How to Delete a Google Account Permanently

Key Points

• There are many reasons why you might want to delete your Google account permanently.
• You may need to know how to delete your Google account permanently if you plan to switch to another provider or use another profile instead.
• Google gives you about two months to change your mind if you need to recover your Google account after deleting it.

Whether you are losing trust in Google’s privacy policy or want to start from scratch, it is possible to erase your Google account permanently. 

By erasing the account, you will do away with your emails, photos, calendars, drive, and every other Google service you have under that address.

Keep reading to learn the simple steps to follow when permanently deleting your Google account and what you need to know about deleting the account. 

History of Google Account

Google was born in 1998, and its founders are Sergey Brin and Larry Page. Initially, Page and Brin developed “BackRub” 1996, a search engine algorithm. This successful search engine grew rapidly and finally settled at Mountain View in 2003. 

This was a big step for Google and it became one of the world’s largest companies. Later on, they launched Google News in 2002 and Gmail in 2004. In 2005, they launched Google Maps and later Google Chrome in 2008. 

Back then, these Google services were not connected. You had to sign in for each service on its own. Google accounts came about in 2011. This was also the year when there was the social network Google+. 

Google accounts have continued to grow as Google comes up with even more services. With this account, you don’t have to sign in for every Google service you need. 

What You Need to Know Before Deleting Your Account

Before you click on the delete option to terminate your Google account, you need to understand that:

• You lose access to all Google services under that account.
• You lose all data stored under that account, including emails, photos, and contacts, among other things.
• You lose access to all content and subscriptions made with that account through YouTube or other apps.
• You may miss some apps and services on your phone, especially those that use the account.
• You lose your Google Play data, such as game progress and achievements.
• You won’t download or upload files to that account once it is deleted.
• If you are deleting the account for security reasons, first use a security checkup and take steps to reduce further harm. 
• You have to add a new email address for services that use that address, such as online banking, apps, and social media.
• You can avoid losing your data after deleting the account by downloading it. When you download, the data doesn’t delete from Google servers. 

How Do You Download Data Before Deleting Your Google Account?

Downloading means exporting your data from Google products such as email, YouTube, and calendars and keeping it for your records. This is necessary when deleting your Google account since it helps you preserve important data after your account is gone. 

Here are the downloading steps to follow. 

Step 1: Under Data and Privacy, Select Data from Your Apps and Services

Step 2: Select the Download Your Data Option

Step 3: Get to the Google Takeout Screen and Select the Platform You Want to Download Data From

The data is exported in different formats, such as JSON, HTML, and CSV, based on the data type. 

For instance, data in Chrome is exported in multiple formats, while data in Contacts are exported only in vCard format. 

Step 4: If Comfortable with All the Data That is to Be Downloaded, Click on Next Step Below the Page

Step 5: Choose the File Type, Frequency, and Destination, then Click Extract 

Step 6: Verify that You Are the Rightful Owner of the Account and Click Download 

After the download is complete, you can access your downloaded data through an HTML link provided or manually. Now you’re all set with your downloaded data!

7 Steps for Permanently Deleting a Google Account

Step 1: Open the Google Account

Open the Google account using this link and go to Data & privacy.

Step 2: Scroll Down and Select More Options

Step 3: Click on Delete Account and Enter Your Password

Click on Delete your Google Account and you will get a prompt to enter your password.

Step 4: Review Google’s Warning and Download Your Data if You Wish

Enter your password, and you get a pile of information about deleting your account. This information is a warning of what you lose when you delete the account. For instance, they tell you about losing your emails, contacts, and photos. 

You will also get an option to download your data. If you wish to preserve your data after deleting it, say, download data and follow the examples given. 

Step 5: Check the Two Boxes at the Bottom of the Page

The first box confirms that you are still responsible for any pending financial transactions made under that account. The second box confirms that you are ready to delete the account.   

Step 6: Confirm Delete Account

Click on delete account to terminate the account 

Step 7: You’ll Get a Confirmation Message

You get this confirmation message to show that you have successfully deleted your account.

Check out this informative video guide on the steps to take for a complete account deletion. Click to watch and regain control over your online presence.

Can You Recover a Deleted Google Account?

Ideally, it is advisable to be sure about deleting the account before you delete it. However, change is inevitable, and you may change your mind and decide to have your account back. In other cases, you may have accidentally deleted the account and need it back. 

Thankfully, Google takes about two months to permanently delete your account after you delete it, making it possible to recover the account. Remember that the longer you wait to recover your account, the lesser your chances of recovering your data.

So, how do you recover a deleted Google account?

Recovering a Deleted Google Account

Step 1: Go to Google Recovery and enter the account you want to recover 

Step 2: Account Deleted Page

You may get a message that this account does not exist. If this is your case, there is no hope of recovering the account. This happens if it has been a while since you deleted the account, typically 2 months or longer. Otherwise, Google may prompt you to click next to try and restore the account.   

Step 3: Enter the Last Password You Remember Using on That Email

If you can’t remember the password, click on try another way. 

Step 4: You Will Receive a Confirmation Message that You Successfully Undeleted Your Account, then Click Continue

Congratulations, your account has been recovered!

Can You Delete Your Gmail Account?

If your Gmail account is the only part of your Google account you want to delete, it is possible to do this without deleting the other Google products under that address.

So, how do you do this? Let’s break it down below!

Step 1: Open your Google Account and on the Left, Click on Data & Privacy

Step 2: Go to Data from Apps and Services You Use

Step 3: Go to Download or Delete Your Data, Then Click on Delete a Google Service

Step 4: Enter Your Password and Google Prompts You to Different Services You May Wish to Delete

Step 5: Click the Trash Button Next to the Gmail Symbol

Step 6: Enter an Alternative Password

Google prompts you to give another address you will use for other Google services, like Google photos. This cannot be a Gmail address. The email should be existing and ready to receive verification from Google.

Step 7: Open the New Email and Use the Link to Delete your Gmail Account. Click Yes to Delete the Account, then Delete Gmail

Google will send you a verification email to the address you provided in step 6. Use that link to delete your account.

Like the Google account, you can recover your Gmail account if you don’t take too long. You must log in to the Google recovery page and enter the email address you want to recover. 

If you get a prompt message that the account doesn’t exist, there is no hope of recovering it. However, if you get the prompt to enter your password, enter it and proceed to recover the account. 

Conclusion

Whether you are just fed up with Google accounts or want to reduce your accounts, Google provides an easy way to delete the account permanently. The steps for deleting are similar whether you are working on your phone or laptop. 

When deleting, always download any data you do not want to lose. Moreover, remember you will lose all your content and subscriptions made through that account after deleting it. Nevertheless, you can recover your account and data if you try to get it before 60 days.

Up Next

• How to Permanently Delete Your Twitter Account in 4 Steps (with Photos)
• How to Delete Your Instagram Account Permanently
• How to Delete Your Microsoft Account Permanently

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