With the deletion of inactive accounts, probably millions”, says the giant “good month”. of new Google technologywho, however, had warned about his move.

Google is making this move for security reasons, as forgotten and unused accounts are more likely to be hacked, while the account gives access to many of the company’s services, such as Gmail e-mail, the YouTube video platform, or blogs with the same username and the same password.

In a related official post in May, Google said that the reason old accounts (which remain inactive since 2021) are more vulnerable is that they tend to rely on old or reused passwords and largely have no auditing set up. two-point authentication (password – mobile).

How to keep your Google accounts active

It’s not difficult to keep older Google accounts active. You must log in at least once every two years. If you don’t remember if you’ve done it, now is the time.

There are several ways to keep your account active. Reading or sending an email, using Google Drive, watching a YouTube video, downloading an app in the Google Play Store, using Google Search, or using Google to sign in to an app or service count. And if you have a subscription through your Google Account – for example, Google One, a news publication or an app – that’s also considered activity.

Note that only personal Google accounts are at risk of deletion, and organizations such as schools or businesses that use Gmail and other Google services will not be affected.

What if you forgot your Google Account username or password?

If you know you have an old Google Account but can’t remember its details, you may be able to recover it.

If you forgot your password, for example, you may be able to recover it using the Google password recovery tool. You will need to answer questions to confirm that this is your account. If you forgot your email address, you may be able to recover it using the Google Account Recovery Tool. You will need a phone number or second recovery email address for the account. If you run into problems, Google has tips on what to do.