Delete a Google or Gmail Account

This article will teach how to delete your Google account, which will delete all of your Google data, or your Gmail account, which will just delete your Gmail address and data.

Steps

Deleting a Google Account

  1. Visit myaccount.google.com in your browser. You can only delete your Google account from a web browser.
  2. Click Sign in if you aren't already. This button is in the upper-right corner. If you are signed in, double-check that you're signed in with the account you want to delete.
    • When you're signed in, you'll see your Google account profile picture in the upper-right corner. Click it to see which account is currently signed in. If you're signed in with the wrong account, click "Sign out" in the menu and then sign in with the correct one.
  3. Sign in with the account you want to delete. This step isn't necessary if you're already signed in with the right account.
  4. Click Delete your account or services. This can be found at the bottom of the "Account preferences" section on the right side of the page.
  5. Click Delete Google Account and data.
  6. Enter your Google account password again if prompted. You may be prompted to sign in again before you can proceed.
  7. Review the content that will be deleted. You'll also be shown services you'll lose access to.
  8. Click the download your data link to keep your data. This will take you to the Google Takeout page and walk you through the process of downloading an archive of your data.
  9. Scroll down and check the two Yes boxes. This is the only confirmation you'll be giving for deleting your account.
  10. Click Delete Account. Your account will be marked for deletion, which will occur shortly after you click Delete Account. Once your account is deleted, you'll lose access to all Google products and data associated with it.[1]
  11. Attempt to recover a deleted account. If you changed your mind or accidentally deleted the account, you have a short window of time to try to restore it:
    • Visit accounts.google.com/signin/recovery
    • Try to log in with the account you just deleted.
    • Click the "Try to restore account" link.
    • Enter the last password you used for the account. If you attempt to restore before your data is permanently deleted, you'll get your account back.

Deleting a Gmail Address

  1. Visit myaccount.google.com in your browser. You'll need to use a browser to delete your Gmail address.
  2. Click Sign in. You'll see this button in the upper-right corner. If you're already signed in, make sure it's with the Gmail account you want to delete.
    • When you're signed in, you'll see your current account's profile picture in the upper-right corner. Click this and click "Sign out" to sign in with a different account.
  3. Sign in with the Gmail account you want to delete. You don't need to do this if you're already signed in with the correct account.
  4. Click Delete your account or services.
  5. Click Delete products.
  6. Enter your Gmail password again if prompted.
  7. Click the "Delete" button next to Gmail. This button looks like a trashcan.
  8. Enter an alternate email address for your Google account. This will be the email address you use to sign into other Google products, such as Drive or YouTube.
    • The email address will need to be verified, so make sure it's an account you can access.
  9. Click Send Verification Email.
  10. Open the alternate email account's inbox.
  11. Open the verification email from Google. It may take a few minutes to appear.
  12. Click the link in the email to verify your new address. When your new address is verified, your Gmail account will be permanently deleted.

Tips

  • To avoid receiving spam, create a new email address at a different provider and do not sign up for anything with it. Make another email address somewhere and use it only to sign up for things.
  • Keep in mind that if you have a Droid or device with Android OS and currently "Sync" to your Gmail account, you will not be able to access the "Market" since your account has changed. You'll need to reset to factory settings to authenticate to a new account for these services to work for you again.
  • When you are creating an account at Gmail, make it unique. If it is something just like "bob@gmail.com" you're more likely to get spam because it's short and easy to guess.
  • When creating an account at Gmail, do not make it your name such as: "john.smith@gmail.com". Some spammers put random names and last names to send spam to.
  • If you just can't figure out how to delete your account, you can simply change your status to offline. Write something such as "Account no longer active" and never log in to it again.
  • If you use Gmail offline, you'll also need to delete cookies associated with Gmail offline to remove your account completely. In Google Chrome, follow these steps:
    • Type chrome://settings/cookies into your address bar and press Enter.
    • Search for mail.google.com.
    • Hover over the search results and click the X that appears.
  • Before you delete your email account, create a backup of the email using a cloud-based email backup solution.

Warnings

  • Keep in mind that if you delete your account, it is no longer retrievable after a few weeks. However, Google will work with you to recover addresses that have been recently deleted if you decide that you want them back.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/32046?hl=en
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