’s an alternate email address attached (like a Gmail alias) for them to do so, then we’ll wait up to 2 weeks until deleting it permanently.
What happens if I change my mind? Can I cancel the request to delete my account?
You can always undelete your Google Account during this deletion process. This means that we’ll need up to 2 weeks from when you started the cancellation process in order to verify that it’s really you making the request. So if we don’t hear from you during this time period, we’ll proceed with deleting your account.
Can I cancel my account and just sign in as a guest if I want to?
Canceling your Google Account doesn’t automatically cancel your Google Apps (G Suite) account. You’ll still be able to use the services we offer for guests such as Gmail, Calendar, etc.
What happens with all of my other Google services or products after I delete my Google Account?
If you’re using our services with different accounts, deleting one account will not affect the others. If you delete an AdSense account that’s connected to a YouTube channel, for example, it won’t affect your other accounts.
How do I tell people not to post things on my behalf?
You can manage what people can post on your behalf by setting the visibility of your Google profile and individual Google+ posts. Learn more about how to manage others’ access to your content.
What will happen with my YouTube channel after I delete my account?
If you or someone else created the channel, deleting a Google Account that’s associated with it won’t impact the channel itself since you can only use one Google Account per YouTube channel. If you delete the owner account, your channel may be automatically deleted depending on their settings. If they didn’t create it, then they’ll no longer be able to upload videos on that channel. Learn more about managing other people’s access to your YouTube channel.
If my YouTube channel is deleted due to inactivity, can I get it back?
You may request access to your old account once the channel has been inactive for 2 months. Learn more about restoring a YouTube channel.
What happens if my Google+ profile is deleted?
All of your photos and videos will remain on Google+. However, if you delete your name or email address from an album title it will no longer be searchable on Google+. If you want to manage what people can see in an album that contains content with others (for example, comments), learn how to change sharing settings. You may also delete specific posts from the Album Archive but they’ll still appear as part of the public activity on your profile.
What if I want to come back later? What happens with my account after 14 days?
If you haven’t logged into your account in the last 14 days and don’t have a recovery email address set up, we’ll send an email notification asking you to confirm that you really want to delete your account. If it’s just taking you a while to get around to deleting it, but you intend on doing so, follow these instructions within 30 days of receiving the notification. Otherwise, your Google Account may be deleted permanently.
When will my data be completely deleted from Google’s servers?
We work hard to make sure that the process of deleting your account is as quick as possible. For users who aren’t logged in at the time that they request deletion, we’ll try to make it available immediately. For those who are logged in and have pending activity, we need up to 2 weeks to ensure that there’s nothing else you may want to access. Activities such as searches or emails sent by others during this period are unaffected. However, if your account is set to expire soon (such as a Google Group), all content will be removed when it expires. If you don’t use an associated service for more than 10 days after deleting your account, then your data might be deleted sooner than 14 days since you requested the deletion of your account.
If I backup or download my information from Google before deleting my account, can I get it back?
Once you delete your account, Google will keep a copy of your data for 2 weeks. If you want to get back any information from that time period, learn how to recover or download it.
Are there additional restrictions on deleting an AdWords account?
Advertisers who use the Account Manager tool can’t remove their accounts through the Admin console. Before deleting an AdWords account, please contact our support team so we can make sure that any campaigns have ended properly and other related tasks are complete before the account is permanently deleted.
Why can’t I delete my Google account?The account you are currently logged into doesn’t have Gmail as one of its services, so there’s nothing to delete. I recommend signing in to the account that needs deletion using a Private Browsing or Incognito window so that you can be sure it is correct.
Can a Google account be deleted permanently?Deleting a Gmail account is permanent. It will permanently delete all of your emails and anything else associated with the account.
