Google to delete some accounts starting this week: Here’s what to know

(NEXSTAR) — Do you have a Google account you created solely as a place to receive all those emails about Cyber Monday deals? Or maybe an account you made years ago with a less-than-mature address that you haven’t used since? If you don’t want to lose access to it, you’ll want to take action — fast.

As early as Friday, Google will begin removing accounts it deems as inactive.

The company announced the decision in May, explaining at the time that it was part of an update to its inactive account policies.

In a blog post, Ruth Kricheli, the vice president of product management for Google, said that accounts that haven’t been used are more likely to be compromised.

“This is because forgotten or unattended accounts often rely on old or re-used passwords that may have been compromised, haven’t had two factor authentication set up, and receive fewer security checks by the user,” she wrote. “Our internal analysis shows abandoned accounts are at least 10x less likely than active accounts to have 2-step-verification set up.”

In order to protect users, Google said it will delete accounts and their contents starting in December.

How do you know if you’re affected?

According to Google, an account is considered inactive if it hasn’t been accessed across the company’s products — Gmail, Docs, Drive, Meet, Calendar and Photos — in two years.

Google said it will be taking a phased approach as it deletes inactive accounts, “starting with accounts that were created and never used again.” So if you created a Gmail account in 2020 just to get a coupon or three months of free access to a streaming service, then never logged in again, it’s likely to be an early victim.

“Multiple notifications” were already sent to accounts at risk of being deleted. If you received any of those notifications, or want to save your account, you’ll want to follow the steps below.

Google explains that as long as you’ve logged into your Google Account or any of its other services recently, your account is safe from deletion. If you haven’t yet signed into the account you’re hoping to save, you’ll want to do that before Friday.

Here are some other actions you can take — now and once every two years — to keep your account active:

Read or send an email

Use Google Drive (this is where Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Forms can be found, and other documents can be stored)

Watch a YouTube video

Download an app from the Google Play Store

Search something on Google while signed in to the account

Use “Sign in with Google” to sign into a third-party app or service

If your Google account is linked to a subscription, like Google One, a news publication, or an app, it is considered active, according to Google. If you used your Google account to upload videos to YouTube, your account is also safe from being deleted, at least for now.

It’s only personal accounts that are being deleted, according to Google. If your account is linked to an organization, like your workplace or college, it won’t be deleted during the process.

Not sure if your account is affected? Simply put, if you have used your Gmail or other Google products at some point this year, you’re safe. If you can’t remember the last time you used it and don’t want to lose it, you may want to log in now before it’s too late.