Gmail accounts keep getting nuisance messages or spam that you don’t like, and you want to turn them off or delete them, but you don’t know how to start. It’s important to understand what happens during or after the process of deleting your Gmail account and how you should respond.
This article explains everything you need to know about deleting your Gmail account, including the exact steps and what happens afterward. Don’t worry if you have any concerns, this guide will help.
Why Might You Delete a Gmail Account?
An email address is closely related to your daily life, and surely no one would want to delete their email account on a whim. So why would someone want to delete their Gmail account? Here are some common reasons:
No longer need Gmail mailbox: Now people commonly use 163 mailbox, Outlook mailbox, etc., no longer need the Gmail mailbox, and can directly delete it.
Too many Gmail accounts: If you have more than one Gmail account, some unused Gmail accounts can be deleted to avoid being targeted by hackers.
Spam troubles: Gmail mailbox receives too much spam and advertisements. It is easier and safer to delete it directly.
Reduce security risk: Google will always collect your data, and deleting your Gmail account can also reduce information exposure.
What Should You Do Before Deleting Your Gmail Account?
Deleting a Gmail account is not a simple task. How to deal with valid email messages you receive? As well as how to adjust the platforms that have been tied to the mailbox?
All these issues deserve your attention. Here are some things you need to pay attention to before deleting your Gmail mailbox:
Data and Email Backup: After deleting your Gmail account, all previous emails will be emptied. You can back up your important email messages in advance to prevent them from being unrecoverable when you need them later.
Related information update: The platforms where you used your Gmail account to sign in, especially the bank card, and such information. Please remember to change other login methods to prevent you from accessing these important websites after the account is deleted.
Cancel Gmail subscription service: Make sure change or modify the subscription information, such as bill sending and receiving, and e-invoice, which is bound with the Gmail account in advance, to prevent you from receiving important information in the future.
Notify important contacts: Inform your family members or friends who often use Gmail to contact you in advance that you will change your new email address, to prevent them from taking your new account as harmful anonymous emails and pulling you out.
Think before you act: If you delete your Gmail account, you will not be able to get it back after the time limit that Google officially allows you to recover it. If you just want to stop using the account for a while, consider deactivating it rather than deleting it.
How to Delete Your Gmail Account?
Once you have thought and completed the preparations before deleting your Gmail account, you can start the official operation. Below are the specific steps:
Step 1: Open the Google Account page in your browser and sign in to the Gmail account that you are going to delete.
Step 2: Once you are logged in, click on “Data & Privacy” in the left navigation bar.
Step 3: Scroll down to “Download or delete your data” and click “Delete Google services”.
Step 4: On the new page, you will see all the Google services associated with your Google account. Then click on the trash can symbol next to Gmail.
Step 5: Once you are in the process of deleting your Gmail account, you need to provide a new non-Gmail email account.
Step 6: After confirming the deletion information, your alternate email address will receive a confirmation email. Click on the link in the email to complete the deletion.
These procedures will not affect other Google services associated with this Google account, such as YouTube. But you can’t use this account to sign up for Gmail again.
How to Delete a Google Account?
Although the Gmail account is registered with the Google account bundle, you can delete the Gmail account alone, and other Google services are not affected.
But if you don’t just want to close Gmail, but want to permanently delete your entire Google account and all its associated services. You just need to follow the practices below to reach it, but we need to remind you that the act of deleting your Google account is irreversible. You must think carefully before doing it.
The previous steps are the same as deleting a Gmail account, except that from step 3 onwards, you need to scroll down to “More options” and click “Delete your Google Account”.
Read the instructions from Google and click “Confirm” and “Delete Account”.
Google Takeout is the official site where you can back up your data and select the information you want to back up. Wait for the backup to complete, and you will receive an email confirming the deletion of your data in your backup email address. Click Confirm.
How to Protect Your Gmail Account Better?
If you just don’t want to use Gmail for a while, but are worried about the security risks to your account. Don’t worry, we’ll introduce you to some good ways to keep your Gmail as safe as possible from being deleted directly.
First of all, we recommend using a strong encrypted VPN to improve your internet security. Receiving and sending emails over public Wi-Fi is unavoidable, and using a LightningX VPN to encrypt your communications with Gmail protects your messages from eavesdropping.
It uses advanced encryption techniques and algorithms to prevent hackers from stealing your email data, even if you’re using it in a coffee shop.
It is also good to change your email password regularly and set separate complex passwords for Gmail that contain alphanumeric characters. It’s okay if you’re worried that you won’t be able to remember it. You can use a password manager.
Regularly check the login activity of your mailbox. You can check the recent login time, IP address, and device name in the mailbox details. If there is an unfamiliar device, you can simply delete it and change the password.
Enable two-factor authentication so that no one else can log in to your account even if your password is accidentally disclosed. Because you will receive the second verification message, you can immediately change your password or force log out of your account.
What Will Happen After Deleting Your Gmail Account?
After deleting your Gmail account, the following changes will happen to your experience with Google services and some software.
- The Gmail email address is permanently disabled, and you will neither receive messages nor be able to sign up twice.
- All data is lost and cannot be retrieved.
- Your Google account will still exist, but you will not be able to sign in with your email address.
- The subscription service is interrupted.
How Long Does It Take to Delete Your Account Completely?
Although your deletion will take effect when you confirm the deletion of your Gmail account in your alternate mailbox, your Gmail account will show “This account no longer exists”. But some of the data won’t disappear immediately, and Google will leave some time for you.
Can You Recover Your Gmail Account After Deleting?
What if I regret deleting my Gmail account? Can you still recover it? Don’t worry, here are some more chances.
- Search Google Account Recovery in your browser and enter the Gmail account you want to recover.
- Follow the prompts to provide your information.
- Set a new password and reactivate the account.
The process is very simple and easy to follow, but it is important to note that Google does not leave much time for you to reverse the process. If you see the “Account does not exist” message, your account cannot be restored.
Secondly, even if you recover your account, your previous information may not exist. Therefore, we recommend that you make sure you have a good backup of your data.
Lastly, if you have successfully recovered your account, please remember to recheck the service platforms that are bound to Gmail before.
Bottom Line
Deleting your Gmail account is simple, but it’s associated with a lot of information. This guide gives you all the information you need to know about why you should delete your Gmail, what you need to do before deleting it, the detailed steps to take to delete it, the consequences of deleting it, and whether or not you can recover your Gmail. No matter what you want to delete Gmail for, this guide provides you with a detailed how-to.
