There are many reasons that lead a user to decide to delete their Google account and the most frequent one is that of those who create a new one every time have to activate a new Android phone. Then there may be the case of those who switch phones from an Android to an iPhone, for which a Google account is not required (unless you use Gmail).
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Whatever the reason, you can delete your Google Account at any time, but be aware that if you change your mind, it may be impossible to recover it. But let’s see how to do it.
Delete the Google account
Below we will list the steps required to permanently delete your Google Account:
What does deleting a Google Account involve?
Be aware that deleting your Google Account will lose all account data and content, such as emails, files, calendars, and photos; that it will no longer be possible to use the Google Services that you usually access through that account, such as Gmail, Drive, Calendar or Play and that you will lose access to content and subscriptions purchased through the account on YouTube/Google Play, such as apps, movies, games, music, and TV shows.
Other data and content that will be lost
If you are using an Android device, you will no longer be able to use some services and applications:
A. Google Play:
- it will not be possible to download and update applications or games from the Play Store;
- you will not be able to use previously purchased music, films, books, or magazines;
- music purchased elsewhere and added to Google Play will be lost;
- you may lose your game progress, achievements, and other Google Play-related account data;
- you will lose the Contacts stored on your account, but not those stored separately on the device.
B. Google Drive
Data will no longer be saved in Drive, including photos taken with your device or files downloaded from emails. Obviously, it will no longer be possible to download or upload files with the deleted account.
If your account was compromised before deleting it you should visit the Security Checker for more information on the parts of your account that someone accessed without authorization. In this way, measures can be taken to reduce further damage caused by the hacker. Eg:
- by saving passwords in your Google Account, it is possible to know if someone has accessed them and consequently if they will need to be changed;
- by saving the contacts in your Google Account, you can know if they have been downloaded in order to alert contacts to pay attention to suspicious messages;
- using Google Pay for transactions, you can check for unauthorized payments and possibly contest them.
It is important to know that after deleting the account on Google, it will no longer be possible to use the Security Checker to examine the activities in the account in question.
Check and download your data
Before deleting the Google Account, it is necessary to check the data present in it and eventually download the ones you want to keep. If you use your Gmail address for online banking, social media, or some apps, you will need to add a new email address for these services. You will then need to update your account recovery data to avoid problems in case of future account recovery attempts.
It is possible to export and download your data from Google products that you normally use, such as Email, Documents, Calendar, YouTube Photos, and Videos and create an archive to keep the data or use it in another service. However, it should be noted that if the actions are considered risky, they may not be available or be postponed to protect the account.
Specifically, to download your data you must first select the data to be included in the archive to download, by visiting the Download your data page. The Google Products containing the data are automatically selected. If you only want to download some data of a product, you can select the List button All data included, then uncheck the box next to the data you do not want to include. Then select the next step.
It is now necessary to customize the archive format and decide on the delivery method chosen from:
1. Email the download link:
- select Email download link as “Delivery method“;
- select Create export;
- in the email you received, select Download archive;
- follow the steps on the screen.
2. Add to Drive; the archive is added to Google Drive and an email is sent with a link to its location. Data obviously affects storage space:
- select Add to Drive as “Delivery method“;
- select Create export;
- in the email you received, select View in Drive: a folder containing the data organized by product will be displayed;
- select Download at the top of the screen.
3. Add to Dropbox; the archive is uploaded to Dropbox and an email is sent with a link that refers to its location:
- select Add to Dropbox as the “Delivery method“;
- select Link accounts and create export;
- Dropbox will open: if required, you need to log in to your Dropbox account;
- in the Dropbox window that opens, select Allow;
- to keep your data private, make sure you don’t share this Dropbox folder with other people;
- in the received email, select View in Dropbox: the Dropbox folder containing the archive will be opened;
- follow the Dropbox procedure to download the files.
Once you’ve done this, Google’s Data Download service appears in Dropbox‘s security settings as a linked app. It is possible to remove the linked Google app at any time. If you export data to Dropbox in the future, you will need to allow Google access again. Once the archive is on Dropbox, Google is no longer responsible for it, which means that the archive will be governed by the Dropbox Terms of Service found on their site.
4. Add to Microsoft OneDrive; the archive is uploaded to Microsoft OneDrive and an email is sent with a link to its location:
- select Add to OneDrive as the “Delivery method“;
- select Link Accounts and Create Export;
- the Microsoft site opens: if requested, you must log in to your Microsoft account;
- in the Microsoft window that opens, select Yes;
- to keep your data private, make sure you don’t share this OneDrive folder with other people;
- in the received email, select View in OneDrive: the OneDrive folder containing the archive will be shown;
- follow the OneDrive procedure to download the files.
After doing this, Google’s Data Download service appears in the Microsoft OneDrive privacy and security settings as an app that can access some of your data. It is possible to remove Google access at any time. If you want to export data to OneDrive in the future, you will need to allow Google access again. Once the archive is on Microsoft OneDrive, Google is no longer responsible for it and the archive will be governed by the Microsoft Services Agreement.
5. Add to Box; the archive is uploaded to Box and an email is sent with a link that refers to its position:
- select Add to Box as “Delivery method“;
- select Link accounts and create export;
- Box is opened: if requested, access the Account Box with your credentials;
- in the Box window that opens, select Grant access to Box;
- to keep your data private, be sure not to share this Box folder with other people;
- if you export the data to a corporate account, the administrator will be able to see it even if a sharing link is not created;
- in the received email, select View in Box: the Box folder containing the archive will be displayed;
- follow the Box procedure to download the files.
After carrying out this procedure, the Google Data Download service appears in the linked apps as an application that can access some data: you can remove Google’s access at any time. If you export data to Box in the future, you will need to allow access to Google again. The maximum size selected for the archive will be reduced if the maximum upload size of the Account Box files is smaller while the files in the archives that exceed the maximum upload size of the Account Box files will not be exported to the Box. Once the archive is on Box, Google is no longer responsible for it.
Once the archive has been created via one of these options, an email will be sent with a link pointing to its location. Depending on the amount of information in your account, this process could take anywhere from a few minutes to a few days. Most users receive the link to the archive on the day of the request. If you have signed up for the Advanced Security Program, the archive will be created two days after the request is completed. Data such as page items, my activities, photos, or documents that are still being deleted are not included in the archive.
When you delete your data, a procedure described in Google’s Privacy Policy is followed to completely and securely remove it from your account – deleted activities are immediately removed from your view and are no longer used to personalize your experience with Google. Then begins a procedure designed to completely and securely delete data from Google’s storage systems.
If the information you are looking for is not available through these tools, you can submit a data access request. If the information has been deleted from Google’s storage systems, it can no longer be recovered.
Delete the account
If you have multiple Google Accounts, keep in mind that deleting one of them does not mean deleting the others. The Google data that is downloaded is not deleted from their servers.
To delete the Google Account, you need to:
- go to your Google Account page;
- in the left navigation pane, click on Data and personalization;
- in the box Download or delete your data or establish a plan for their management, click on Delete a service or your account;
- in the Google Account Deletion box, click Delete your account.
The reference page for deleting the Google account or services associated with it is on the following link https://myaccount.google.com/delete-services-or-account
Remove other services from your Google Account
If you do not want to delete the entire Google Account, you can only remove some services related to it:
A. Delete the Gmail service: you can remove it from your Google Account; its elimination does not involve the elimination of the entire Account.
By deleting the Gmail service, emails and mail settings are deleted: therefore, it will no longer be possible to use the Gmail address to send or receive emails. If you change your mind, you may be able to recover your Gmail address, which cannot be used by anyone else in the future, and your Google Account will not be deleted but only the specific service will be removed. Activities and purchases made on Google Play will continue to be available.
If you use Gmail in a business, school, or other types of organization, you should contact your administrator.
Also in this case, before deleting the Gmail service it is good to download your data. In this regard, it is necessary to:
- go to the Google Account page;
- in the left navigation pane, click on Data and personalization;
- on Download or delete your data or establish a plan for their management, click on Delete a service or your account;
- in the Delete a Google service box, click on Delete a service (access may be required);
- next to “Gmail“, click on Delete;
- follow the instructions shown on the screen.
If you are using the Gmail app offline, you will also need to delete your cookies and clear your browser cache.
In addition to the services, you can remove certain products from your Google Account at any time by proceeding as follows:
- open the Google Account page;
- select Data and personalization;
- in the Download or delete your data section or establish a plan for their management, select Delete a service or your account;
- in the Delete a Google service section, click on Delete a service (you may be asked to log in);
- select Remove next to the product you want to remove.
To remove a product not listed on the Google Account page from your account, visit support.google.com for more information on a specific product.
Third-party app with account access
To share your data securely, Google allows you to authorize the access of third-party apps and services to different parts of your Google Account, for example, you can download an application that helps you plan workouts with friends. The app can ask for access to Google Calendar as well as Contacts to suggest friends to meet with and meeting times.
You can control the type of access to a third-party account, as well as the Google services to which they have access by going to the Security section of the Google Account page, selecting Manage access to third-party apps as well as the app or service you want check within the section Third-party apps with access to the account and removing third-party access to the account. If you have granted access to your Google Account to a third-party app or service that you no longer trust, you can remove its access. The app or service will no longer be able to access Google Account information, but you may need to ask to delete any data you already have.
You can remove consent from third-party App access to your Google Account by going to the Security section of the Google Account page, selecting Manage third-party app access in Third-party apps with account access as well as the app or the service you want to remove, and finally clicking on Remove access. If you remove account access for a third-party app or service, that app or service may retain the information you provided when you signed in with your Google Account.
Remove a Google Account from the phone
To remove your Google Account from your smartphone without deleting it, follow these steps:
- open the phone’s Settings app;
- go to Account;
- tap the account you want to remove;
- tap Remove account.
If this is the only Google Account on your phone, you will need to enter your phone pattern or PIN or password for security reasons.
When you remove an account, all associated content, including contacts, emails, and settings, is also deleted from your phone.
Recover the account
If you have deleted your Google Account you may be able to recover it, as long as it hasn’t been too long. By recovering your account, you will be able to re-log in to Gmail, Google Play, and other Google Services. To recover your Google Account you will be asked a few questions to verify that the account is yours; you need to answer as precisely as possible. If your account is restored, you need to create a password that you haven’t used with it yet.
